John 7
37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds,
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!
38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare,
‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
39 (When he said “living water,”
he was speaking of the Spirit,
who would be given to everyone believing in him.
But the Spirit had not yet been given,
because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
John 6
1 After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. 3 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. 4 (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) 5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!”
8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”
10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.
I really couldn't decide what to share from this chapter, so I thought why not just share the whole thing - so here it is...
1 Peter 1
1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
May God give you more and more grace and peace.
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
James 5
1 Look here, you rich people:
Weep and groan with anguish
because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.
2 Your wealth is rotting away,
and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded.
The very wealth you were counting on
will eat away your flesh like fire.
This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you
on the day of judgment.
4 For listen!
Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay.
The cries of those who harvest your fields
have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury,
satisfying your every desire.
You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and killed innocent people,
who do not resist you.
James 4
7 So humble yourselves before God.
Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.
8 Come close to God,
and God will come close to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners;
purify your hearts,
for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
9 Let there be tears for what you have done.
Let there be sorrow and deep grief.
Let there be sadness instead of laughter,
and gloom instead of joy.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up in honor.
James 3
13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways,
prove it by living an honorable life,
doing good works
with the humility
that comes from wisdom.
14 But if you are bitterly jealous
and there is selfish ambition in your heart,
don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.
15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom.
Such things are earthly,
unspiritual,
and demonic.
16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition,
there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure.
It is also peace loving,
gentle at all times,
and willing to yield to others.
It is full of mercy
and the fruit of good deeds.
It shows no favoritism
and is always sincere.
18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace
and reap a harvest of righteousness.
John 1
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
James 1
2 Dear brothers and sisters,
when troubles of any kind come your way,
consider it an opportunity for great joy.
3 For you know that when your faith is tested,
your endurance has a chance to grow.
4 So let it grow,
for when your endurance is fully developed,
you will be perfect and complete,
needing nothing.
5 If you need wisdom,
ask our generous God,
and he will give it to you.
He will not rebuke you for asking.
6 But when you ask him,
be sure that your faith is in God alone.
Do not waver,
for a person with divided loyalty
is as unsettled as a wave of the sea
that is blown and tossed by the wind.
Hebrews 13
Paul's concluding words (I think Paul is the author of Hebrews)
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.
2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers,
for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
3 Remember those in prison,
as if you were there yourself.
Remember also those being mistreated,
as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
4 Give honor to marriage,
and remain faithful to one another in marriage.
God will surely judge people who are immoral
and those who commit adultery.
5 Don’t love money;
be satisfied with what you have.
For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”
6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God.
Think of all the good that has come from their lives,
and follow the example of their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas.
Your strength comes from God’s grace,
not from rules about food,
which don’t help those who follow them.
10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin,
and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp.
12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood.
13 So let us go out to him,
outside the camp,
and bear the disgrace he bore.
14 For this world is not our permanent home;
we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
16 And don’t forget to do good
and to share with those in need.
These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders,
and do what they say.
Their work is to watch over your souls,
and they are accountable to God.
Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow.
That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us,
for our conscience is clear
and we want to live honorably in everything we do.
19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
20 Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will.
May he produce in you,
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.
23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail.
If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers there.
The believers from Italy send you their greetings.
25 May God’s grace be with you all.
Hebrews 12
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands
and strengthen your weak knees.
13 Mark out a straight path for your feet
so that those who are weak and lame will not fall
but become strong.
In Hebrews 11 the writer talks about all the individuals in the Bible who exercised great faith.
and then he said this....
Hebrews 11
35But others were tortured,
refusing to turn from God in order to be set free.
They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.
36 Some were jeered at,
and their backs were cut open with whips.
Others were chained in prisons.
37 Some died by stoning,
some were sawed in half,
and others were killed with the sword.
Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats,
destitute
and oppressed
and mistreated.
38 They were too good for this world,
wandering over deserts and mountains,
hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith,
yet none of them received all that God had promised.
Ever since 5.7.06 these 2 verses have spoken to me over & over & over again - & especially did this morning.
Do not throw away this confidant trust in the Lord,
no matter what happens.
Remember the great reward it brings you!
Patient endurance is what you need now,
so you will continue to do God's will.
Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Hebrews 10:35-36
Luke 18
15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus
so he could touch and bless them.
But when the disciples saw this,
they scolded the parents for bothering him.
16 Then Jesus called for the children
and said to the disciples,
“Let the children come to me.
Don’t stop them!
For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
17 I assure you,
anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith
will never get into the Kingdom of God.”
1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.
6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand[a]—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”
9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.
13 Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
14 May those who try to destroy me
be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
be turned back in disgrace.
15 Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”
16 But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.
1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
2 But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.
9 I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
for my punishment is from you.
10 But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
11 When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
13 Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.
