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 am putting my rainbow in the clouds as the sign of the agreement between me and the earth.When I bring clouds over the earth and a rainbow appears in them,I will remember my agreement between me and you and every living thing. Floods will never again destroy all life on the earth.
So on that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram and said, “I will give to your descendants the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.
And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants.You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants.”
So now if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine,you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ You must tell the Israelites these words.”
Then he took the Book of the Agreement and read it so the people could hear him. And they said, “We will do everything that the Lord has said; we will obey.”Then Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood that begins the Agreement, the Agreement which the Lord has made with you about all these words.”
So know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God. He will keep his agreement of love for a thousand lifetimes for people who love him and obey his commands.
You are going in to take the land, not because you are good and honest, but because these nations are evil. That is why the Lord your God will force them out ahead of you, to keep his promise to your ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
You must carefully obey everything in this agreement so that you will succeed in everything you do.
Look, today I offer you life and success, death and destruction.I command you today to love the Lord your God, to do what he wants you to do, and to keep his commands, his rules, and his laws. Then you will live and grow in number, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own.
The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you.
“I, the Lord, love justice. I hate stealing and everything that is wrong. I will be fair and give my people what they should have, and I will make an agreement with them that will continue forever.
“Look, the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and the people of Judah.It will not be like the agreement I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt. I was a husband to them, but they broke that agreement,” says the Lord.“This is the agreement I will make with the people of Israel at that time,” says the Lord: “I will put my teachings in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord, because all people will know me, from the least to the most important,” says the Lord. “I will forgive them for the wicked things they did, and I will not remember their sins anymore.”
“ ‘I will make an agreement of peace with my sheep and will remove harmful animals from the land. Then the sheep will live safely in the desert and sleep in the woods.
Also, I will teach you to respect me completely, and I will put a new way of thinking inside you. I will take out the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies, and I will give you obedient hearts of flesh.I will put my Spirit inside you and help you live by my rules and carefully obey my laws.
“My agreement for priests was with the tribe of Levi. I promised them life and peace so they would honor me. And they did honor me and fear me.
This is my blood which is the new agreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many to forgive their sins.
In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new agreement that God makes with his people. This new agreement begins with my blood which is poured out for you.
But the priestly work that has been given to Jesus is much greater than the work that was given to the other priests. In the same way, the new agreement 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 had been nothing wrong with the first agreement, there would have been no need for a second agreement.
For this reason Christ brings a new agreement from God to his people. Those who are called by God can now receive the blessings he has promised, blessings that will last forever. They can have those things because Christ died so that the people who lived under the first agreement could be set free from sin.
“This is the agreement I will make with them at that time, says the Lord. I will put my teachings in their hearts and write them on their minds.”Then he says: “Their sins and the evil things they do— I will not remember anymore.”
The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land I will show you.At this time there was not much food in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live because there was so little food.Just before they arrived in Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know you are a very beautiful woman.When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This woman is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but let you live.Tell them you are my sister so that things will go well with me and I may be allowed to live because of you.”When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful.The Egyptian officers saw her and told the king of Egypt how beautiful she was. They took her to the king’s palace, andthe king was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was her brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.But the Lord sent terrible diseases on the king and all the people in his house because of Abram’s wife Sarai.So the king sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me Sarai was your wife?Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’ so that I made her my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and leave!”I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.Then the king commanded his men to make Abram leave Egypt; so Abram and his wife left with everything they owned.I will bless those who bless you, and I will place a curse on those who harm you. And all the people on earth will be blessed through you.”
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Obey me and do what is right.This is my agreement with you and all your descendants, which you must obey: Every male among you must be circumcised.Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you.From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave, who is not one of your descendants.Circumcise every baby boy whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked to show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever.Any male who is not circumcised will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my agreement.”God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai, your wife, to Sarah.I will bless her and give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, “Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?”Then Abraham said to God, “Please let Ishmael be the son you promised.”God said, “No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.I will make an agreement between us, and I will make you the ancestor of many people.”
and said, “The Lord says, ‘Because you did not keep back your son, your only son, from me, I make you this promise by my own name:I will surely bless you and give you many descendants. They will be as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, and they will capture the cities of their enemies.Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed, because you obeyed me.’ ”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, because with these words I have made an agreement with you and Israel.”Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and during that time he did not eat food or drink water. And Moses wrote the words of the Agreement—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.
