28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Do Not Love The World (I John 2:15-17) NIV
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does --- comes not from the Father but from the world.
17 The world and its desires pass away but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
16 For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does --- comes not from the Father but from the world.
17 The world and its desires pass away but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
God's Wrath Against Mankind (Romans 1:18-32) GNT
Paul writing to the Church
18 God's anger is revealed from heaven
against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth
from being known.
19 God punishes them,
because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it
plain.
20 Ever
since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and
his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that
God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!
21 They
know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they
thank him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their
empty minds are filled with darkness.
22 They say they are wise, but they are fools;
23 instead
of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or
birds or animals or reptiles.
24 And so God has given those
people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful
things with each other.
25 They
exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has
created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen.
26 Because they do this, God has
given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the natural use of
their sex by unnatural acts.
27 In the
same way the men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with
passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other, and as a result
they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.
28 Because those people refuse to
keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted
minds, so that they do the things that they should not do.
29 They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil,
greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and
malice. They gossip
30 and speak evil
of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud,
and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their
parents;
31 they have no conscience;
they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for
others.
32 They know that God's law
says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they
continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.
Monday, February 27, 2012
We Are More Than Conquerors (Romans 8:28-39) NIV
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
We Have Been Made Alive In Christ (Ephesians 2:1-0) GNT
1 In
the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins.
2 At that time you followed the world's
evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who
now controls the people who disobey God.
3 Actually all of us were like them and lived according to
our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and
minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer
God's anger.
4 But God's mercy is so abundant,
and his love for us is so great,
5 that
while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with
Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved.
6 In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him
to rule with him in the heavenly world.
7 He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the
extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love he showed us in Christ
Jesus.
8 For it is by God's grace that
you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but
God's gift,
9 so that no one can boast about it.
10 God has made us what we are, and in our union with
Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already
prepared for us to do.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Spiritual Blessings In Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14) GNT
3 Let us give thanks to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us
by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world.
4 Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love
5 God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.
6 Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son!
7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,
8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight
9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ.
10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.
11 All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.
12 Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!
13 And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.
14 The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!
4 Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love
5 God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.
6 Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son!
7 For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,
8 which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight
9 God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ.
10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.
11 All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.
12 Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!
13 And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.
14 The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Unity In The Body Of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-16) GNT
1 I urge you, then—I who am a prisoner
because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set
when he called you.
2 Be
always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one
another.
3 Do your best to preserve the
unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as
there is one hope to which God has called you.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 there is one God and Father of all
people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.
7 Each one of us has received a
special gift in proportion to what Christ has given.
8 As
the scripture says, "When he went up to the very heights, he took many captives with him; he gave gifts to people."
9 Now, what does he went up mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth.
10 So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence.
11 It was he who gave gifts to people; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers.
12 He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.
13 And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature.
14 Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent.
15 Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head.
16 Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.
9 Now, what does he went up mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth.
10 So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence.
11 It was he who gave gifts to people; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers.
12 He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.
13 And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature.
14 Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent.
15 Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head.
16 Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Life In The Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26) GNT
16 What I say is this: let the Spirit
direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.
17 For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.
18 If the Spirit leads you, then you are not subject to the Law.
19 What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions;
20 in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups;
21 they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires.
25 The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives.
26 We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another.
17 For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.
18 If the Spirit leads you, then you are not subject to the Law.
19 What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions;
20 in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups;
21 they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires.
25 The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives.
26 We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
No Child Of God Keeps Sinning (I John 5:13-21)GNT
13 I am writing this to you so that
you may know that you have eternal life—you that believe in the Son of God.
14 We have courage in God's presence,
because we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is
according to his will.
15 He hears us
whenever we ask him; and since we know this is true, we know also that he gives
us what we ask from him.
16 If you see a believer commit a
sin that does not lead to death, you should pray to God, who will give that
person life. This applies to those whose sins do not lead to death. But there is
sin which leads to death, and I do not say that you should pray to God about
that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, but
there is sin which does not lead to death.
18 We know that no children of God
keep on sinning, for the Son of God keeps them safe, and the Evil One cannot
harm them.
19 We know that we belong to God
even though the whole world is under the rule of the Evil One.
