‘ Enantiodromia ‘

“‘running in opposite ways“
A governing principle of natural cycles and of psychological development.
The tendency of things to change into their opposites,  The emergence of the unconscious opposite in the course of time.

This “Got You” Culture.
People Trying to Trap Others in Something they Say.  Looking for a Basis on Which to Accuse.  

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America Values Her Freedom.  To Be “Free.”  The Absence of Restraint. 
The Bubbling of New Ideas.  Not Thought Police.  Monopoly on the Megaphone. 

Τ Ε Λ Ο Σ

“I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in this cause that is just and honorable.“
– Philippians 4  (“ fond of horses ”  ” beloved, loving “)

System Un-Responsive.
Symptoms of Fragmentation.
Initialize System Diagnostic Program.
Run Program From Root Directory//SystemMatrixFormat.exe
Power On Self Test.  CD…  Config.Sys … Autexec.Bat …  Reset CMOS.  Format BIOS..
Sequencing a Movement of Women To Heal National Trauma.  To Help The People Identify Errors
A Routine Serving to Distinguish and Identify.  Gifts to Your Future Self.  Dangerous Women.  Pain Killers.
A Hope to Find Peace.  A Routine Serving to Distinguish and Identify.  Gifts to Your Future Self.  Dangerous Women.  Pain Killers.

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NERO – Satisfy  /  Two Minds / Into the Past

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezDjH1GbnEs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj80pzdonu0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTVTuCyScwo
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I Tell You the Future

Before it Happens Just Like Magic. 

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I Have Brought a Miracle.

“The words I say to you, I do not speak on My own.
Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me, performing His works.
Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves.
Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because
I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it.“
                                                                                  –   John 14 (New International Version) “gift of Jehova“

Mark  David  Rich

 “To Denote”     “Beloved”     “Wealth“
“To Remove”    “Abhorrent”     “Poor“

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My queen and my wife… My Love…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilknNpmqNoI
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 A Proclamation to The Nations.
Come Now.  Let Us Settle the Matter.
All Demographics Have Been Represented Here.
Therefore Do What We Say or We Shall Bring Democracy to Your Country.

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Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard – Now We Are Free

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQQKZ5cgybU

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Steve Jobs Secrets of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYfNvmF0Bqw
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Jacob’s Ladder

“The Bridge Between Man and God”

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A Drawing By William Blake

A staircase representing the Gulf between man and God.

Jacob’s Ladder, or Jacob’s Dream, illustration to the Bible painted for Thomas Butts, Genesis, xxviii, 12;

Jacob lies in Foreground left dreaming, behind him rises spiral staircase amid stars and golden rays above,

three women stand at foot of staircase carrying trays and urns, other figures ascend or descend stairs. c.1799-1807

Τ Ε Λ Ο Σ

A Light Shining in a Dark Place.
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light“
–    John 3   (“Jehovah has favored”  “Jah is gracious”  “he was gracious”)

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“Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society.
It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.“
[“The Federalist,” No. 51]
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Pandora

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phZasSoWFLo
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Τ Ε Λ Ο Σ

The People’s
“Special Civil Operation.“
A Reflection of the Mainstream Sentiment.
Something Entirely New.  More Sumptuary.  A Ministry of Reconciliation.
For All These Endless Conflics Full of Mutilation & Suffering.  So Messy.  Self Discipline is Needed.
We Submit this Prayer & Petition in the Spirit of What is Written from the Holy Author of Our Religeon.
A Closing Appeal for Steadfastness & Unity.  A Mandate from the Masses to Embrace Wisdom from the Ancients.
Addressing the Predictable Trends of Human Behavior.  Curbing One’s Tendency Towards Self-Importance.  ($40 Trillion.)
We Are Unwell.  Struggling With Sin.  Let Us Not Become Conceited, Provoking and Envying One Another.  Cheating is Un-American.
The People are Greived and Fear that there May be Discord, Jealousy, Fits of Rage, Selfish Ambition, Slander, Gossip, Arrogance and Disorder.
This Vacant Type of Culture Creates an Isolated and Embittered Citizenry.  The Cynical, Faithless, Nihilism That is Taking Over Modern Society.  Mocking, Scoffers.  Accusers.
Let Us Not Succumb to Prolonged Indecision.  May You Remember Your Very Great and Precious Promises