The Lord our God made an Agreement with us at Mount Sinai.“You must not tell lies about your neighbor.“You must not want to take your neighbor’s wife. You must not want to take your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female slaves, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”The Lord spoke these commands to all of you on the mountain in a loud voice out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness; he did not say anything else. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets, and he gave them to me.When you heard the voice from the darkness, as the mountain was blazing with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me.And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks to him.But now, we will die! This great fire will burn us up, and we will die if we hear the Lord our God speak anymore.No human being has ever heard the living God speaking from a fire and still lived, but we have.Moses, you go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then you tell us what the Lord our God tells you, and we will listen and obey.”The Lord heard what you said to me, and he said to me, “I have heard what the people said to you. Everything they said was good.I wish their hearts would always respect me and that they would always obey my commands so that things would go well for them and their children forever!He did not make this Agreement with our ancestors, but he made it with us, with all of us who are alive here today.
He says, “Gather around, you who worship me, who have made an agreement with me, using a sacrifice.”
Lord, you are my God. I honor you and praise you, because you have done amazing things. You have always done what you said you would do; you have done what you planned long ago.
But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds.
I will make an agreement of peace with them, an agreement that continues forever. I will put them in their land and make them grow in number. Then I will put my Temple among them forever.
“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to bring about what they said.I tell you the truth, nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. Not even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will be lost until everything has happened.
Abraham and his descendants received the promise that they would get the whole world. He did not receive that promise through the law, but through being right with God by his faith.
Brothers and sisters, let us think in human terms: Even an agreement made between two persons is firm. After that agreement is accepted by both people, no one can stop it or add anything to it.God made promises both to Abraham and to his descendant. God did not say, “and to your descendants.” That would mean many people. But God said, “and to your descendant.” That means only one person; that person is Christ.
You belong to Christ, so you are Abraham’s descendants. You will inherit all of God’s blessings because of the promise God made to Abraham.
But the Lord’s love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren
This is what the Lord says: “The eunuchs should obey the law about the Sabbath and do what I want and keep my agreement.If they do, I will make their names remembered within my Temple and its walls. It will be better for them than children. I will give them a name that will last forever, that will never be forgotten.
“You are always to remember this day and celebrate it with a feast to the Lord. Your descendants are to honor the Lord with this feast from now on.
Then the Lord said, “I am making this agreement with you. I will do miracles in front of all your people—things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth—and the people with you will see my work. I, the Lord, will do wonderful things for you.
Be careful. Don’t forget the Agreement of the Lord your God that he made with you, and don’t make any idols for yourselves, as the Lord your God has commanded you not to do.The Lord your God is a jealous God, like a fire that burns things up.
If you pay attention to these laws and obey them carefully, the Lord your God will keep his agreement and show his love to you, as he promised your ancestors.He will love and bless you. He will make the number of your people grow; he will bless you with children. He will bless your fields with good crops and will give you grain, new wine, and oil. He will bless your herds with calves and your flocks with lambs in the land he promised your ancestors he would give you.
All the Lord’s ways are loving and true for those who follow the demands of his agreement.
This is what the Lord says: “At the right time I will hear your prayers. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you, and you will be the sign of my agreement with the people. You will bring back the people to the land and give the land that is now ruined back to its owners.
“This is the agreement I will make with the people of Israel at that time,” says the Lord: “I will put my teachings in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
But I will remember my agreement I made with you when you were young, and I will make an agreement that will continue forever with you.