20 We know that the Son of God has
come and has given us understanding, so that we know the true God. We live in
union with the true God—in union with his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true
God, and this is eternal life.
21 My children, keep yourselves
safe from false gods!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Those Who Obey My Commands (I John 3:11-24) NIV
11 For this is the message you heard
from the beginning: We should love one another.
12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:
20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.
15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:
20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Sons Of God (Galatians 3:26-29 & 4:1-7) GNT
Galatians 3:26-29
26 It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus.
27 You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself.
28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.
Galatians 4:1-7
1 But now to continue—the son who will receive his father's property is treated just like a slave while he is young, even though he really owns everything.
2 While he is young, there are men who take care of him and manage his affairs until the time set by his father.
3 In the same way, we too were slaves of the ruling spirits of the universe before we reached spiritual maturity.
4 But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law,
5 to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might become God's children.
6 To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, Father, my Father.
7 So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children.
26 It is through faith that all of you are God's children in union with Christ Jesus.
27 You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak, with the life of Christ himself.
28 So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham and will receive what God has promised.
Galatians 4:1-7
1 But now to continue—the son who will receive his father's property is treated just like a slave while he is young, even though he really owns everything.
2 While he is young, there are men who take care of him and manage his affairs until the time set by his father.
3 In the same way, we too were slaves of the ruling spirits of the universe before we reached spiritual maturity.
4 But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law,
5 to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might become God's children.
6 To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, Father, my Father.
7 So then, you are no longer a slave but a child. And since you are his child, God will give you all that he has for his children.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Faith In The Son Of God (I John 5:1-12) GNT
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the
Messiah is a child of God; and whoever loves a father loves his child also.
2 This is how we know that we love God's
children: it is by loving God and obeying his commands.
3 For
our love for God means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not too
hard for us,
4 because every child of
God is able to defeat the world. And we win the victory over the world by means
of our faith.
5 Who can defeat the
world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 Jesus Christ is the one who came with the
water of his baptism and the blood of his death. He came not only with the
water, but with both the water and the blood. And the Spirit himself testifies
that this is true, because the Spirit is truth.
7 There are three witnesses:
8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and all three give
the same testimony.
9 We believe human
testimony; but God's testimony is much stronger, and he has given this testimony
about his Son.
10 So those who believe
in the Son of God have this testimony in their own heart; but those who do not
believe God, have made a liar of him, because they have not believed what God
has said about his Son.
11 The
testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source
in his Son.
12 Whoever has the Son has
this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Christ Our Helper (I John 2:1-6) GNT
1 I am writing this to you, my
children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who
pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
2 And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him.
4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.
5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:
6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
2 And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him.
4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us.
5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:
6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Be Ready For The Lord's Coming (I Thessalonians 5:1-11) GNT
1 There is no need to write you,
friends, about the times and occasions when these things will happen.
2 For
you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief
comes at night.
3 When people say, " Everything is quiet and safe", then suddenly destruction will hit
them! It will come as suddenly as the pains that come upon a woman in labor, and
people will not escape.
4 But you,
friends, are not in the darkness, and the Day should not take you by surprise
like a thief.
5 All of you are people
who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or
to the darkness.
6 So then, we should
not be sleeping like the others; we should be awake and sober.
7 It is at night when people sleep; it is
at night when they get drunk.
8 But
we belong to the day, and we should be sober. We must wear faith and love as a
breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a helmet.
9 God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us in order that we might live together
with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes.
11 And so encourage one another and help one another, just
as you are now doing.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Suffering For Doing Right (I Peter 3:8-22) GNT
8 To conclude: you must all have the
same attitude and the same feelings; love one another, and be kind and humble
with one another.
9 Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with a blessing, because a blessing is what God promised to give you when he called you.
10 As the scripture says, "Whoever wants to enjoy life and wish to see good times, you must keep from speaking evil and stop telling lies.
11 You must turn away from evil and do good; you must strive for peace with all your heart.
12 For the Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their prayers; but he opposes those who do evil."
13 Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry.
15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you,
16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God's will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually,
19 and in his spiritual existence he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits.
20 These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was building his boat. The few people in the boat—eight in all—were saved by the water,
21 which was a symbol pointing to baptism, which now saves you. It is not the washing off of bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone to heaven and is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.
9 Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with a blessing, because a blessing is what God promised to give you when he called you.
10 As the scripture says, "Whoever wants to enjoy life and wish to see good times, you must keep from speaking evil and stop telling lies.
11 You must turn away from evil and do good; you must strive for peace with all your heart.
12 For the Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their prayers; but he opposes those who do evil."
13 Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry.
15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you,
16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God's will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually,
19 and in his spiritual existence he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits.
20 These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was building his boat. The few people in the boat—eight in all—were saved by the water,
21 which was a symbol pointing to baptism, which now saves you. It is not the washing off of bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone to heaven and is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
False Teachers and Their Destruction (2 Peter 2) NIV
1 But there were also false prophets
among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will
secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who
bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;
11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord.
12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.
13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;
11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord.
12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.
13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Conflict In Man (Roman 7:14-25) GNT
14 We know that the Law is spiritual;
but I am a mortal, sold as a slave to sin.
15 I
do not understand what I do; for I don't do what I would like to do, but instead
I do what I hate.
16 Since what I do is
what I don't want to do, this shows that I agree that the Law is right.
17 So I am not really the one who does this
thing; rather it is the sin that lives in me.
18 I know that good does not live in me—that is, in my
human nature. For even though the desire to do good is in me, I am not able to
do it.
19 I don't do the good I want to
do; instead, I do the evil that I do not want to do.
20 If I do what I don't want to do, this means that I am no
longer the one who does it; instead, it is the sin that lives in me.
21 So I find that this law is at
work: when I want to do what is good, what is evil is the only choice I
have.
22 My inner being delights in the law of God.
23 But I see a different law at work in my body—a law that fights against the law which my mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in my body.
24 What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death?
25 Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ! This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God's law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.
22 My inner being delights in the law of God.
23 But I see a different law at work in my body—a law that fights against the law which my mind approves of. It makes me a prisoner to the law of sin which is at work in my body.
24 What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death?
25 Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ! This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God's law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Enemy of Christ (I John 2:18-27) GNT
18 My children, the end is near! You
were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ
have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near.
19 These people really did not belong to our fellowship,
and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would
have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them
really belonged to us.
20 But you have had the Holy
Spirit poured out on you by Christ, and so all of you know the truth.
21 I write you, then, not because you do
not know the truth; instead, it is because you do know it, and you also know
that no lie ever comes from the truth.
22 Who, then, is the liar? It is
those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemy of
Christ—they reject both the Father and the Son.
23 For those who reject the Son reject also the Father;
those who accept the Son have the Father also.24 Be sure, then, to keep in your
hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then
you will always live in union with the Son and the Father.
25 And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life.
26 I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.
25 And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life.
26 I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
27 But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The True Spirit and the False Spirit (I John 4:1-6) GNT
1 My dear friends, do not believe all
who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have
comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.
2 This is how you will be able to know
whether it is God's Spirit: anyone who acknowledges that Jesus Christ came as a
human being has the Spirit who comes from God.
3 But anyone who denies this about Jesus does not have the
Spirit from God. The spirit that he has is from the Enemy of Christ; you heard
that it would come, and now it is here in the world already.
4 But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.
5 Those false prophets speak about matters
of the world, and the world listens to them because they belong to the
world.
6 But we belong to God. Whoever
knows God listens to us; whoever does not belong to God does not listen to us.
This, then, is how we can tell the difference between the Spirit of truth and
the spirit of error.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
God's Complete Knowledge and Care (Psalms 139) GNT
1 Lord, you have examined me and you know me.
2 You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts.
3 You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions.
4 Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.
5 You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power.
6 Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding.
7 Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence?
8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there.
9 If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west,
10 you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night,
12 but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart.
15 When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there—
16 you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.
17 O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; how many of them there are!
18 If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone!
20 They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name.
21 O Lord, how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you!
22 I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies.
23 Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.
24 Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.
2 You know everything I do; from far away you understand all my thoughts.
3 You see me, whether I am working or resting; you know all my actions.
4 Even before I speak, you already know what I will say.
5 You are all around me on every side; you protect me with your power.
6 Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding.
7 Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence?
8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there.
9 If I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west,
10 you would be there to lead me, you would be there to help me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me or the light around me to turn into night,
12 but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart.
