VERSES FOR OFFERINGS

Think about giving – it's truly beautiful in God's eyes. When you're preparing your offering, remember it should be your best, given with a sincere heart. It should be a joyful act, knowing how much God has already blessed us with, even when we don't deserve it. He's been incredibly generous, hasn't He?

If you only give what's leftover, well, life might just mirror that back to you. Think about it – give as if you're giving to yourself. Don't do it out of obligation or because you expect something in return. True giving comes from the heart.

Don't make a big show of it either. It's not about getting praised or patted on the back. Let your giving be a quiet act between you and God. He sees what's in your heart, and He loves a cheerful giver. Remember what it says in 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Giving is an act of worship, a way to give back a portion of what God has already given us. And when God gives, He gives abundantly. When you offer from the heart, you're opening the door for even more blessings. The more you give, the more you receive. It's a beautiful cycle.

When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky,I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life.

At that time the Lord made an agreement with Abram and told him: I will give your descendants the land east of the Shihor River on the border of Egypt as far as the Euphrates River.

I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God.I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.

Now if you will faithfully obey me, you will be my very own people. The whole world is mine,but you will be my holy nation and serve me as priests. Moses, that is what you must tell the Israelites.

Then he read aloud the Lord's commands and promises, and the people shouted, “We will obey the Lord and do everything he has commanded!”Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them, “With this blood the Lord makes his agreement with you.”

You know that the Lord your God is the only true God. So love him and obey his commands, and he will faithfully keep his agreement with you and your descendants for a thousand generations.

Israel, the Lord has made an agreement with you, and if you keep your part, you will be successful in everything you do.

Today I am giving you a choice. You can choose life and success or death and disaster.I am commanding you to be loyal to the Lord, to live the way he has told you, and to obey his laws and teachings. You are about to cross the Jordan River and take the land that he is giving you. If you obey him, you will live and become successful and powerful. On the other hand, you might choose to disobey the Lord and reject him. So I'm warning you that if you bow down and worship other gods, you won't have long to live.

Every mountain and hill may disappear. But I will always be kind and merciful to you; I won't break my agreement to give your nation peace.

I, the Lord, love justice! But I hate robbery and injustice. My people, I solemnly promise to reward you with an eternal agreement.

The Lord said: The time will surely come when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and Judah.It will be different from the agreement I made with their ancestors when I led them out of Egypt. Although I was their God, they broke that agreement.Here is the new agreement that I, the Lord, will make with the people of Israel: “I will write my laws on their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people.“No longer will they have to teach one another to obey me. I, the Lord, promise that all of them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things they have done.”

The people of Israel are my sheep, and I solemnly promise that they will live in peace. I will chase away every wild animal from the desert and the forest, so my sheep will not be afraid.

I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts,because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings.

I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honoring me and respecting my name.

This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven.

After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement.

Now Christ has been appointed to serve as a priest in a much better way, and he has given us much assurance of a better agreement.If the first agreement with God had been all right, there would not have been any need for another one.

Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal blessings!

“When the time comes, I will make an agreement with them. I will write my laws on their minds and hearts.Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds.”

This is what the Lord has promised to do when he forgives their sins.”

The Lord said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.The crops failed, and there was no food anywhere in Canaan. So Abram and his wife Sarai went to live in Egypt for a while. But just before they got there, Abram said, “Sarai, you are really beautiful!When the Egyptians see you, they will murder me because I am your husband. But they won't kill you.Please save my life by saying you are my sister.” As soon as Abram and Sarai arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians noticed how beautiful she was.The king's officials told him about her, and she was taken to his house.The king was good to Abram because of Sarai, and Abram was given sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, and camels.Because of Sarai, the Lord struck the king and everyone in his palace with terrible diseases.Finally, the king sent for Abram and said to him, “What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?Why did you make me believe she was your sister? Now I've married her. Take her and go! She's your wife.”I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others.So the king told his men to let Abram and Sarai take their possessions and leave.I will bless those who bless you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you.

