Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope.And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trialsso that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
Rejoice at all times.Pray without ceasing.Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.
to console the mourners in Zion— to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.See to it that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright.For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with tears.For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory.
I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.O Lord, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.For evils without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed within me.Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; hurry, O Lord, to help me.May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!” be appalled at their own shame.May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “The Lord be magnified!”But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders.Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations.For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.Be merciful to me, O Lord; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,that I may declare all Your praises— that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation.The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.The Lord is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations who forget God.For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.Rise up, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need.
Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.Sometimes you were publicly exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were partners with those who were so treated.You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.For sin was in the world before the law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no law.Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come.But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many!Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed one sin brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses brought justification.For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men.For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.
Then my enemies will retreat on the day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.
The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us— none can compare to You— if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.
Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Now this is what the Lord says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.The wicked man will see and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked will perish.His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me.
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.
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,that my heart may sing Your praises and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks forever.
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
Vindicate me, O Lord! For I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.in whose hands are wicked schemes, whose right hands are full of bribes.But I will walk with integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.My feet stand on level ground; in the congregations I will bless the Lord.Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.
Surely the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
The Lord is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side; He is my helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Nevertheless, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!
I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.O Lord, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.For evils without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed within me.Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; hurry, O Lord, to help me.May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!” be appalled at their own shame.May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “The Lord be magnified!”But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
Blessed are the people of whom this is so; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.