15 When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there—
16 you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.
17 O God, how difficult I find your thoughts; how many of them there are!
18 If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 O God, how I wish you would kill the wicked! How I wish violent people would leave me alone!
20 They say wicked things about you; they speak evil things against your name.
21 O Lord, how I hate those who hate you! How I despise those who rebel against you!
22 I hate them with a total hatred; I regard them as my enemies.
23 Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.
24 Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Put All Things To Test (I Thessalonians 5:12-24) NIV
12 Now we ask you, brothers and
sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the
Lord and who admonish you.
13 Hold
them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with
each other.
14 And we urge you,
brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the
disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but
always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt
21 but test them all; hold on to what is good,
22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt
21 but test them all; hold on to what is good,
22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Jesus The Way To The Father (John 14:1-14) GNT
1 "Do not be worried and
upset," Jesus told them. "Believe in God
and believe also in me.
2 There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so.
3 And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.
4 You know the way that leads to the place where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going; so how can we know the way to get there?
6 Jesus answered him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.
7 Now that you have known me, he said to them, you will know my Father also, and from now on you do know him and you have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need."
9 Jesus answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 Do you not believe, Philip, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I have spoken to you," Jesus said to his disciples, "do not come from me. The Father, who remains in me, does his own work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If not, believe because of the things I do.
12 I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do—yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son.
14 If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it."
2 There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so.
3 And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.
4 You know the way that leads to the place where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going; so how can we know the way to get there?
6 Jesus answered him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.
7 Now that you have known me, he said to them, you will know my Father also, and from now on you do know him and you have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need."
9 Jesus answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 Do you not believe, Philip, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I have spoken to you," Jesus said to his disciples, "do not come from me. The Father, who remains in me, does his own work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If not, believe because of the things I do.
12 I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do—yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son.
14 If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it."
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Do Not Let Anyone Deceive You (II Thessalonians 2:1-12) GNT
1 Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with
him: I beg you, my friends,
2 not to be so easily confused in your thinking or upset by the claim that the Day of the Lord has come. Perhaps it is thought that we said this while prophesying or preaching, or that we wrote it in a letter.
3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until the final Rebellion takes place and the Wicked One appears, who is destined to hell.
4 He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God.
5 Don't you remember? I told you all this while I was with you.
6 Yet there is something that keeps this from happening now, and you know what it is. At the proper time, then, the Wicked One will appear.
7 The Mysterious Wickedness is already at work, but what is going to happen will not happen until the one who holds it back is taken out of the way.
8 Then the Wicked One will be revealed, but when the Lord Jesus comes, he will kill him with the breath from his mouth and destroy him with his dazzling presence.
9 The Wicked One will come with the power of Satan and perform all kinds of false miracles and wonders,
10 and use every kind of wicked deceit on those who will perish. They will perish because they did not welcome and love the truth so as to be saved.
11 And so God sends the power of error to work in them so that they believe what is false.
12 The result is that all who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in sin, will be condemned.
2 not to be so easily confused in your thinking or upset by the claim that the Day of the Lord has come. Perhaps it is thought that we said this while prophesying or preaching, or that we wrote it in a letter.
3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until the final Rebellion takes place and the Wicked One appears, who is destined to hell.
4 He will oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in God's Temple and claim to be God.
5 Don't you remember? I told you all this while I was with you.
6 Yet there is something that keeps this from happening now, and you know what it is. At the proper time, then, the Wicked One will appear.
7 The Mysterious Wickedness is already at work, but what is going to happen will not happen until the one who holds it back is taken out of the way.
8 Then the Wicked One will be revealed, but when the Lord Jesus comes, he will kill him with the breath from his mouth and destroy him with his dazzling presence.
9 The Wicked One will come with the power of Satan and perform all kinds of false miracles and wonders,
10 and use every kind of wicked deceit on those who will perish. They will perish because they did not welcome and love the truth so as to be saved.
11 And so God sends the power of error to work in them so that they believe what is false.
12 The result is that all who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in sin, will be condemned.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Hearing And Doing (James 1:19-27)GNT
19 Remember
this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and
slow to become angry.
20 Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.
21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.
23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are.
24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.
25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.
26 Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself.
27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
20 Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.
21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice.
23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are.
24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.
25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.
26 Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself.
