Luke 6:31-32 NLT Do to others as you would like them to do to you. [32] “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!
It is a trustworthy saying: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceable, free from the love of money; leading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. — 1 Timothy 3:1-7
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not mGentile sinners; 16 yet we know that naperson is not justified2 by works of the law obut through faith in Jesus Christ, sowe also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christand not by works of the law, pbecause by works of the law no one will bejustified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found qto besinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what Itore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I rdied tothe law, so that I might slive to God. 20 I have been tcrucified with Christ. It is nolonger I who live, but Christ who lives uin me. And the life I now live in the fleshI live by faith in the Son of God, vwho loved me and wgave himself for me. 21 I donot nullify the grace of God, for xif righteousness3 were through the law, ythenChrist died for no purpose.
What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made! It will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad sight. The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality, lukewarmness, irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness, carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity, what a mountain of dead earth is there! If we looked more carefully we should find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at first sight. Dr. Payson, writing to his brother, says, “My parish, as well as my heart, very much resembles the garden of the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many of my desires for the melioration of both, proceed either from pride or vanity or indolence. I look at the weeds which overspread my garden, and breathe out an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It may be that I may walk out and say to myself, ‘In what fine order is my garden kept!’ This is pride. Or, it may be that my neighbours may look over the wall and say, ‘How finely your garden flourishes!’ This is vanity. Or I may wish for the destruction of the weeds, because I am weary of pulling them up. This is indolence.” So that even our desires after holiness may be polluted by ill motives. Under the greenest sods worms hide themselves; we need not look long to discover them. How cheering is the thought, that when the High Priest bore the iniquity of the holy things he wore upon his brow the words, “Holiness to the Lord:” and even so while Jesus bears our sin, he presents before his Father’s face not our unholiness, but his own holiness. O for grace to view our great High Priest by the eye of faith!
“Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””
– Joshua 1:9 ERV
“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The Berean Christian 