Category
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.
I have made a rainbow in the clouds. That rainbow is proof of the agreement between me and the earth.When I bring clouds over the earth, you will see the rainbow in the clouds.When I see this rainbow, I will remember the agreement between me and you and every living thing on the earth. That agreement says that a flood will never again destroy all life on the earth.
So on that day, the Lord made a promise and an agreement with Abram. The Lord said, “I will give this land to your descendants. I will give them the land between the River of Egypt [88] and the great river Euphrates.
And I will prepare an agreement between you and me. This agreement will also be for all your descendants. This agreement will continue forever. I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.And I will give this land to you and to all your descendants. I will give you the land you are traveling through—the land of Canaan. I will give you this land forever. And I will be your God.”
So now I tell you to obey my commands. Keep my Agreement. If you do this, then you will be my own special people. The whole world belongs to me. But I am choosing you to be my own special people.You will be a special nation—a kingdom of priests.’ Moses, you must tell the people of Israel what I have said.”
Moses read the scroll with the special Agreement written on it. Moses read the Agreement so all the people could hear him. And the people said, “We have heard {the laws that the Lord has given us}. And we agree to obey them.”Then Moses held the bowls full of the blood from the sacrifices. [158] Moses threw that blood on the people. He said, “This blood shows that the Lord has made a special Agreement with you. The laws God gave you explain the Agreement.”
“Then I will turn to you. I will let you have many children. I will keep my Agreement with you.You will have enough crops to last for more than a year. You will harvest the new crops. But then you will have to throw out the old crops to make room for the new crops!Also, I will place my Holy Tent [443] among you. I will not turn away from you!I will walk with you and be your God. And you will be my people.
“So remember that the Lord your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his Agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations.
You are going in to take their land, but not because you are good and live right. You are going in, and the Lord your God is forcing those people out because of the evil way they lived. And the Lord wants to keep the promise he made to your ancestors [57] —Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
If you obey all the commands in this agreement, then you will continue to succeed in everything you do.
“Today I have given you a choice between life and death, good and evil.I command you today to love the Lord your God. I command you to follow him and to obey his commands, laws, and rules. Then you will live, and your nation will grow larger. And the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take for your own.
Remember God’s Agreement {\cf2\super [548]} forever.\par Remember his commands for 1,000 generations!\parGod made an Agreement with Abraham.\par God made a promise to Isaac.\parThen he made it a law for Jacob.\par God made his Agreement with Israel.\par It will continue forever!\par
The Lord says,\par “The mountains may disappear,\par and the hills may become dust.\par But my kindness will never leave you.\par I will make peace with you,\par and it will never end.”\par The Lord shows mercy to you.\par And he is the One that said these things.\par
\{Why will this happen?\} Because I am the Lord and I love fairness. I hate stealing and everything that is wrong. So I will give the people the payment they should have. I will make an Agreement with my people forever.
The Lord said these things, “The time is coming when I will make a new Agreement {\cf2\super [259]} with the family of Israel, and with the family of Judah.It will not be like the Agreement I made with their ancestors. {\cf2\super [260]} I made that Agreement when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. I was their Master, but they broke that Agreement.” This message is from the Lord.“In the future, I will make this Agreement {\cf2\super [261]} with the people of Israel.” This message is from the Lord. “I will put my teachings in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.People will not have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord. Why? Because all people, from the least important to the greatest, will know me.” This message is from the Lord. “I will forgive them for the bad things they did. I won’t remember their sins.”
“And I will make a peace agreement with my sheep. I will take harmful animals away from the land. Then the sheep can be safe in the desert and sleep in the woods.
\{God said,\} “I will also put a new spirit in you \{and change your way of thinking\}. I will take out the heart of stone from your body and give you a tender, human heart.And I will put my Spirit inside you. {\cf2\super [282]} I will change you so you will obey my laws. You will carefully obey my commands.
\{The Lord said,\} “I made that Agreement with Levi. I promised to give him life and peace—and I gave those things to him! Levi respected me! He showed honor to my name!
