No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace. ,
But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification #– #and the outcome is eternal life!
For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
But you are a chosen race, ,, a royal priesthood, , a holy nation, , a people for his possession, , so that you may proclaim the praises ,, of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Conduct yourselves honourably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.
you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him.
All your people will be righteous; they will possess the land for ever; they are the branch I planted, the work of my hands, so that I may be glorified.
He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.