So I ask: Did God throw out his people? No! I myself am an Israelite from the family of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.Let their eyes be closed so they cannot see and their backs be forever weak from troubles.”So I ask: When the Jews fell, did that fall destroy them? No! But their failure brought salvation to those who are not Jews, in order to make the Jews jealous.The Jews’ failure brought rich blessings for the world, and the Jews’ loss brought rich blessings for the non-Jewish people. So surely the world will receive much richer blessings when enough Jews become the kind of people God wants.Now I am speaking to you who are not Jews. I am an apostle to those who are not Jews, and since I have that work, I will make the most of it.I hope I can make my own people jealous and, in that way, help some of them to be saved.When God turned away from the Jews, he became friends with other people in the world. So when God accepts the Jews, surely that will bring them life after death.If the first piece of bread is offered to God, then the whole loaf is made holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, then the tree’s branches are holy too.It is as if some of the branches from an olive tree have been broken off. You non-Jewish people are like the branch of a wild olive tree that has been joined to that first tree. You now share the strength and life of the first tree, the Jews.So do not brag about those branches that were broken off. If you brag, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be joined to their tree.”God chose the Israelites to be his people before they were born, and he has not thrown his people out. Surely you know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he prayed to God against the people of Israel.
This is the family history of Jesus Christ. He came from the family of David, and David came from the family of Abraham.Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah.Josiah was the grandfather of Jehoiachin and his brothers. (This was at the time that the people were taken to Babylon.)After they were taken to Babylon: Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the grandfather of Zerubbabel.Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor.Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Akim. Akim was the father of Eliud.Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob.Jacob was the father of Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus. Jesus is called the Christ.So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David. And there were fourteen generations from David until the people were taken to Babylon. And there were fourteen generations from the time when the people were taken to Babylon until Christ was born.
He said he would give mercy to our ancestors and that he would remember his holy promise.God promised Abraham, our father,
You are descendants of the prophets. You have received the agreement God made with your ancestors. He said to your father Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the nations on the earth will be blessed.’
They are the people of Israel, God’s chosen children. They have seen the glory of God, and they have the agreements that God made between himself and his people. God gave them the law of Moses and the right way of worship and his promises.They are the descendants of our great ancestors, and they are the earthly family into which Christ was born, who is God over all. Praise him forever! Amen.
The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ, and through Christ we say yes to the glory of God.
But those who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse, because the Scriptures say, “Anyone will be cursed who does not always obey what is written in the Book of the Law.”Now it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law, because the Scriptures say, “Those who are right with God will live by faith.”The law is not based on faith. It says, “A person who obeys these things will live because of them.”Christ took away the curse the law put on us. He changed places with us and put himself under that curse. It is written in the Scriptures, “Anyone whose body is displayed on a tree is cursed.”Christ did this so that God’s blessing promised to Abraham might come through Jesus Christ to those who are not Jews. Jesus died so that by our believing we could receive the Spirit that God promised.
The Holy Spirit uses this to show that the way into the Most Holy Place was not open while the system of the old Holy Tent was still being used.This is an example for the present time. It shows that the gifts and sacrifices offered cannot make the conscience of the worshiper perfect.
And today the Lord has said that you are his very own people, as he has promised you. But you must obey his commands.
He gave his word to Jacob, his laws and demands to Israel.The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; he brings back the captured Israelites.He didn’t do this for any other nation. They don’t know his laws. Praise the Lord!
Then Jacob saw the Lord standing above the ladder, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your grandfather, and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are now sleeping.Your descendants will be as many as the dust of the earth. They will spread west and east, north and south, and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.I am with you and will protect you everywhere you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
God said, “No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.
Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Then you and your children may live.Then you and your children will return to the Lord your God, and you will obey him with your whole being in everything I am commanding you today.To choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey him, and stay close to him. He is your life, and he will let you live many years in the land, the land he promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah and Mount Zion, which he loves.And he built his Temple high like the mountains. Like the earth, he built it to last forever.
The Lord says, “This is my agreement with these people: My Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you or your children or your grandchildren, now and forever.”
Then I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a ruler among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.
I tell you this: I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
“Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to help his people and has given them freedom.He has given us a powerful Savior from the family of God’s servant David.
This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”
That Scripture says “anyone” because there is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is the Lord of all and gives many blessings to all who trust in him,as the Scripture says, “Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved.”
But you are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. You were chosen to tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
I make this agreement with you: I will never again destroy all living things by a flood. A flood will never again destroy the earth.”
