Matthew 16
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your selfish ambition,
take up your cross,
and follow me.
25 If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake,
you will save it.
26 And what do you benefit
if you gain the whole world
but lose your own soul?
Is anything worth more than your soul?
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.
11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.
If you criticize and judge each other,
then you are criticizing and judging God’s law.
But your job is to obey the law,
not to judge whether it applies to you.
12 God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge.
He alone has the power to save or to destroy.
So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
13 Look here, you who say,
“Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.
We will do business there and make a profit.”
14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?
Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
15 What you ought to say is,
“If the Lord wants us to,
we will live and do this or that.”
16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans,
and all such boasting is evil.
17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
I've heard this passage used to brow beat pe0ple into becoming missionaries.
I've always wondered if it is simply Jesus telling us what kind of reception ALL OF US who follow Him will receive if we try to tell people around us the Good News...
Matthew 13
1 Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
15 For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.
18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
James 2
1 My dear brothers and sisters,
how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ
if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry,
and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.
3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person,
but you say to the poor one,
“You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”
well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters.
Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith?
Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?
6 But you dishonor the poor!
Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ,
whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin.
You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.
11 For the same God who said,
“You must not commit adultery,”
also said, “You must not murder.”
So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery,
you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do,
remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.
13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others.
But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
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.
7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world,
and they are unstable in everything they do.
9 Believers who are poor have something to boast about,
for God has honored them.
10 And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them.
They will fade away like a little flower in the field.
11 The hot sun rises and the grass withers;
the little flower droops and falls,
and its beauty fades away.
In the same way,
the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.
Afterward they will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love him.
13 And remember,
when you are being tempted,
do not say, “God is tempting me.”
God is never tempted to do wrong,
and he never tempts anyone else.
14 Temptation comes from our own desires,
which entice us
and drag us away.
15 These desires give birth to sinful actions.
And when sin is allowed to grow,
it gives birth to death.
16 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.
17 Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father,
who created all the lights in the heavens.
He never changes
or casts a shifting shadow.
18 He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word.
And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:
You must all be quick to listen,
slow to speak,
and slow to get angry.
20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,
and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts,
for it has the power to save your souls.
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word.
You must do what it says.
Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey,
it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself,
walk away,
and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free,
and if you do what it says
and don’t forget what you heard,
then God will bless you for doing it.
26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue,
you are fooling yourself,
and your religion is worthless.
27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father
means caring for orphans and widows in their distress
and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Hebrews 13
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?”
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Matthew 9
9 As Jesus was walking along,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth.
“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him.
So Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Matthew 7
1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Matthew 6
1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
