Grace - amazing!!!

Romans 5, New King James Version (NKJV)

Faith Triumphs in Trouble

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Christ in Our Place

⁶ For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

¹⁸ Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

²⁰ Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, ²¹ so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2, New King James Version (NKJV)

By Grace Through Faith

 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood

¹¹ Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 Ephesians 3, New King James Version (NKJV)

The Mystery Revealed

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— ² if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, ³ how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴ by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶ that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, ⁷ of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

Purpose of the Mystery

⁸ To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; ¹⁰ to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. ¹³ Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Appreciation of the Mystery

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Enduring forever...

1. 1 Chronicles 16:34
   Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
    
2. 1 Chronicles 16:41
   and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endures forever;
    
3. 2 Chronicles 5:13
   indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
4. 2 Chronicles 7:3
   When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.”
    
5. 2 Chronicles 7:6
   And the priests attended to their services; the Levites also with instruments of the music of the LORD, which King David had made to praise the LORD, saying, “For His mercy endures forever,” whenever David offered praise by their ministry. The priests sounded trumpets opposite them, while all Israel stood.
6. 2 Chronicles 20:21
   And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”
7. Ezra 3:11
   And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
8. Psalm 106:1
   [ Joy in Forgiveness of Israel’s Sins ] Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
    
9. Psalm 107:1
   [ BOOK FIVE: Psalms 107—150 Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance ] Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
10. Psalm 111:3
    His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever.
     
11. Psalm 111:10
    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
12. Psalm 112:3
    Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.
13. Psalm 112:9
    He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor.
14. Psalm 117:2
    For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!
15. Psalm 118:1
    [ Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy ] Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
16. Psalm 118:2
    Let Israel now say, “His mercy endures forever.”
     
17. Psalm 118:3
    Let the house of Aaron now say, “His mercy endures forever.”
18. Psalm 118:4
    Let those who fear the LORD now say, “His mercy endures forever.”
19. Psalm 118:29
    Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
     
20. Psalm 119:160
    The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
     
21. Psalm 135:13
    Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your fame, O LORD, throughout all generations.
     
22. Psalm 136:1
    [ Thanksgiving to God for His Enduring Mercy ] Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
23. Psalm 136:2
    Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.
24. Psalm 136:3
    Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:
25. Psalm 136:4
    To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;
26. Psalm 136:5
    To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever;
27. Psalm 136:6
    To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever;
28. Psalm 136:7
    To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever—
29. Psalm 136:8
    The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever;
30. Psalm 136:9
    The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever.
     
31. Psalm 136:10
    To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever;
     
32. Psalm 136:11
    And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever;
     
33. Psalm 136:12
    With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever;
34. Psalm 136:13
    To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever;
     
35. Psalm 136:14
    And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever;
36. Psalm 136:15
    But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever;
37. Psalm 136:16
    To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever;
     
38. Psalm 136:17
    To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever;
     
39. Psalm 136:18
    And slew famous kings, For His mercy endures forever—
40. Psalm 136:19
    Sihon king of the Amorites, For His mercy endures forever;
41. Psalm 136:20
    And Og king of Bashan, For His mercy endures forever—
42. Psalm 136:21
    And gave their land as a heritage, For His mercy endures forever;
43. Psalm 136:22
    A heritage to Israel His servant, For His mercy endures forever.
44. Psalm 136:23
    Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;
45. Psalm 136:24
    And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;
     
46. Psalm 136:25
    Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever.
47. Psalm 136:26
    Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.
     
48. Psalm 138:8
    The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.                                                                                           
49. Jeremiah 33:11
    the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the LORD.
     
50. 2 Corinthians 9:9
    As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
    
51. 1 Peter 1:25
    But the word of the LORD endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
    

Psalm 52:1
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.

Psalm 72:7
In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

Psalm 100:5
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 145:13
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
 ⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
 ⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
 ⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Adonai, the everlasting God

Isaiah 40

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Encourage God’s People

 Our God has said:

“Encourage my people!
Give them comfort.
² Speak kindly to Jerusalem
and announce:
Your slavery is past;
your punishment is over.
I, the Lord, made you pay
double for your sins.”

³ Someone is shouting:
“Clear a path in the desert!
Make a straight road
for the Lord our God.
⁴ Fill in the valleys;
flatten every hill
and mountain.
Level the rough
and rugged ground.
⁵ Then the glory of the Lord
will appear for all to see.
The Lord has promised this!”

⁶ Someone told me to shout,
and I asked,
“What should I shout?”
We humans are merely grass,
and we last no longer
than wild flowers.
⁷ At the Lord’s command,
flowers and grass disappear,
and so do we.
⁸ Flowers and grass fade away,
but what our God has said
will never change.

Your God Is Here!

⁹ There is good news
for the city of Zion.
Shout it as loud as you can
from the highest mountain.
Don’t be afraid to shout
to the towns of Judah,
“Your God is here!”
¹⁰ Look! The powerful Lord God
is coming
to rule
with his mighty arm.
He brings with him
what he has taken in war,
and he rewards his people.
¹¹ The Lord cares for his nation,
just as shepherds care
for their flocks.
He carries the lambs
in his arms,
while gently leading
the mother sheep.

Who Compares with God?

¹² Did any of you measure
the ocean by yourself
or stretch out the sky
with your own hands?
Did you put the soil
of the earth in a bucket
or weigh the hills and mountains
on balance scales?

¹³ Has anyone told the Lord
what he must do
or given him advice?
¹⁴ Did the Lord ask anyone
to teach him wisdom
and justice?
Who gave him knowledge
and understanding?
¹⁵ To the Lord, all nations
are merely a drop in a bucket
or dust on balance scales;
all of the islands
are but a handful of sand.
¹⁶ The cattle
on Lebanon’s mountains
would not be enough
to offer
as a sacrifice to God,
and the trees would not
be enough for the fire.
¹⁷ God thinks of the nations
as far less than nothing.

¹⁸ Who compares with God?
Is anything like him?
¹⁹ Is an idol at all like God?
It is made of bronze
with a thin layer of gold,
and decorated with silver.
²⁰ Or special wood may be chosen
because it doesn’t rot—
then skilled hands
take care to make an idol
that won’t fall on its face.

God Rules the Whole Earth

²¹ Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
Isn’t it clear that God
created the world?
²² God is the one who rules
the whole earth,
and we that live here
are merely insects.
He spread out the heavens
like a curtain or an open tent.

²³ God brings down rulers
and turns them into nothing.
²⁴ They are like flowers
freshly sprung up
and starting to grow.
But when God blows on them,
they wilt
and are carried off
like straw in a storm.

²⁵ The holy God asks,
“Who compares with me?
Is anyone my equal?”

²⁶ Look at the evening sky!
Who created the stars?
Who gave them each a name?
Who leads them like an army?
The Lord is so powerful
that none of the stars
are ever missing.

The Lord Gives Strength

²⁷ You people of Israel, say,
“God pays no attention to us!
He doesn’t care if we
are treated unjustly.”

But how can you say that?
²⁸ Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the eternal God,
Creator of the earth.
He never gets weary or tired;
his wisdom cannot be measured.

²⁹ The Lord gives strength
to those who are weary.
³⁰ Even young people get tired,
then stumble and fall.
³¹ But those who trust the Lord
will find new strength.
They will be strong like eagles
soaring upward on wings;
they will walk and run
without getting tired.

Genesis 21:22-34

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Abraham’s Agreement With Abimelech

²² At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. ²³ Now, swear an oath to me here in front of God that you will never cheat me, my children, or my descendants. Show me and the land where you’ve been living the same kindness that I have shown you.”

²⁴ Abraham said, “I so swear.”

²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well which Abimelech’s servants had seized. ²⁶ Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this. You didn’t tell me, and I didn’t hear about it until today.”

²⁷ Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made an agreement. ²⁸ Then Abraham set apart seven female lambs from the flock. ²⁹ Abimelech asked him, “What is the meaning of these seven female lambs you have set apart?”

³⁰ Abraham answered, “Accept these lambs from me so that they may be proof that I dug this well.” ³¹ This is why that place is called Beersheba, because both of them swore an oath there.

³² After they made the treaty at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and went back to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and worshiped the Lord, the Everlasting God, there. ³⁴ Abraham lived a long time in the land of the Philistines.

1 Timothy 1:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

God Knows ... and Cares

Psalm 118, New Living Translation (NLT)

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

² Let all Israel repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
³ Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
⁴ Let all who fear the Lord repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”

⁵ In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free.
⁶ The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
⁷ Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

¹⁰ Though hostile nations surrounded me,
I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
¹¹ Yes, they surrounded and attacked me,
but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees;
they blazed against me like a crackling fire.
But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
¹³ My enemies did their best to kill me,
but the Lord rescued me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.
¹⁵ Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
¹⁶ The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
¹⁷ I will not die; instead, I will live
to tell what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not let me die.

¹⁹ Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,
and I will go in and thank the Lord.
²⁰ These gates lead to the presence of the Lord,
and the godly enter there.
²¹ I thank you for answering my prayer
and giving me victory!

²² The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
²³ This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵ Please, Lord, please save us.
Please, Lord, please give us success.
²⁶ Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷ The Lord is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 139, New Living Translation (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
³ You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
⁴ You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
⁵ You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

¹⁹ O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
²⁰ They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
²¹ O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
²² Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Surrender

1 Peter 4:1-11, New King James Version (NKJV)

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. ³ For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. ⁴ In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. ⁵ They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Serving for God’s Glory

⁷ But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. ⁸ And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” ⁹ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 3, New International Version (NIV)

No Confidence in the Flesh

Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. ² Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. ³ For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶ Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷ Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. ¹⁸ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

No Other / Higher Name

Philippians 2:1-11, New Living Translation (NLT)

Have the Attitude of Christ

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? ² Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

⁶ Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Psalm 146, New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

¹ Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.
² I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.

⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

¹⁰ The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

Holy Revelation

Revelation 4

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Throne Room of Heaven

4 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

² Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. ³ And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. ⁵ And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
⁶ Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. ⁸ The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”

⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

¹¹ “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Psalm 145

New King James Version (NKJV)

A Song of God’s Majesty and Love

A Praise of David.

145 I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
⁵ I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.
⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
⁷ They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹ The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

¹⁰ All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
¹² To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
²⁰ The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
²¹ My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.