This wine is my blood. My blood (death) begins the new agreement \{from God to his people\}. This blood is given for many people to forgive their sins.
In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup of wine and said, “This wine shows the new agreement \{from God to his people\}. This new agreement begins with my blood (death) that I am giving for you.” {\cf2\super [350]}
But the work that has been given to Jesus is much greater than the work that was given to those priests. In the same way, the new agreement {\cf2\super [85]} that Jesus brought from God to his people is much greater than the old one. And the new agreement is based on promises of better things.If there was nothing wrong with the first agreement, {\cf2\super [86]} then there would be no need for a second agreement.
So Christ brings a new agreement {\cf2\super [108]} from God to his people. Christ brings this new agreement so that those people that are called by God can have the things that God promised. God’s people can have those things forever. They can have those things because Christ died to pay for the sins that people did under the first agreement. {\cf2\super [109]} Christ died to make people free from those sins.
“This is the agreement {\cf2\super [131]} I will make with my people in the future, says the Lord.\par I will put my laws in their hearts.\par I will write my laws in their minds.”\par \i (Jeremiah 31:33)\i0 \parThen he says:
And I will make this agreement with\par those people\par when I take away their sins.”\par \i (Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9)\i0 \par
The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country and your people. Leave your father’s family and go to the country I will show you.I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.I will bless people who bless you, and I will curse people who curse [71] you. I will use you to bless all the people on earth.”
When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. The Lord said, “I am God All-Powerful. [91] Do these things for me: Obey me and live the right way.If you do this, I will prepare an agreement between us. I will promise to make your people a great nation.”
The angel said, “You were ready to kill your son for me. This was your only son. Because you did this for me, I make you this promise: I, the Lord, promise thatI will truly bless you. I will give you many, many descendants, [126] as many as the stars in the sky. There will be as many people as sand on the seashore. And your people will live in cities that they take from their enemies.Every nation on the earth will be blessed through your descendants. [127] I will do this because you obeyed me.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write all the things that I have told you. Those things are the Agreement that I made with you and the people of Israel.”Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses did not eat any food or drink any water. And he (the Lord)} wrote the words of the Agreement (the Ten Commandments) on the two flat stones.
The Lord our God made an agreement with us at Mount Horeb (Sinai).The Lord did not make this agreement with our ancestors, [24] but with us—yes, with all of us who are alive here today.
God made an Agreement with Abraham.\par God made a promise to Isaac.\parThen he made it a law for Jacob.\par God made his Agreement with Israel.\par It will continue forever!\par
\{God says,\}\par “My followers,\par gather around me.\par Come my worshipers,\par we made an agreement with each other.”\par
Lord, you are my God.\par I honor you and praise your name.\par You have done amazing things.\par The words you said long ago\par are completely true.\par Everything has happened\par exactly as you said it would.\par
But he was given pain to suffer for the wrong things we did. He was crushed for our guilt. A debt we owed—our punishment—was given to him. We were healed (forgiven) because of his pain.
And I will make a peace agreement with them. This agreement will continue forever. I agree to give them their land. I agree to make them become many, many people. And I agree to put my holy place among them forever.
“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law \{of Moses\} or the \{teaching of the\} prophets. {\cf2\super [61]} I have not come to destroy their teachings. I came to give full meaning to their teachings.I tell you the truth. Nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until all has happened.
Abraham {\cf2\super [39]} and his descendants {\cf2\super [40]} received the promise that they would get the whole world. But Abraham did not receive that promise because he followed the law. {\cf2\super [41]} Abraham received that promise because he was right with God through his faith.
Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example: Think about an agreement that one person makes with another person. After that agreement is made official, no person can stop that agreement or add anything to it. And no person can ignore that agreement.God made promises to Abraham {\cf2\super [35]} and his Descendant. {\cf2\super [36]} The Scripture does not say, “and to your descendants.” {\cf2\super [37]} (That would mean many people.) But it says, “and to your Descendant.” (That means only one person; that person is Christ.)
