The X Factor

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.