“I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations.I am changing your name from Abram to Abraham because I am making you a father of many nations.
For this reason I will make him a great man among people, and he will share in all things with those who are strong. He willingly gave his life and was treated like a criminal. But he carried away the sins of many people and asked forgiveness for those who sinned.”
“This is what the Lord says: I have an agreement with day and night that they will always come at the right times. If you could change that agreement,only then could you change my agreement with David and Levi. Only then would my servant David not have a descendant ruling as king on David’s throne. And only then would the family of Levi not be priests serving me in the Temple.
I will give them a desire to respect me completely, and I will put inside them a new way of thinking. I will take out the stubborn heart of stone from their bodies, and I will give them an obedient heart of flesh.
So people receive God’s promise by having faith. This happens so the promise can be a free gift. Then all of Abraham’s children can have that promise. It is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Brothers and sisters, let us think in human terms: Even an agreement made between two persons is firm. After that agreement is accepted by both people, no one can stop it or add anything to it.
But when the right time came, God sent his Son who was born of a woman and lived under the law.God did this so he could buy freedom for those who were under the law and so we could become his children.
“Don’t think that I have come to destroy the law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to bring about what they said.
“This is the agreement I will make with them at that time, says the Lord. I will put my teachings in their hearts and write them on their minds.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, because with these words I have made an agreement with you and Israel.”
Because the Lord loved your ancestors, he chose you, their descendants, and he brought you out of Egypt himself by his great strength.He forced nations out of their land ahead of you, nations that were bigger and stronger than you were. The Lord did this so he could bring you into their land and give it to you as your own, and this land is yours today.
“If his descendants reject my teachings and do not follow my laws,if they ignore my demands and disobey my commands,then I will punish their sins with a rod and their wrongs with a whip.
Lord, remember your mercy and love that you have shown since long ago.Do not remember the sins and wrong things I did when I was young. But remember to love me always because you are good, Lord.
And that is how all Israel will be saved. It is written in the Scriptures: “The Savior will come from Jerusalem; he will take away all evil from the family of Jacob.And I will make this agreement with those people when I take away their sins.”
But the heavenly Jerusalem, which is above, is like the free woman. She is our mother.
He killed the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. His love continues forever.He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. His love continues forever.He did it with his great power and strength. His love continues forever.
“Here is my servant whom I have chosen. I love him, and I am pleased with him. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will tell of my justice to all people.
You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way, a way passed down from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that useless life. You were bought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver,but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb.
But it was the Lord who decided to crush him and make him suffer. The Lord made his life a penalty offering, but he will still see his descendants and live a long life. He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.“After his soul suffers many things, he will see life and be satisfied. My good servant will make many people right with God; he will carry away their sins.
Go and learn what this means: ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ I did not come to invite good people but to invite sinners.”
People everywhere will remember and will turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will worship him
Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ,While we were God’s enemies, he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his friends, he will save us through his Son’s life.And not only that, but now we are also very happy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we are now God’s friends again.Sin came into the world because of what one man did, and with sin came death. This is why everyone must die—because everyone sinned.Sin was in the world before the law of Moses, but sin is not counted against us as breaking a command when there is no law.But from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, everyone had to die, even those who had not sinned by breaking a command, as Adam had. Adam was like the One who was coming in the future.But God’s free gift is not like Adam’s sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But the grace from God was much greater; many people received God’s gift of life by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.After Adam sinned once, he was judged guilty. But the gift of God is different. God’s free gift came after many sins, and it makes people right with God.One man sinned, and so death ruled all people because of that one man. But now those people who accept God’s full grace and the great gift of being made right with him will surely have true life and rule through the one man, Jesus Christ.So as one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people, one good act that Christ did makes all people right with God. And that brings true life for all.One man disobeyed God, and many became sinners. In the same way, one man obeyed God, and many will be made right.who through our faith has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory.
But, Lord, you are a God who shows mercy and is kind. You don’t become angry quickly. You have great love and faithfulness.
