Saturday, January 3, 2026

^5:1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. ²Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. ³But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; ⁴nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. ⁷Therefore don’t be partakers with them. ⁸For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

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^3:14These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly, ¹⁵but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. ¹⁶Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. ^4:1But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, ²through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron, ³forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. ⁵For it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.

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^17:3Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. ⁴If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” ⁵The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” ⁶The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ⁷But who is there among you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table’? ⁸Wouldn’t he rather tell him, ‘Prepare my supper, clothe yourself properly, and serve me while I eat and drink. Afterward you shall eat and drink’? ⁹Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded? I think not. ¹⁰Even so you also, when you have done all the things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have done our duty.’”

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^3:1In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, ²“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” ³For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” ⁴Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him. ⁶They were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance! ⁹Don’t think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. ¹¹“I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

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^5:1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. ²Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance. ³But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; ⁴nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. ⁷Therefore don’t be partakers with them. ⁸For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

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^3:8The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” ⁹So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham. ¹⁰For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.” ¹²The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”

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^16:10He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹²If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.” ¹⁴The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him. ¹⁵He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

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^13:18He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it? ¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.” ²⁰Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom? ²¹It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” ²²He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to Jerusalem. ²³One said to him, “Lord, are they few who are saved?” He said to them, ²⁴“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able. ²⁵When once the master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ ²⁶Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷He will say, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.’ ²⁸There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside. ²⁹They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in God’s Kingdom.

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