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right,As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family.From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever.Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his part of the promise and cannot be one of my people.Abraham, from now on your wife's name will be Sarah instead of Sarai.I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost 100 years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing.Then he asked God, “Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?” But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.”

You were willing to offer your only son to the Lord, and so he makes you this solemn promise,“I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the seashore. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live.You have obeyed me, and so you and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth.”

The Lord told Moses to put these laws in writing, as part of his agreement with Israel.Moses stayed on the mountain with the Lord for 40 days and nights, without eating or drinking. And he wrote down the Ten Commandments, the most important part of God's agreement with his people.

The Lord our God made an agreement with our nation at Mount Sinai.Do not tell lies about others. Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person—not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else. When we were gathered at the mountain, the Lord spoke to us in a loud voice from the dark fiery cloud. The Lord gave us these commands, and only these. Then he wrote them on two flat stones and gave them to me. When fire blazed from the mountain, and you heard the voice coming from the darkness, your tribal leaders came to meand said: Today the Lord our God has shown us how powerful and glorious he is. He spoke to us from the fire, and we learned that people can live, even though God speaks to them.But we don't want to take a chance on being killed by that terrible fire, and if we keep on hearing the Lord's voice, we will die.Has anyone else ever heard the only true God speaking from fire, as we have? And even if they have, would they live to tell about it?Moses, go up close and listen to the Lord. Then come back and tell us, and we will do everything he says.The Lord heard you and said: Moses, I heard what the people said to you, and I approve.I wish they would always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life.That agreement wasn't only with our ancestors but with us, who are here today.

“I won't break my agreement or go back on my word.

“Call my followers together! They offered me a sacrifice, and we made an agreement.”

You, Lord, are my God! I will praise you for doing the wonderful things you had planned and promised since ancient times.

He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.

I solemnly promise to bless the people of Israel with unending peace. I will protect them and let them become a powerful nation. My temple will stand in Israel for all time,

Don't suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.

God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable.

My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement.That is how it is with the promises God made to Abraham and his descendant. The promises were not made to many descendants, but only to one, and that one is Christ.

So if you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham's family, and you will be given what God has promised.

Take good care of me, your servant, and don't let me be harmed by those conceited people.

The Lord is always kind to those who worship him, and he keeps his promises to their descendants

To them, I, the Lord, say: Respect the Sabbath, obey me completely, and keep our agreement.Then you will be like monuments in my temple with your names written on them. This will be much better than having children, because these monuments will stand there forever.

Remember this day and celebrate it each year as a festival in my honor.

The Lord said: I promise to perform miracles for you that have never been seen anywhere on earth. Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things.

Always remember the agreement that the Lord your God made with you, and don't make an idol in any shape or form.The Lord will be angry if you worship other gods, and he can be like a fire destroying everything in its path.

If you completely obey these laws, the Lord your God will be loyal and keep the agreement he made with you, just as he promised our ancestors.The Lord will love you and bless you by giving you many children and plenty of food, wine, and olive oil. Your herds of cattle will have many calves, and your flocks of sheep will have many lambs.

In everything you do, you are kind and faithful to everyone who keeps our agreement with you.

This is what the Lord says: I will answer your prayers because I have set a time when I will help by coming to save you. I have chosen you to take my promise of hope to other nations. You will rebuild the country from its ruins, then people will come and settle there.

Here is the new agreement that I, the Lord, will make with the people of Israel: “I will write my laws on their hearts and minds. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

But I remember the agreement I made with you when you were young, and so I will make you a promise that will last forever.

Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin.Blindfold their eyes! Don't let them see. Bend their backs beneath a burden that will never be lifted.”Do I mean that the people of Israel fell, never to get up again? Certainly not! Their failure made it possible for the Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel jealous.But if the rest of the world's people were helped so much by their sin and loss, they will be helped even more by their full return.I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to you, I will take pride in my work.I hope in this way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved.When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world were able to turn to him. So when God makes friends with Israel, it will be like bringing the dead back to life.If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too.You Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree made to be part of a cultivated olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches that were cut away from it. And because of this, you enjoy the blessings that come from being part of that cultivated tree.But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember you are not supporting the roots of this tree. Its roots are supporting you.Maybe you think those branches were cut away, so you could be put in their place.God did not turn his back on his chosen people. Don't you remember reading in the Scriptures how Elijah complained to God about the people of Israel?

This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God.

My love for him will last, and my agreement with him will never be broken.

Don't forget your promise to me, your servant. I depend on it.

Jesus Christ came from the family of King David and also from the family of Abraham. And this is a list of his ancestors.From the exile to the birth of Jesus, his ancestors were: Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim; Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.There were 14 generations from Abraham to David. There were also 14 from David to the exile in Babylonia and 14 more to the birth of the Messiah.

God said he would be kind to our people and keep his sacred promise.He told our ancestor Abraham

You are really the ones God told his prophets to speak to. And you were given the promise God made to your ancestors. He said to Abraham, “All nations on earth will be blessed because of someone from your family.”

They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them.They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of the Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! Amen.

Christ says “Yes” to all God's promises. This is why we have Christ to say “Amen” for us to the glory of God.

Anyone who tries to please God by obeying the Law is under a curse. The Scriptures say, “Everyone who doesn't obey everything in the Law is under a curse.”No one can please God by obeying the Law. The Scriptures also say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.” The Law isn't based on faith. It promises life only to people who obey its commands.But Christ rescued us from the Law's curse, when he became a curse in our place. This is because the Scriptures say that anyone who is nailed to a tree is under a curse.And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.

The first promise included rules for worship and a tent for worship here on earth.

All of this is the Holy Spirit's way of saying no one could enter the most holy place while the tent was still the place of worship.This also has a meaning for today. It shows we cannot make our consciences clear by offering gifts and sacrifices.

Since you have agreed to obey the Lord, he has agreed that you will be his people and that you will belong to him, just as he promised.

God gave his laws and teachings to the descendants of Jacob, the nation of Israel.The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem and brings the people of Israel back home again.But he has not given his laws to any other nation. Shout praises to the Lord!

The Lord was standing beside the ladder and said: I am the Lord God who was worshiped by Abraham and Isaac. I will give to you and your family the land on which you are now sleeping.Your descendants will spread over the earth in all directions and will become as numerous as the specks of dust. Your family will be a blessing to all people.Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won't leave you—I will do all I have promised.

But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

Now I call the sky and the earth to be witnesses that I am offering you this choice. Will you choose for the Lord to make you prosperous and give you a long life? Or will he put you under a curse and kill you? Choose life!return to him with all your heart and soul and start obeying the commands I have given to you today.Be completely faithful to the Lord your God, love him, and do whatever he tells you. The Lord is the only one who can give life, and he will let you live a long time in the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God lets you live in peace, and he gives you the very best wheat.

Instead he chose the tribe of Judah, and he chose Mount Zion, the place he loves.There he built his temple as lofty as the mountains and as solid as the earth he made to last forever.

The Lord says: “My people, I promise to give you my Spirit and my message. These will be my gifts to you and your families forever. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

He will be your leader, and I will be your God. I, the Lord, have spoken.

From now on I am not going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom.”

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to save his people.Our God has given us a mighty Savior from the family of David his servant.

This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live.”

no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help.All who call out to the Lord will be saved.

But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done. The Scriptures say,

I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.

I promise that you will be the father of many nations. So now I'm changing your name from Abram to Abraham.

After you have entered the country promised to you by the Lord, you and your children must continue to celebrate Passover each year.

He gives food to his worshipers and always keeps his agreement with them.