Don’t ever forget kindness and truth. Wear them like a necklace. Write them on your heart as if on a tablet.Don’t accuse a person for no good reason; don’t accuse someone who has not harmed you.Don’t be jealous of those who use violence, and don’t choose to be like them.The Lord hates those who do wrong, but he is a friend to those who are honest.The Lord will curse the evil person’s house, but he will bless the home of those who do right.The Lord laughs at those who laugh at him, but he gives grace to those who are not proud.Wise people will receive honor, but fools will be disgraced.Then you will be respected and will please both God and people.
This is what the Lord says: “At the right time I will hear your prayers. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you, and you will be the sign of my agreement with the people. You will bring back the people to the land and give the land that is now ruined back to its owners.You will tell the prisoners, ‘Come out of your prison.’ You will tell those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ The people will eat beside the roads, and they will find food even on bare hills.
You will live in the land I gave to your ancestors, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.
But in all these things we are completely victorious through God who showed his love for us.
We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up.
I will pour out water for the thirsty land and make streams flow on dry land. I will pour out my Spirit into your children and my blessing on your descendants.
His anger lasts only a moment, but his kindness lasts for a lifetime. Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
“Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you.Yes, everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save non-Jews.The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “But those who are right with God will live by faith.”
And this is the reason: God lives forever and is holy. He is high and lifted up. He says, “I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are sad and humble. I give new life to those who are humble and to those whose hearts are broken.
Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so you can do what he wants. God raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, because of the blood of his death. His blood began the eternal agreement that God made with his people. I pray that God will do in us what pleases him, through Jesus Christ, and to him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
I enjoy obeying your commands, which I love.I praise your commands, which I love, and I think about your demands.
I will bow down facing your holy Temple, and I will thank you for your love and loyalty. You have made your name and your word greater than anything.
So don’t worry, because I am with you. Don’t be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.
I will not break my agreement nor change what I have said.I have promised by my holiness, I will not lie to David.
It is not that God failed to keep his promise to them. But only some of the people of Israel are truly God’s people,
The Lord says, “You are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so you would know and believe me, so you would understand that I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me.
He remembered his agreement with them, and he felt sorry for them because of his great love.
He never doubted that God would keep his promise, and he never stopped believing. He grew stronger in his faith and gave praise to God.
Lord, you do everything for me. Lord, your love continues forever. Do not leave us, whom you made.
My whole being, praise the Lord. Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with glory and majesty;You make springs pour into the ravines; they flow between the mountains.They water all the wild animals; the wild donkeys come there to drink.Wild birds make nests by the water; they sing among the tree branches.You water the mountains from above. The earth is full of the things you made.You make the grass for cattle and vegetables for the people. You make food grow from the earth.You give us wine that makes happy hearts and olive oil that makes our faces shine. You give us bread that gives us strength.The Lord’s trees have plenty of water; they are the cedars of Lebanon, which he planted.The birds make their nests there; the stork’s home is in the fir trees.The high mountains belong to the wild goats. The rocks are hiding places for the badgers.You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun always knows when to set.you wear light like a robe. You stretch out the skies like a tent.You make it dark, and it becomes night. Then all the wild animals creep around.The lions roar as they attack. They look to God for food.When the sun rises, they leave and go back to their dens to lie down.Then people go to work and work until evening.Lord, you have made many things; with your wisdom you made them all. The earth is full of your riches.Look at the sea, so big and wide, with creatures large and small that cannot be counted.Ships travel over the ocean, and there is the sea monster Leviathan, which you made to play there.All these things depend on you to give them their food at the right time.When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good food.When you turn away from them, they become frightened. When you take away their breath, they die and turn to dust.You build your room above the clouds. You make the clouds your chariot, and you ride on the wings of the wind.When you breathe on them, they are created, and you make the land new again.May the glory of the Lord be forever. May the Lord enjoy what he has made.He just looks at the earth, and it shakes. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.May my thoughts please him; I am happy in the Lord.Let sinners be destroyed from the earth, and let the wicked live no longer. My whole being, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.You make the winds your messengers, and flames of fire are your servants.You built the earth on its foundations so it can never be moved.
But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong.