supply you with everything good so that you can do his will. May he create in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ. And may Jesus receive glory for ever and ever. Amen.
God has saved us and called us to live a holy life. This isn’t because of anything we’ve done, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus even before time began.
But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace wasn’t wasted on me. No, I worked harder than all the other apostles—though it wasn’t me doing the work. God’s grace was with me.
Keeping this in mind, we pray for you constantly. We pray that God will make you worthy of his calling and, by his power, make every good thing you want to do come true. We pray that he will make perfect everything you’ve done by faith.
But even before her twins were born, before they’d done anything good or bad, Rebekah was told, “The older son will serve the younger one.” This shows that God’s purpose was based firmly on his own choice, not on anything the children did.
May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
By the grace that has been given to me, I say to every one of you, don’t think of yourself more highly than you should. Have a reasonable view of yourself, based on the faith God has given to each of you.