God made heaven and earth; he created the sea and everything else. God always keeps his word.

The Lord will reward him with honor and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us.

I, the Lord, have an agreement with day and night, so they always come at the right time. You can't break the agreement I made with them,and you can't break the agreements I have made with David's family and with the priests from the Levi tribe who serve at my altar. A descendant of David will always rule as king of Israel,

Then I will take away your stubbornness and make you eager to be completely faithful to me. You will want to obey me

I will keep this solemn promise, and you will know that I am the Lord.

Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his gift of undeserved grace. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all.

My friends, I will use an everyday example to explain what I mean. Once someone agrees to something, no one else can change or cancel the agreement.

But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law,so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children.

God made an eternal promise

who faithfully obey him.

Don't suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.

“When the time comes, I will make an agreement with them. I will write my laws on their minds and hearts.

The Lord told Moses to put these laws in writing, as part of his agreement with Israel.

The Lord loved your ancestors and decided that you would be his people. So the Lord used his great power to bring you out of Egypt.Now you face other nations more powerful than you are, but the Lord has already started forcing them out of their land and giving it to you.

Suppose some of his children should reject my Law and refuse my instructions.Or suppose they should disobey all of my teachings.Then I will correct and punish them because of their sins.

Please, Lord, remember, you have always been patient and kind.Forget each wrong I did when I was young. Show how truly kind you are and remember me.

In this way all of Israel will be saved, as the Scriptures say, “From Zion someone will come to rescue us. Then Jacob's descendants will stop being evil.This is what the Lord has promised to do when he forgives their sins.”

But our mother is the city of Jerusalem in heaven above, and she isn't a slave.

It is truly wonderful when the people of God live together in peace.

God struck down the first-born in every Egyptian family. God's love never fails.He rescued Israel from Egypt. God's love never fails.God used his great strength and his powerful arm. God's love never fails.

“Here is my chosen servant! I love him, and he pleases me. I will give him my Spirit, and he will bring justice to the nations.

You were rescued from the useless way of life you learned from your ancestors. But you know you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever.You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.

What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?

God rescued his people, and he will never break his agreement with them. He is fearsome and holy.

The Lord decided his servant would suffer as a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others. Now the servant will live to see his own descendants. He did everything the Lord had planned.By suffering, the servant will learn the true meaning of obeying the Lord. Although he is innocent, he will take the punishment for the sins of others, so that many of them will no longer be guilty.

Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.’ I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”

Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord. People all over the world will turn and worship you,

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God.Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son.And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.Sin was in the world before the Law came. But no record of sin was kept, because there was no Law.Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did. In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later.But the gift of God's undeserved grace was very different from Adam's sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God's gift of undeserved grace to many people.There is a lot of difference between Adam's sin and God's gift. That one sin led to punishment. But God's gift made it possible for us to be acceptable to him, even though we have sinned many times.Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has treated us with undeserved grace, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.Everyone was going to be punished because Adam sinned. But because of the good thing that Christ has done, God accepts us and gives us the gift of life.Adam disobeyed God and caused many others to be sinners. But Jesus obeyed him and will make many people acceptable to God.Christ has also introduced us to God's gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God.

He will never forget his agreement or his promises, not in thousands of years. *

But you, the Lord God, are kind and merciful. You don't easily get angry, and your love can always be trusted.

Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace, and write them in your mind.Don't argue just to be arguing, when you haven't been hurt.Don't be jealous of cruel people or follow their example.The Lord doesn't like anyone who is dishonest, but he lets good people be his friends.He places a curse on the home of everyone who is evil, but he blesses the home of every good person.The Lord sneers at those who sneer at him, but he is kind to everyone who is humble.You will be praised if you are wise, but you will be disgraced if you are a stubborn fool.God and people will like you and hold you in high esteem.