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Letters of Ithaca (c. 1200 BC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytwf9qav3tY
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“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—
to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea…
Everyone will be salted with fire.  “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?   Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
–  Mark 9  “consecrated to the god Mars”  “God of war”  “to be warlike“ “boundary, limit; sign, landmark”  “to denote” “sign, omen, aim”  “margin”

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the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
–   1 Corinthians 10  (“point” “peak“)
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“If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter“
–  George Washington

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The Apotheosis of George Washington

Fresco by Constantino Brumidi (1865)
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“Our democratic principles require that the American people be informed of the activities of their Government.
Also, our Nation’s progress depends on the free flow of information both within the Government and to the American people. “
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-classified-national-security-information

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?  What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived. ”

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Helen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5qpv25L96U
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“War“

In The Apotheosis of George Washington

Fresco by Constantino Brumidi (1865)
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“Freedom“, also known as “Columbia“, is directly below George Washington in the personification of War.
The scene depicts a woman fighting for liberty with a raised sword, a cape, and a helmet and shield trampling figures representing Tyranny and Kingly Power.

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A “Leap of Faith“
Vision of Something New.
The People’s Freedom of Self Expression.
A Prayer and Petition To Host a Gathering of People at a Certain Place.
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Liberty

Liberty is the state of being free within society from restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views

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“unrestrained action, conduct, or expression“
“state of being free from arbitrary, despotic, or autocratic rule or control“
“civil or political freedom, condition of a free man; absence of restraint; permission“
“The power or scope to act as one pleases. allowed or entitled to do something.”  “not imprisoned.“
“free choice, freedom to do as one chooses” “freedom from the bondage of sin,” “freedom, liberty, free will“
“The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.“
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“a district within a county but having its own justice of the peace,“
“a district adjacent to a city and in some degree under its municipal jurisdiction“

Lady Justice with Judge Gavel in Front.

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Irina Akulenko – “Justice”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XGIRLwcw4o
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“Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society.
It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.“
                                            –   [“The Federalist,” No. 51]
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The end [or goal] of politics is the best of ends; and the main concern of politics
is to engender a certain character in the citizens and to make them good and disposed to perform noble actions…..”
                 –  Aristotle
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“Achieving a fair situation.“
“right order, equity, the rewarding to everyone of that which is his due“
“Righteousness, uprightness, the vindication of right, court of justice, judge.“
“The notion of each thing in its proper sphere or serving its proper purpose; (inequality of aptitudes and outcomes are implied.)“
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Fair and moral treatment of people. 
Fairness in the way people are dealt with.
The system of laws in a country that judges and punishes people.
The quality of being fair and just; moral soundness and conformity to truth.
The exercise of authority in vindication of right by assigning reward or punishment.
The legal process in which people are tried for crimes, conflicts are settled, and civil rights are protected
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Justice is the ethical, philosophical, and legal concept of fairness, equity, and moral rightness, ensuring individuals receive their due, whether through law or social interaction. It involves impartial treatment, upholding rights, and administering punishment or compensation, categorized into types like distributive (fair sharing), retributive (fair punishment), and restorative (repairing harm)
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preventing the law being put into action.
Imposing yourself on the next generation to be victims of a miscarriage of justice (= when the law has been carried out wrongly).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR49dyo-y0E
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A Mandate from the Masses.
A Singular Cooperative Purpose Interwoven for the Common Good.
For Those Who are Furnishing Provocations as a Pretext For Some Military Intervention.
A Call to Maturity.  Not To Join All the General Lamentations and Get Ourselves All Churned Up.
Let Us Not Become Concieted, Provoking and Envying One Another.  The Spirit of Condemnation of this Age.

“It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.”
–  Aristotle

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Toni Braxton – You’re Makin’ Me High

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIgOL21S98o
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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

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A Harvest Among You.

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A Ministry of Reconciliation, Healing & Creation

“The world hangs on a thin thread and that is the psyche of man.“
“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” 
–           Carl Jung

