Readings from Bible II
WISDOM
Proverbs 1-3
The Usefulness of Proverbs
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
3 To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;
4 To give prudence to the naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion,
5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction
And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;
9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head
And ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait for blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
14 Throw in your lot with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your feet from their path,
16 For their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence;
It takes away the life of its possessors.
Wisdom Warns
20 Wisdom shouts in the street,
She lifts her voice in the square;
21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
22 “How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools hate knowledge?
23 “Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 “Because I called and you refused,
I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you neglected all my counsel
And did not want my reproof;
26 I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD.
30 “They would not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
31 “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
And be satiated with their own devices.
32 “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But he who listens to me shall live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Proverbs 2
The Pursuit of Wisdom Brings Security
1 My son, if you will receive my words
And treasure my commandments within you,
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
3 For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
4 If you seek her as silver
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD
And discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 Guarding the paths of justice,
And He preserves the way of His godly ones.
9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice
And equity and every good course.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 Discretion will guard you,
Understanding will watch over you,
12 To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things;
13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14 Who delight in doing evil
And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are crooked,
And who are devious in their ways;
16 To deliver you from the strange woman,
From the adulteress who flatters with her words;
17 That leaves the companion of her youth
And forgets the covenant of her God;
18 For her house sinks down to death
And her tracks lead to the dead;
19 None who go to her return again,
Nor do they reach the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of good men
And keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land
And the blameless will remain in it;
22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land
And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
Proverbs 3
The Rewards of Wisdom
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD
Or loathe His reproof,
12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.
19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth,
By understanding He established the heavens.
20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up
And the skies drip with dew.
21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 So they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.
23 Then you will walk in your way securely
And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden fear
Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;
26 For the LORD will be your confidence
And will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
29 Do not devise harm against your neighbor,
While he lives securely beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
And do not choose any of his ways.
32 For the devious are an abomination to the LORD;
But He is intimate with the upright.
33 The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Though He scoffs at the scoffers,
Yet He gives grace to the afflicted.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
But fools display dishonor.
Ecclesiastes 2
The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too
was futility. 2 I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I
explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me
wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do
under heaven the few years of their lives. 4 I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I
planted vineyards for myself; 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds
of fruit trees; 6 I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7
I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds
larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the
treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of
men—many concubines.
9 Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom
also stood by me. 10 All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart
from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all
my labor. 11 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I
had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the
sun.
Wisdom Excels Folly
12 So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come
after the king except what has already been done? 13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light
excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I
know that one fate befalls them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also
befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.” 16 For
there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days
all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! 17 So I hated life, for the work
which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving
after wind.
The Futility of Labor
18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it
to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?
Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely
under the sun. This too is vanity. 20 Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for
which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom,
knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is
vanity and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he
labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his
mind does not rest. This too is vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good.
This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have
enjoyment without Him? 26 For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and
knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he
may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
1 Corinthians 1:17-2:16
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so
that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
The Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE,
AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God
made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its
wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message
preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for
wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom
of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger
than men.
26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the
wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28
and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that
He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing
you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification,
and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
1 Corinthians 2
Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom,
proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4
and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the
power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of
the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden
wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the
rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written,
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the
depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man
which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we
have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the
things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human
wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to
him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is
spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN
THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Colossians 2:1-10
You Are Built Up in Christ
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at
Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be
encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the
full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ
Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no
one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body,
nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your
faith in Christ.
6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly
rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed,
and overflowing with gratitude.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to
the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to
Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been
made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;...
ETHICS
Matthew 5-7
The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples
came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty
again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to
fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke
shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Personal Relationships
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and
‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is
angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-
for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty
enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and
there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before
the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25
Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your
opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into
prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28 but I say to you
that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in
his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better
for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 If
your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose
one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF
DIVORCE’; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of
unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits
adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT
SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by
heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by
Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head,
for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’;
anything beyond these is of evil.
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ 39 But I
say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other
to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41
Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not
turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may
be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your
brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48
Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 6
Giving to the Poor and Prayer
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you
have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have
their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done
in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the
synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they
have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and
pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward
you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they
suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father
knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14 For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Mammon)
16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their
appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have
their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that
your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who
sees what is done in secret will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of
light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in
you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
The Cure for Anxiety
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or
what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and
the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor
gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than
they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you
worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if
God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace,
will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we
eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek
all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first
His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own.
Matthew 7
Judging Others
1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and
by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck that is in
your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out
of your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will
trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Prayer and the Golden Rule
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10 Or if
he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to
those who ask Him!
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the
Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is
narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are
ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn
bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree
bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will
know them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform
many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU
WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
The Two Foundations
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a
wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man
who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and
slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was
teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
I Corinthians 13
The Excellence of Love
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all
knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do
not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not
act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong
suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues,
they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy
in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used
to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with
childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but
then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these
three; but the greatest of these is love.
SUFFERING
Philippians 1:21-30
To Live Is Christ
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean
fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both
directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to
remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will
remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud
confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come
and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one
mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—
which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. 29 For to
you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Philippians 2:1-11
Be Like Christ
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is
any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of
the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing
from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more
important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for
the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who,
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of
death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him
the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of
those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.