Saturday, January 7, 2034

^6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace, ¹⁶above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

^19:1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. ²He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³He said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.”

⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke with other languages and prophesied. ⁷They were about twelve men in all. ⁸He entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning God’s Kingdom.

^4:1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ²When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward. ³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’” ⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’” ⁸Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

^1:29The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ ³¹I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” ³²John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. ³³I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

^1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. ²⁰But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

²¹She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.” ²²Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ²³“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel,” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.” ²⁴Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself; ²⁵and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.

^4:4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law, ⁵that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as children. ⁶And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” ⁷So you are no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

^2:1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ²“Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” ³When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. ⁵They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet, ⁶‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’”

⁷Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.” ⁹They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

¹¹They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.