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          “Healing may be called a religious problem. In the sphere of social or national relations the state of suffering may be civil war and this state is to be cured by the Christian virtue of forgiveness and love of one’s enemies. That which we recommend with the conviction of good Christians as applicable to external situations we must also apply inwardly in the treatment of neurosis. This is why modern man has heard enough about guilt and sin. He is sorely beset by his own bad conscience. And wants rather to know how he is to reconcile himself with his own nature how he is to love the enemy in his own heart, and call the Wolf his brother. The modern man does not want to know in what way he can imitate Christ, but in what way he can live his own individual life, however meager and uninteresting it may be. It is because every form of imitation, seems to him deadening and sterile — that he rebels against the force of tradition that would hold him to well trodden ways. All such roads for him lead in the wrong direction. He may not know it, but he behaves as if his own individual life were God’s special will which must be fulfilled at all costs. This is the source of his egoism, which is one of the most tangible evils of the neurotic state. But the person who tells him he is too egoistic has already lost his confidence and rightly so, for that person has driven him still into his neurosis (“functional derangement arising from disorders of the nervous system (not caused by a lesion or injury” “The change in the nerve cells of the brain resulting in symptoms of stress,” but not radical loss of touch with reality”) If I wish to effect a cure for my patients, I am forced to acknowledge the deep significance of that egoism. I should be blind indeed if I did not recognize it as a true will of God. I must even help the patient to prevail in his egoism if he succeeds in this he estranges himself from other people. He drives them away and they come to themselves as they should for they were seeking to rob him of his sacred egoism. This must be left of him. For it is his strongest and healthiest power. It is as I have said a true will of God, but sometimes drives him into complete isolation. However wretched this state may be it also stands him in good stead. For in this way alone can he get to know himself and learn what an invaluable treasure is the love of his fellow beings. It is moreover only in the state of complete abandonment and loneliness that we experience the helpful powers of our own natures.”

Interview with Carl Jung
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqfL94VtSJ8 

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Leave Room For Jesus.  Both Jew & Gentile are Reconciled Through Christ as The Prophecy of Isaiah is Fullfilled.
“It is Written.”  This Work is Built on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone.
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.“
–  Galatians 5

It is The Word Which Judges Justly.  Entrust These Commands & Regulations.
(If Serving The Holy Author of Our Religeon Seems Undesirable to You, Then Choose for Yourselves, This Day Whom you Will Serve.)
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.“
–  Ephesians 2  (“overseer.“)

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1 Corinthians 4
(“point” “peak“)
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(New International Version)

The Nature of True Apostleship

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.  For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!  For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.  We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;  when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.  Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you to imitate me.  For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.  But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.  What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

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James 2
“one that takes by the heel; a supplanter“
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(New International Version)

Favoritism Forbidden

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?  But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?  Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”  you are doing right.  But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.  For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”   also said, “You shall not murder.”  If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Deeds

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ?   Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”  and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

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Philippians 2
(“fond of horses”  ” beloved, loving “)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

One in Christ

Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The Mind of Christ

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

Who, existing in the form of God,

did not consider equality with God

something to be grasped,

but emptied Himself,

taking the form of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross.

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name above all names,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.  For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world as you hold forth the word of life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I learn how you are doing. I have nobody else like him who will genuinely care for your needs.  For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to advance the gospel.  So I hope to send him as soon as I see what happens with me.  And I trust in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

But I thought it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my needs.  For he has been longing for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.  He was sick indeed, nearly unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of service to me.

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Romans 12
(“of Rome”)
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(New International Version)

A Living Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Ephesians 4
(“overseer.“)
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(New International Version)

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.  This is why it says:

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?  He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)  So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Instructions for Christian Living

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.  They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  “In your anger do not sin”  : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

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2 Corinthians 5
(“point” “peak“)
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(New International Version)

Awaiting the New Body

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.  For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  For we live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.  We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.  If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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Proverbs 14
” A common saying, old adage, maxim”   “words put forth“
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(Berean Standard Bible)

The Wise Woman

Every wise woman builds her house,

but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD,

but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.

The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back,

but the lips of the wise protect them.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,

but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.

An honest witness does not deceive,

but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.

A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,

but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

Stay away from a foolish man;

you will gain no knowledge from his speech.

The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools deceives them.

Fools mock the making of amends,

but goodwill is found among the upright.

The heart knows its own bitterness,

and no stranger shares in its joy.

The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way of death.

Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and joy may end in sorrow.

The backslider in heart receives the fill of his own ways,

but a good man is rewarded for his ways.

The simple man believes every word,

but the prudent man watches his steps.

A wise man fears and turns from evil,

but a fool is careless and reckless.

A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,

and a devious man is hated.

The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

The evil bow before the good,

and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,

but many are those who love the rich.

He who despises his neighbor sins,

but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.

Do not those who contrive evil go astray?

But those who plan goodness find loving devotion and faithfulness.

There is profit in all labor,

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the effort of fools is folly.