27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
Monday, February 6, 2012
How To Please God (Hebrews 13:1-17) GNT
1 Keep on loving one another as
Christians.
2 Remember
to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed
angels without knowing it.
3 Remember
those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them. Remember those
who are suffering, as though you were suffering as they are.
4 Marriage
is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other.
God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.
6 Let us be bold, then, and say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
7 Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you from the right way. It is good to receive inner strength from God's grace, and not by obeying rules about foods; those who obey these rules have not been helped by them.
10 The priests who serve in the Jewish place of worship have no right to eat any of the sacrifice on our altar.
11 The Jewish high priest brings the blood of the animals into the Most Holy Place to offer it as a sacrifice for sins; but the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp.
12 For this reason Jesus also died outside the city, in order to purify the people from sin with his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp and share his shame.
14 For there is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come.
15 Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord.
16 Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your leaders and follow their orders. They watch over your souls without resting, since they must give to God an account of their service. If you obey them, they will do their work gladly; if not, they will do it with sadness, and that would be of no help to you.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.
6 Let us be bold, then, and say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
7 Remember your former leaders, who spoke God's message to you. Think back on how they lived and died, and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you from the right way. It is good to receive inner strength from God's grace, and not by obeying rules about foods; those who obey these rules have not been helped by them.
10 The priests who serve in the Jewish place of worship have no right to eat any of the sacrifice on our altar.
11 The Jewish high priest brings the blood of the animals into the Most Holy Place to offer it as a sacrifice for sins; but the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp.
12 For this reason Jesus also died outside the city, in order to purify the people from sin with his own blood.
13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp and share his shame.
14 For there is no permanent city for us here on earth; we are looking for the city which is to come.
15 Let us, then, always offer praise to God as our sacrifice through Jesus, which is the offering presented by lips that confess him as Lord.
16 Do not forget to do good and to help one another, because these are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your leaders and follow their orders. They watch over your souls without resting, since they must give to God an account of their service. If you obey them, they will do their work gladly; if not, they will do it with sadness, and that would be of no help to you.
Warning Against Refusing God (Hebrews 12:14-29) GNT
14 Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it.
15 Guard against turning back from the grace of God. Let no one become like a bitter plant that grows up and causes many troubles with its poison.
16 Let no one become immoral or unspiritual like Esau, who for a single meal sold his rights as the older son.
17 Afterward, you know, he wanted to receive his father's blessing; but he was turned back, because he could not find any way to change what he had done, even though in tears he looked for it.
18 You have not come, as the people of Israel came, to what you can feel, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm,
19 the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice. When the people heard the voice, they begged not to hear another word,
20 because they could not bear the order which said, If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.
21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling and afraid!
22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, with its thousands of angels.
23 You have come to the joyful gathering of God's first-born, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, who is the judge of all people, and to the spirits of good people made perfect.
24 You have come to Jesus, who arranged the new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that promises much better things than does the blood of Abel.
25 Be careful, then, and do not refuse to hear him who speaks. Those who refused to hear the one who gave the divine message on earth did not escape. How much less shall we escape, then, if we turn away from the one who speaks from heaven!
26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven as well.
27 The words once more plainly show that the created things will be shaken and removed, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain.
28 Let us be thankful, then, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and awe;
29 because our God is indeed a destroying fire.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
God's Disciplines His Sons (Hebrews 12:1-11)GNT
God Our Father
1 As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne.
3 Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.
4 For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed.5 Have you forgotten the encouraging words which God speaks to you as his children? My child, pay attention when the Lord corrects you, and do not be discouraged when he rebukes you.
6 Because the Lord corrects everyone he loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a child.
7 Endure what you suffer as being a father's punishment; your suffering shows that God is treating you as his children. Was there ever a child who was not punished by his father?
8 If you are not punished, as all his children are, it means you are not real children, but bastards.
9 In the case of our human fathers, they punished us and we respected them. How much more, then, should we submit to our spiritual Father and live!
10 Our human fathers punished us for a short time, as it seemed right to them; but God does it for our own good, so that we may share his holiness.
11 When we are punished, it seems to us at the time something to make us sad, not glad. Later, however, those who have been disciplined by such punishment reap the peaceful reward of a righteous life.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Fullness Of Life In Christ (Colossians 2:6-23) GNT
6 Since you have accepted Christ
Jesus as Lord, live in union with him.
7 Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and
become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with
thanksgiving.
8 See to it, then, that no one
enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from
the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the
universe, and not from Christ.
9 For
the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity,
10 and you have been given full life in
union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.11 In union with Christ you were
circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with
the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of
this sinful self.
12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death.
13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins;
14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.
15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath.
17 All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ.
18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking
19 and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ's control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.
20 You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as
21 Don't handle this, Don't taste that, Don't touch the other?
22 All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings.
23 Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions.
12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death.
13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins;
14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.
15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath.
17 All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ.
18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking
19 and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ's control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.
20 You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as
21 Don't handle this, Don't taste that, Don't touch the other?
22 All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings.
23 Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions.
Rules For Holy Living (Colossians 3:1-17) NIV
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears,. then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
7 You use to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these; anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears,. then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
7 You use to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these; anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Living To Please God (I Thessalonians 4:1-12) NIV
1 As for other matters, brothers and
sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you
are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and
more.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God;
6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.
7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,
12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
The Living Stone And A Chosen People (I Peter 2:1-12) GNT
This word is the Good News that was proclaimed to you.
1 Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.
2 Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved.
3 As the scripture says, You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.
4 Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.
5 Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For the scripture says, I chose a valuable stone, which I am placing as the cornerstone in Zion; and whoever believes in him will never be disappointed.
7 This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe: The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.
8 And another scripture says, "This is the stone that will make people stumble, the rock that will make them fall. They stumbled because they did not believe in the word; such was God's will for them.
9 But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.
10 At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A Call To Holy Living (I Peter 1:13-25) GNT
13 So then, have your minds ready for
action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be
given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14 Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.
15 Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy.
16 The scripture says, Be holy because I am holy.
17 You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for Him.
18 For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold;
19 it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw.
20 He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
22 Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.
23 For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.
24 As the scripture says, All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.
14 Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.
15 Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy.
16 The scripture says, Be holy because I am holy.
17 You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for Him.
18 For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold;
19 it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw.
20 He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
22 Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.
23 For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.
24 As the scripture says, All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.
Living For God (I Peter 4:1-11) NIV
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in
his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in
the body is done with sin.
2 As a
result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires,
but rather for the will of God.
3 For
you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in
debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
4 They are surprised that you do not join
them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.
5 But they will have to give account to him
who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to
those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human
standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the
spirit.
7 The end of all things is near.
Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
One Body, Many Parts (ICorinthians 12:12-28) NIV
Unity & Diversity in the body of Christ
12 Just as a body, though one, has
many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.
13 For we were all baptized by one
Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we
were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say,
“Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that
reason stop being part of the body.
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the
body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where
would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the
sense of smell be?
18 But in fact God
has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to
be.
19 If they were all one part,
where would the body be?
20 As it is,
there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand,
“I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
22 On the contrary, those parts of the
body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat
with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with
special modesty,
24 while our
presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together,
giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
25 so that there should be no division in the body, but
that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one
part is honored, every part rejoices with it.27 Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you is a part of it.
28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
Those Who Have Been Set Free ...(Roman 3:22-24) GNT
God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence. But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with Him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.
Roman 3:22-24 (Good News Bible/Today's English Version)
Roman 3:22-24 (Good News Bible/Today's English Version)
Live As God Called You (ICorinthians 7:17-24) GNT
17 Each of you should go on living
according to the Lord's gift to you, and as you were when God called you. This
is the rule I teach in all the churches.
18 If
a circumcised man has accepted God's call, he should not try to remove the marks
of circumcision; if an uncircumcised man has accepted God's call, he should not
get circumcised.
19 For whether or not
a man is circumcised means nothing; what matters is to obey God's
commandments.
20 Each of you should
remain as you were when you accepted God's call.
21 Were you a slave when God called you? Well, never mind;
but if you have a chance to become free, use it.
22 For a slave who has been called by the Lord is the Lord's free person; in the
same way a free person who has been called by Christ is his slave.
23 God bought you for a price; so do not
become slaves of people.
24 My friends,
each of you should remain in fellowship with God in the same condition that you
were when you were called.
Walking For Life
Walking For Life
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