Wednesday, September 23, 2026

^3:8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, ¹⁰to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him. ¹³Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory. ¹⁴For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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^4:22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the servant, and one by the free woman. ²³However, the son by the servant was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. ²⁵For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. ²⁷For it is written, “Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear. Break out and shout, you who don’t travail. For the desolate women have more children than her who has a husband.” ²⁸Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. ²⁹But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. ³⁰However, what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the servant and her son, for the son of the servant will not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹So then, brothers, we are not children of a servant, but of the free woman.

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^4:1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness ²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. He ate nothing in those days. Afterward, when they were completed, he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” ⁴Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” ⁵The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I want. ⁷If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.” ⁸Jesus answered him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’” ⁹He led him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you;’ ¹¹and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest perhaps you dash your foot against a stone.’” ¹²Jesus answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” ¹³When the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until another time. ¹⁴Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. ¹⁵He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

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^1:5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years. ⁸Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division ⁹according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.” ¹⁸Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” ¹⁹The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰Behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day that these things will happen, because you didn’t believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” ²¹The people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled that he delayed in the temple. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute. ²³When the days of his service were fulfilled, he departed to his house. ²⁴After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵“Thus has the Lord done to me in the days in which he looked at me, to take away my reproach among men.”

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^3:8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ, ¹⁰to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him. ¹³Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory. ¹⁴For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, ¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, ²¹to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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^11:22Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ²³For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says. ²⁴Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. ²⁵Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. ²⁶But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

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