A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who utters lies is deceitful.

He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence,

and his children shall have a place of refuge.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

turning a man from the snares of death.

A large population is a king’s splendor,

but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.

A patient man has great understanding,

but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

A tranquil heart is life to the body,

but envy rots the bones.

Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker,

but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin,

but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.

Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;

even among fools she is known.

Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a disgrace to any people.

A king delights in a wise servant,

but his anger falls on the shameful.

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2 Corinthians 10
(“point” “peak“)
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(New International Version)

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!  I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

You are judging by appearances.   If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.  So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.  I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters.  For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”  Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.  We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you.  We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you with the gospel of Christ.  Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand,  so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory.  But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”  For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

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James 4
“one that takes by the heel; a supplanter“
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(Berean Standard Bible)

A Warning against Pride

What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?  You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.  And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

You adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.  Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit  He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?  But He gives us more grace. This is why it says:

“God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.”

Drawing Near to God

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.  There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”  You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”  As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.  Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

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Matthew 23
(“gift of Jehovah”)
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(New International Version)

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:  “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.  So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;  they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.  The greatest among you will be your servant.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’  You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?  You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’  You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?  Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.  And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.  And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.  You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.  And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’  So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?  Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.  And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.  Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.  For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’  ”

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Acts 5
“a thing done”  “a doing; a driving, impulse, a setting in motion; a part in a play”
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(New International Version)

Ananias and Sapphira

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.  Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

The Apostles Heal Many

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.  No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.  Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.  As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.  Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.

The Apostles Persecuted

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.  They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.  “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.  But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported,  “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”  On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.”  At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest.  “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!  The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.  God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.  We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.  But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.  Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

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Philippians 4
(“fond of horses”  ” beloved, loving “)
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(New International Version)

Closing Appeal for Steadfastness and Unity

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.  Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Final Exhortations

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thanks for Their Gifts

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.  Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;  for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.  Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.  I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.  And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings.  All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. 

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Galatians 5
(“an inhabitant of ancient Gaul“    “a gaul”   “a frenchman“)
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(New International Version)

Freedom in Christ

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.  For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?  That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.  “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”  I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.  Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.  As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Life by the Spirit

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

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Colossians 2
“gigantic statue”  “any thing of awesome greatness or vastness“
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(New International Version)

I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.  My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.  For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.  In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,  having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Freedom From Human Rules

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.  These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.  Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.  They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:   “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?  These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.  Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

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Colossians 2
“gigantic statue”   “any thing of awesome greatness or vastness”   “the idea of setting up a sacred space or shrine.“
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(Berean Standard Version)

Absent in Body, Present in Spirit

For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me face to face, that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I say this so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric.  For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.

Alive with Christ
Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.  And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.

When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross!  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.  Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind.  He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.

If you have died with Christ to the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations:  “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”?  These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.  Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

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2 Timothy 3
(“honor, respect”  “Honoring God“)
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(New International Version)

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.  Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.  But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

A Final Charge to Timothy

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬1 John 2
(“Jehovah has favored”  “Jah is gracious”  “he was gracious“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Jesus Our Advocate

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.  If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:  Whoever claims to abide in Him must walk as Jesus walked.

A New Commandment

Beloved, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old one, which you have had from the beginning. This commandment is the message you have heard.  Then again, I am also writing to you a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.

If anyone claims to be in the light but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.  Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven through His name.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.

I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.

I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.  The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Beware of Antichrists

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.

You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  I have not written to you because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and because no lie comes from the truth.  Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.  Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

Remain in Christ

As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.  And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.

And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.

If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.

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Psalm 36
“sacred poem or song“
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(Berean Standard Bible)

The Transgression of the Wicked

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.

 An oracle is in my heart

regarding the transgression of the wicked man:

There is no fear of God

before his eyes.

For his eyes are too full of conceit

to detect or hate his own sin.

The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;

he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.

Even on his bed he plots wickedness;

he sets himself on a path that is not good;

he fails to reject evil.

Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,

Your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;

Your judgments are like the deepest sea.

O LORD, You preserve man and beast.

How precious is Your loving devotion, O God,

that the children of men take refuge

in the shadow of Your wings!

They feast on the abundance of Your house,

and You give them drink from Your river of delights.

For with You is the fountain of life;

in Your light we see light.

Extend Your loving devotion to those who know You,

and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Let not the foot of the proud come against me,

nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the evildoers lie fallen,

thrown down and unable to rise.