Promise to be good to me.\par I am your servant.\par Lord, don’t let those proud people hurt me.\par
But the Lord has always loved his followers.\par And he will continue to love his followers\par forever and ever!\par God will be good to their children\par and to their children’s children.\par
“So you will always remember tonight—it will be a special holiday for you. Your descendants [67] will honor the Lord with this holiday forever.
Then the Lord said, “I am making this agreement with all of your people. I will do amazing things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth. The people with you will see that I, the Lord, am very great. The people will see the wonderful things that I will do for you.
In that new land, you must be careful not to forget the Agreement that the Lord your God made with you. You must obey the Lord’s command. Don’t make any idols in any form!Why? Because the Lord your God hates for his people to worship other gods. And the Lord can be like a fire that destroys!
“If you listen to these laws, and if you are careful to obey them, then the Lord your God will keep his Agreement of love with you. He promised this to your ancestors. [45]He will love you and bless you. He will make your nation grow. He will bless your children. He will bless your fields with good crops. He will give you grain, new wine, and oil. He will bless your cows with baby calves and your sheep with lambs. You will have all these blessings in the land that he promised your ancestors [46] to give you.
The Lord will make you his own special people, like he promised. The Lord will do this if you follow the Lord your God and obey his commands.Then all the people in that land will see that you are called by the name of the Lord. And they will be afraid of you.
The Lord is kind and true to people\par who follow his Agreement and promises. {\cf2\super [152]} \par
The Lord says,\par “There will be a special time\par when I show my kindness.\par At that time I will answer your prayers.\par There will be a special day\par when I save you.\par At that time I will help you.\par I will protect you.\par And you will be the proof that I have\par an Agreement with the people.\par The country is destroyed now,\par but you will give that land back\par to the people who own it.\par
“In the future, I will make this Agreement {\cf2\super [261]} with the people of Israel.” This message is from the Lord. “I will put my teachings in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
So I ask, “Did God throw out his people?” No! I myself am an Israelite (Jew). I am from the family of Abraham, {\cf2\super [114]} from the family group of Benjamin.God chose the Israelites to be his people before \{they were born\}. And God did not throw out those people. Surely you know what the Scripture {\cf2\super [115]} says about Elijah. {\cf2\super [116]} The Scripture tells about Elijah praying to God against the people of Israel. Elijah said,
So this means that Jesus is the guarantee of a better agreement {\cf2\super [72]} \{from God to his people\}.
But God found something wrong with the people. God said:It will not be like the agreement\par that I gave to their fathers.\par That is the agreement I gave\par when I took them by the hand\par and led them out of Egypt.\par They did not continue following the agreement I gave them,\par and I turned away from them,\par says the Lord.\parThis is the new agreement I will give the people of Israel. {\cf2\super [89]} \par I will give this agreement in the future, says the Lord:\par I will put my laws in their minds,\par and I will write my laws on their hearts.\par I will be their God,\par and they will be my people.\par
My love will protect the chosen king forever.\par My agreement with him will never end.\par
This is the family history of Jesus Christ. He came from the family of David {\cf2\super [1]} and Abraham. {\cf2\super [2]}Abraham {\cf2\super [3]} was the father of Isaac.\par Isaac was the father of Jacob.\par Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.\parJudah was the father of Perez and Zerah.\par (Their mother was Tamar.)\par Perez was the father of Hezron.\par Hezron was the father of Ram.\parRam was the father of Amminadab.\par Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.\par Nahshon was the father of Salmon.\parSalmon was the father of Boaz.\par (Boaz’ mother was Rahab.)\par Boaz was the father of Obed.\par (Obed’s mother was Ruth.)\par Obed was the father of Jesse.\parJesse was the father of King David.\par David {\cf2\super [4]} was the father of Solomon.\par (Solomon’s mother had been Uriah’s wife.)\parSolomon was the father of Rehoboam.\par Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.\par Abijah was the father of Asa.\parAsa was the father of Jehoshaphat.\par Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.\par Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.\parUzziah was the father of Jotham.\par Jotham was the father of Ahaz.\par Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.\parHezekiah was the father of Manasseh.\par Manasseh was the father of Amon.\par Amon was the father of Josiah.\parJosiah was the grandfather of Jehoiachin {\cf2\super [5]} and his brothers.\par (This was during the time that the \{Jewish\}\par people were taken to Babylon \{to be slaves\}.)\parAfter they were taken to Babylon:\par Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.\par Shealtiel was the grandfather of Zerubbabel.\parZerubbabel was the father of Abiud.\par Abiud was the father of Eliakim.\par Eliakim was the father of Azor.\parAzor was the father of Zadok.\par Zadok was the father of Achim.\par Achim was the father of Eliud.\parEliud was the father of Eleazar.\par Eleazar was the father of Matthan.\par Matthan was the father of Jacob.\parJacob was the father of Joseph.\par Joseph was the husband of Mary,\par and Mary was the mother of Jesus.\par Jesus is called the Christ. {\cf2\super [6]} \parSo there were fourteen generations from Abraham {\cf2\super [7]} to David. {\cf2\super [8]} And there were fourteen generations from David until the time when the people were taken to Babylon. And there were fourteen generations from the time when the people were taken to Babylon until Christ {\cf2\super [9]} was born.
God said he would give mercy to our fathers. {\cf2\super [23]} \par And he remembered his holy promise.\parGod made a promise to Abraham, {\cf2\super [24]} \par our father.\par God promised to free us from the\par
You have received the things the prophets talked about. You have received the agreement that God made with your fathers. {\cf2\super [59]} God said to your father Abraham, {\cf2\super [60]} ‘Every nation on earth will be blessed through your descendants. {\cf2\super [61]} ’ {\cf2\super [62]}
They are the people of Israel. {\cf2\super [73]} Those people (the Jews) are God’s chosen children. Those people have the glory of God and the agreements that God made between himself and his people. God gave them the law \{of Moses\} and the \{temple\} worship. And God gave his promises to those people (the Jews).Those people are the descendants {\cf2\super [74]} of our great fathers. {\cf2\super [75]} And they are the earthly family of Christ. Christ is God over all things. Praise him forever! {\cf2\super [76]} Amen.
The “Yes” to all of God’s promises is in Christ. And that is why we say “Amen {\cf2\super [3]} ” through Christ to the glory of God.
But people who depend on following the law \{to make them right\} are under a curse. Why? Because the Scriptures say, “A person must do all the things that are written in the law. {\cf2\super [28]} If he does not always obey, then that person is under a curse!” {\cf2\super [29]}So it is clear that no person can be made right with God by the law. \{The Scriptures say,\} “The person who is right with God by faith will live forever.” {\cf2\super [30]}The law does not use faith; \{it uses a different way.\} The law says, “A person who wants to find life by following these things (the law) must do the things the law says.” {\cf2\super [31]}The law put a curse on us. But Christ took away that curse. He changed places with us. Christ put himself under that curse. The Scriptures say, “When a person’s body is put (hung) on a tree, {\cf2\super [32]} that person is under a curse.” {\cf2\super [33]}Christ did this so that God’s blessing could be given to all people. God promised this blessing to Abraham. The blessing comes through Jesus Christ. \{Christ died\} so that we could have the Spirit {\cf2\super [34]} that God promised. We receive this promise by believing.
The first agreement {\cf2\super [92]} had rules for worship. And it had a man-made place for worship.
The Holy Spirit {\cf2\super [101]} uses those two separate rooms to teach us this: that the way into the Most Holy Place {\cf2\super [102]} was not open while that first room was still there.This is an example for us today. This shows that the gifts and sacrifices {\cf2\super [103]} that were offered to God were not able to fully cleanse the person who was worshiping God. Those sacrifices could not make that person perfect in his heart.
And today the Lord has accepted you to be his own people. He has promised you this. The Lord also said that you must obey all his commands.
God gave his commands to Jacob (Israel).\par God gave his laws and rules to Israel.\parGod did not do this for any other nation.\par God did not teach his laws to other people.\par Praise the Lord!\par \par \par
And then Jacob saw the Lord standing by the ladder. The Lord said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I will give you the land that you are lying on now. I will give this land to you and to your children.You will have many, many descendants. [163] They will be as many as the pieces of dust on earth. They will spread east and west, north and south. All the families on earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants.“I am with you, and I will protect you every place you go. And I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised.”
God said, “No! I said that your wife Sarah will have a son. You will name him Isaac. [100] I will make my agreement with him. That agreement will be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants. [101]
“Today I am giving you a choice of two ways. And I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses of your choice. You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse. So choose life! Then you and your children will live.You must love the Lord your God and obey him. Never leave him! Why? Because the Lord is your life. And the Lord will give you a long life in the land that he promised to give to your ancestors [200] —Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
God brought peace to your country.\par So enemies did not take your grain in war.\par And you have plenty of grain for food.\par
No, God chose Judah’s family group.\par God chose Zion, the mountain\par he loves.\parGod built his holy temple\par high on that mountain.\par God built his holy temple to last forever,\par just like the earth.\par
The Lord says, “I will make an Agreement with those people. I promise, my Spirit and my words that I put in your mouth will never leave you. They will be with your children and your children’s children. They will be with you for now and forever.”
Then I, the Lord and Master, will be their God. And my servant David will be the ruler living among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.
I tell you this: I will not drink this wine again until that day when we are together in my Father’s kingdom and the wine is new. Then I will drink it again with you.”
“Praise to the Lord God of Israel (the Jews).\par God has come to help his people\par and has given them freedom.\parGod has given us a powerful Savior\par from the family of God’s servant, David. {\cf2\super [21]} \par
This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people that are far away. It is for every person that the Lord our God calls to himself.”
That Scripture says “any person” because there is no difference between Jew and non-Jew. The same Lord is the Lord of all people. The Lord gives many blessings to all people that trust in him.Yes, \{the Scripture says,\} “Every person that trusts in the Lord will be saved.” {\cf2\super [106]}
But you are chosen people. You are the King’s priests. You are a holy {\cf2\super [20]} nation of people. You are people who belong to God. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called (brought) you out of darkness (sin) into his wonderful light.
This is my promise to you: All life on the earth was destroyed by the flood. But that will never happen again. A flood will never again destroy all the life on the earth.”
“This is my part of our agreement: I will make you the father of many nations.I will change your name. Your name will not be Abram [92] —your name will be Abraham. [93] I give you this name because I am making you the father of many nations.
God gives food to his followers.\par God remembers his Agreement {\cf2\super [577]} forever.\par
The Lord made heaven and earth.\par The Lord made the sea\par and everything in it.\par The Lord will protect them forever.\par
For this reason, I will reward him among my people. He will have a share of all things with the people that are strong. \{I will do this for him\} because he gave his life for the people and died.
The Lord says, “I have an agreement with day and night. I agreed that they will continue forever. You can’t change that agreement. Day and night will always come at the right time. If you could change that agreement,then you could change my Agreement with David and Levi. Then descendants {\cf2\super [280]} from David would not be the kings and the family of Levi would not be priests.
I will bring them together and make them like one person. I will put a new spirit {\cf2\super [98]} in them. I will take away that heart of stone, and I will put a real heart in its place.
So people get God’s promise by having faith. This happens so that the promise can be a free gift. And if the promise is a free gift, then all of Abraham’s {\cf2\super [42]} people can have that promise. The promise is not only for those people that live under the law \{of Moses\}. The promise is for any person that lives with faith like Abraham. Abraham is the father of us all.
Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example: Think about an agreement that one person makes with another person. After that agreement is made official, no person can stop that agreement or add anything to it. And no person can ignore that agreement.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son. God’s Son was born from a woman. God’s Son lived under the law. {\cf2\super [48]}God did this so that he could buy the freedom of the people who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us his children.
God is good to people\par who obey his Agreement.\par God is good to people\par who obey his commands.\par
“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law \{of Moses\} or the \{teaching of the\} prophets. {\cf2\super [61]} I have not come to destroy their teachings. I came to give full meaning to their teachings.
“This is the agreement {\cf2\super [131]} I will make with my people in the future, says the Lord.\par I will put my laws in their hearts.\par I will write my laws in their minds.”\par \i (Jeremiah 31:33)\i0 \par
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write all the things that I have told you. Those things are the Agreement that I made with you and the people of Israel.”
“The Lord loved your ancestors. [20] That is why he chose you, their descendants. [21] And that is why the Lord brought you out of Egypt. He was with you and brought you out with his great power.When you moved forward, the Lord forced out nations that were greater and more powerful than you. And the Lord led you into their land. He gave you their land to live in. And is still doing that today.
If his descendants {\cf2\super [509]} quit following my law,\par and if they quit obeying my commands,\par then I will punish them.\parIf the chosen king’s descendants {\cf2\super [510]} break my laws and ignore my commands,\parthen I will punish them very hard.\par
Remember to be kind to me, Lord.\par Show me the tender love\par that you have always had.\parDon’t remember the sins and bad things\par that I did when I was young.\par For your good name, Lord,\par remember me with love.\par
And that is how all Israel will be saved. It is written \{in the Scriptures {\cf2\super [125]} \}:And I will make this agreement with\par those people\par when I take away their sins.”\par \i (Isaiah 59:20-21; 27:9)\i0 \par
God killed the firstborn men and animals\par in Egypt.\par His true love continues forever.\parGod took Israel out of Egypt.\par His true love continues forever.\parGod showed his great power and strength.\par His true love continues forever.\par
“Here is my servant;\par I (God) have chosen him.\par I love him, and I am pleased with him;\par I will put my Spirit {\cf2\super [166]} on him,\par and he will judge the nations fairly.\par
You know that \{in the past\} you were living in a worthless way. You got that way of living from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver.But you were bought with the precious blood (death) of Christ—a pure and perfect lamb.
So what should we say about this? If God is for us, then no person can stand against us. And God is with us.
God sent \{someone\} to rescue his people.\par God made his Agreement \{with them\} that would continue forever.\par God’s name is amazing and holy.\par
The Lord decided to crush him. The Lord decided that he must suffer, so the Servant gave himself to be the one to die. But he will live a new life for a long, long time. He will see his people. He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.He will suffer many things in his soul, but he will see the good things that happen. He will be satisfied with the things he learns. My Good Servant will make many people not guilty; he will carry away their guilt.
I will tell you something. Go and learn what it means: ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ {\cf2\super [106]} I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
May the people in all the faraway countries\par remember the Lord and come back to him!\par May the people in all the foreign countries\par worship the Lord.\par
We have been made right with God because of our faith. So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace (kindness) that we now enjoy. And we are very happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory.
Remember God’s Agreement {\cf2\super [548]} forever.\par Remember his commands for 1,000 generations!\par
Master, you are a kind and merciful God.\par You are patient, loyal, and full of love.\par
Never stop loving. Always be loyal and true. \{Make these things a part of yourself\}—tie them around your neck and write them on your heart.Then you will be wise and pleasing to God and people!
The Lord says,\par “There will be a special time\par when I show my kindness.\par At that time I will answer your prayers.\par There will be a special day\par when I save you.\par At that time I will help you.\par I will protect you.\par And you will be the proof that I have\par an Agreement with the people.\par The country is destroyed now,\par but you will give that land back\par to the people who own it.\parYou will tell the prisoners,\par ‘Come out of your prison!’\par You will tell the people that are in darkness,\par ‘Come out of the dark!’\par The people will eat while traveling.\par They will have food even on empty hills.\par
Then you will live in the land that I gave to your ancestors. {\cf2\super [283]} You will be my people, and I will be your God.”
The Lord is good!\par His love is forever.\par We can trust him forever and ever!\par \par \par
We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest \{of eternal life\} at the right time. We must not give up!
God does amazing things\par so that we will remember\par that the Lord is kind and merciful.\par
“I will pour water for thirsty people. I will make streams flow on dry land. I will pour my Spirit on your children—it will be like a stream of water flowing over your family.
God was angry,\par so the decision was “death.”\par But he showed his love,\par and gave me “life.”\par At night,\par I lay crying.\par The next morning,\par I was happy and singing!\par
“Continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.Yes, if a person continues asking, that person will receive. If a person continues looking, that person will find. And if a person continues knocking, the door will open for that person.
I am proud of the Good News. The Good News is the power God uses to save every person that believes—to save the Jews first, and also to save the non-Jews.The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. God’s way of making people right begins and ends with faith. Like the Scripture {\cf2\super [11]} says, “The person that is right with God by faith will live forever.” {\cf2\super [12]}
You are loyal forever and ever.\par Lord, you made the earth,\par and it still stands.\par
God is high and lifted up.\par God lives forever.\par God’s name is holy.\par God says:\par I live in a high and holy place,\par but also with people that are\par sad and humble.\par I will give new life to the people\par that are humble in spirit.\par I will give new life to the people\par that are sad in their hearts.\par
The Lord’s teachings are perfect.\par They give strength to God’s people.\par The Lord’s Agreement {\cf2\super [110]} can be trusted.\par It helps foolish people become wise.\parThe Lord’s laws are right.\par They make people happy.\par The Lord’s commands are good.\par They show people the right way to live.\parWorshiping the Lord is like a light\par that will shine bright forever.\par The Lord’s judgments are good and fair.\par They are completely right.\parThe Lord’s teachings are worth more than the best gold.\par They are sweeter than the best honey\par that comes straight from the honeycomb.\par
The thing you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing the good things God wants you to do. Then all these other things you need will be given to you.
I enjoy studying your commands, Lord.\par I love those commands.\parLord, I praise your commands.\par I love them.\par And I will study them.\par
God, I bow down toward your holy temple.\par I praise your name,\par your true love,\par and your loyalty.\par You are famous \{for the power of\}\par your word.\par Now you have made it even greater!\par
Don’t worry, I am with you.\par Don’t be afraid, I am your God.\par I will make you strong.\par I will help you.\par I will support you with my good\par right hand.\par
When Jesus was leaving, he saw a man named Matthew. Matthew was sitting at his place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Then Matthew stood up and followed Jesus.Jesus ate dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors {\cf2\super [103]} and other bad people came and ate with Jesus and his followers.
I will not break my agreement with David.\par I will not change our agreement.\parBy my holiness, I made a promise to him.\par And I would not lie to David!\par
\{Yes, I feel sorry for the Jewish people.\} I don’t mean that God failed to keep his promise to them. But only some of the people of Israel (the Jews) are truly God’s people. {\cf2\super [77]}
The Lord says, “You people are my witnesses. You are the servant that I chose. I chose you so you would help people to believe me. I chose you so you would understand that ‘I Am He’—\{I am the true God\}. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me.
God always remembered his Agreement {\cf2\super [563]} \par and comforted them with his great love.\par
Abraham never doubted that God would do the thing that God promised. Abraham never stopped believing. He grew stronger in his faith and gave praise to God.
Lord, give me the things you promised.\par Lord, your true love continues forever.\par Lord, you made us,\par so don’t leave us!\par
My soul, praise the Lord!\par Lord my God, you are very great!\par You are clothed with glory and honor.\parYou wear light like a person wears a robe.\par You spread the skies like a curtain.\parGod, you built your home above them. {\cf2\super [541]} \par You use the thick clouds like a chariot,\par and ride across the sky\par on the wings of the wind.\parGod, you made your angels like the wind, {\cf2\super [542]} \par and your servants {\cf2\super [543]} like fire.\parGod, you built the earth on its foundations,\par so it will never be destroyed.\par
But the Spirit {\cf2\super [74]} gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control. There is no law that can say these things are wrong.