This is what the Lord says: I will answer your prayers because I have set a time when I will help by coming to save you. I have chosen you to take my promise of hope to other nations. You will rebuild the country from its ruins, then people will come and settle there.You will set prisoners free from dark dungeons to see the light of day. On their way home, they will find plenty to eat, even on barren hills.

You will once again live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.

The Lord is good! His love and faithfulness will last forever.

You will always do right, and your teachings are true.

Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up.

The Lord God is famous for his wonderful deeds, and he is kind and merciful.

I will bless the thirsty land by sending streams of water; I will bless your descendants by giving them my Spirit.

Your anger lasts a little while, but your kindness lasts for a lifetime. At night we may cry, but when morning comes we will celebrate.

Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.

I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.The good news tells how God accepts everyone who has faith, but only those who have faith. It is just as the Scriptures say, “The people God accepts because of their faith will live.”

You remain faithful in every generation, and the earth you created will keep standing firm.

Our holy God lives forever in the highest heavens, and this is what he says: Though I live high above in the holy place, I am here to help those who are humble and depend only on me.

But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.

God gives peace, and he raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death. Now Jesus is like a Great Shepherd whose blood was used to make God's eternal agreement with his flock.I pray God will make you ready to obey him and that you will always be eager to do right. May Jesus help you do what pleases God. To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen.

He renews our hopes and heals our bodies.

I love your commands! They bring me happiness.I love and respect them and will keep them in mind.

I worship at your holy temple and praise you for your love and your faithfulness. You were true to your word and made yourself more famous than ever before.

Don't be afraid. I am with you. Don't tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.

Come and see the fearsome things our God has done!

“I won't break my agreement or go back on my word.I have sworn once and for all by my own holy name, and I won't lie to David.

Even in the night I think about you, Lord, and I obey your Law.

It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God.

My people, you are my witnesses and my chosen servant. I want you to know me, to trust me, and understand that I alone am God. I have always been God; there can be no others.

You kept your agreement and were so merciful

Your love means more than life to me, and I praise you.

But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.

You, Lord, will always treat me with kindness. Your love never fails. You have made us what we are. Don't give up on us now!

I praise you, Lord God, with all my heart. You are glorious and majestic, dressed in royal robesYou provide streams of water in the hills and valleys,so that the donkeys and other wild animals can satisfy their thirst.Birds build their nests nearby and sing in the trees.From your home above you send rain on the hills and water the earth.You let the earth produce grass for cattle, plants for our food,wine to cheer us up, olive oil for our skin, and grain for our health.Our Lord, your trees always have water, and so do the cedars you planted in Lebanon.Birds nest in those trees, and storks make their home in the fir trees.Wild goats find a home in the tall mountains, and small animals can hide between the rocks.You created the moon to tell us the seasons. The sun knows when to set,and surrounded by light. You spread out the sky like a tent,and you made the darkness, so the animals in the forest could come out at night.Lions roar as they hunt for the food you provide.But when morning comes, they return to their dens,then we go out to work until the end of day.Our Lord, by your wisdom you made so many things; the whole earth is covered with your living creatures.But what about the ocean so big and wide? It is alive with creatures, large and small.And there are the ships, as well as Leviathan, the monster you created to splash in the sea.All of these depend on you to provide them with food,and you feed each one with your own hand, until they are full.But when you turn away, they are terrified; when you end their life, they die and rot.and you built your home over the mighty ocean. The clouds are your chariot with the wind as its wings.You created all of them by your Spirit, and you give new life to the earth.Our Lord, we pray that your glory will last forever and that you will be pleased with what you have done.You look at the earth, and it trembles. You touch the mountains, and smoke goes up.As long as I live, I will sing and praise you, the Lord God.I hope my thoughts will please you, because you are the one who makes me glad.Destroy all wicked sinners from the earth once and for all. With all my heart I praise you, Lord! I praise you!The winds are your messengers, and flames of fire are your servants.You built foundations for the earth, and it will never be shaken.

God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.

Prayer