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Psalm 101
“sacred poem or song“
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(New King James Version)

I Will Sing of Loving Kindness and Justice

{A Psalm of David.} I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

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Psalm 37
“sacred poem or song“
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(New International Version)

Delight Yourself in the LORD

Of David.

Do not fret over those who do evil;

do not envy those who do wrong.

For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender plants.

Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret when men prosper in their ways,

when they carry out wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;

do not fret—it can only bring harm.

For the evildoers will be cut off,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

But the meek will inherit the land

and delight in abundant prosperity.

The wicked scheme against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,

but the Lord laughs,

seeing that their day is coming.

The wicked have drawn the sword

and bent the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

Better is the little of the righteous

than the abundance of many who are wicked.

For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The LORD knows the days of the blameless,

and their inheritance will last forever.

In the time of evil they will not be ashamed,

and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

But the wicked and enemies of the LORD

will perish like the glory of the fields.

They will vanish;

like smoke they will fade away.

The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous are gracious and giving.

Surely those He blesses will inherit the land,

but the cursed will be destroyed.

The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD

who takes delight in his journey.

Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,

for the LORD is holding his hand.

I once was young and now am old,

yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned

or their children begging for bread.

They are ever generous and quick to lend,

and their children are a blessing.

Turn away from evil and do good,

so that you will abide forever.

For the LORD loves justice

and will not forsake His saints.

They are preserved forever,

but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.

The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

The law of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not falter.

Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

and seek to slay them,

the LORD will not leave them in their power

or let them be condemned under judgment.

Wait for the LORD and keep His way,

and He will raise you up to inherit the land.

When the wicked are cut off,

you will see it.

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man

flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

yet he passed away and was no more;

though I searched, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless and observe the upright,

for posterity awaits the man of peace.

But the transgressors will all be destroyed;

the future of the wicked will be cut off.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The LORD helps and delivers them;

He rescues and saves them from the wicked,

because they take refuge in Him.

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Psalm 92
“sacred poem or song“
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(New International Version)

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

۞

Τ έ λ ο ς

” end, ‘purpose’, or ‘goal’ ”  “ultimate object or aim”  “the end, limit, goal, fulfillment, completion”
“revolve, move round; sojourn, dwell”  “turning point”

۞

Dear God, This Is What We Desire. We Wish to Know You.  We Wish to Learn About the Things That Are, And Comprehend Their Nature, Please Be with Me.  Please Be with Us.  Come Into Our Minds and Our Understandings.  The Marrows of Our Psyche.  Accomplish for Us All the Desires of Our Souls.  Give To Your Servants An Understanding Heart to Judge “The People.”  That We May Discern Between Good and Evil and Grant Us the Courage to Brave Jealous Rages.  Let The Virtue of Disdain Fortify Our Goodness.  To Drive Out Evil Spirits.  The People’s Divine Majesty.

We The People Wish to Join You in The Work of Sanctification Since You Have Provided Us All Authority.  Through Your Foresight, By Right Of Name, By Right of Divine Inscription, By Right of Sacrificial Offering as “It is Written.”  This One of Many,  May God Almighty Grant Me My Request Not to Fail in Sharing the Knowledge That Befits Your Essence.  You Who Laid the Foundations of the Earth.  God Give Me Power; And with This Gift I Shall Enlighten Those Who Are in Ignorance.  The Brothers and Sisters of My Race.  Specifically Those Holders of Power and Authority.  Those with the Power to Take Peace from the Earth and Get Men to Kill Each Other.  With This Work, I Rise from the Depths of My Bitter Resentments and Come Forward with Loyalty Unbroken.  This I Believe and Bear Witness to Advance to Life and Light.  May “The People” Stand on The Words of Christ Jesus.  The Holy Author and Perfecter of Our Religion.  Let us “Return to the Source” to Counteract the Perversions of Our Day.  May We Trust in His Perfect Original Words to Bring People into Accordance with a Higher Overall Standard.  To Put Straight That Which Has Been Made Crooked and Useless.  To Set Right Incorrect Conceptualizations.  To Gently, “Step-by-Step”, Correct the Flaws of the Ego.  May We Share in Ways of Deeper Comprehension and How We Interact with the World.  May We Set in Place a Higher Intelligence Which Operates on Multiple Levels and In Multiple Dimensions.  That We Integrate With the Primal Oneness of the World.  To Repoint and Re-Question Our Fundamental Assumptions of Because People Don’t Understand that they Need to Learn New Things.  To Advance Past the Spirit of Our Fear Based Thinking of Today.  Pascal’s Wager.

This “The People” Bring Forward for “The People.” “God’s Grand Design.”  “Justice to the Nations.”  Of The Way We Must Operate.  Compliance and Risk Management.  A System of Measures or Line of  Conduct Which a Ruler,  Minister, Government, or Party Adopts as Best for the Interests of the Country in Domestic or Foreign Affairs.  Must We Continue to Fear the Anger of Enemies?  Where is Their Fury and Anger Now?  We ask for A Huge Victory for the Good Guys.  A Cultural Revolution.  We Set this Higher Standard for Greatness of Grandeur.  Of Exalted Rank and Stately Character.  To Impose Loftiness and Qualities Appropriate to Rulership.  Stateliness.  Of Having Dignity of Nature or Appearance.  Greatness.  Elevation.  Honor Excellence. The Proper Range for The People’s Psychological Health and Mental Well Being. “It is Written.”

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Do you believe in “Perspective”?
Your Purpose, Your Destiny, is It Yours To Make?
Or Will You Be Called to it. <See: Hubris/Pride >
Are You Only Being “Sequestered, Sojourned.  For the Time Being.
Do you Love your Fate?  Amor Fati!  Is Your Life is God’s Special Will, Which Must be Achieved at all Costs?
What is your name?  What Does it Mean?  The Etymology Behind It.
What is its Nature?  Which ‘God’ is Your Name Related?
What is the Opposite of That Nature?
Which ‘God’ is Calling you Now?
Which ‘God’ Calls to Your Future?
They are Called “Gods” for a Reason.
Shall We Start Digging?   Go 100 steps at least.  It’s Not “THAT” Far.
You Will Find That Some Words will “CALL”
To you More Than Others.
Look for the “Coincidence of Opposites.”  A Pattern of Opposites.
Curiosities, Irregularities, Patterns,
‘Start’ ‘Here’ Brother & Sisters .… Let me have this ‘Moment.
You ‘Will’ “Find” What You are ‘Looking’ For.
It Will Call Out to You.
‘Let’ Me ‘Take’ It for A While.
‘ I ’ see ‘You’ on The Other ‘Side.’
                                                                                                   But if You “Want” “It”,
You Know  “Where”
To ‘Find’

Me.

▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬

Hermes & Athena

By Bartholomeus Spranger (1546 – 1611)

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▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬

 2 Thessalonians 2
(“overseer.“)
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(New International Version)

The Man of Lawlessness.

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters,  not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come.  Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.  He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?  And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.  For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.  The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,  and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Stand Firm

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.  He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,  encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

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 Revelation 3
“Disclosure of information or knowledge to man by a divine or supernatural agency.”
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(New International Version)

To the Church in Sardis

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.  The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.  Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.  I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.  Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Laodicea

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.  Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

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Romans 12
(“of Rome”)
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(New International Version)

A Living Sacrifice

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, ^b do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary:

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Ephesians 1
(“overseer.“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Paul’s Greeting to the Ephesians

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,  to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace  that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.

In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.

And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.

Spiritual Wisdom

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,  I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.

I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

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Ephesians 3
(“overseer.“)
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(New International Version)

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.  In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.  This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.  Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.  His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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Isaiah 45
(“salvation of the Lord”  “deliverance“)
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(New International Version)

God Calls Cyrus

This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed,

whose right hand I have grasped

to subdue nations before him,

to disarm kings,

to open the doors before him,

so that the gates will not be shut:

“I will go before you

and level the mountains;

I will break down the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the riches hidden in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the LORD,

the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

For the sake of Jacob My servant

and Israel My chosen one,

I call you by name;

I have given you a title of honor,

though you have not known Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other;

there is no God but Me.

I will equip you for battle,

though you have not known Me,

so that all may know,

from where the sun rises to where it sets,

that there is none but Me;

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form the light and create the darkness;

I bring prosperity and create calamity.

I, the LORD, do all these things.

Drip down, O heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout

and righteousness spring up with it;

I, the LORD, have created it.

Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—

one clay pot among many.

Does the clay ask the potter,

‘What are you making?’

Does your work say,

‘He has no hands’?

Woe to him who says to his father,

‘What have you begotten?’

or to his mother,

‘What have you brought forth?’ ”

Thus says the LORD,

the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

“How dare you question Me about My sons,

or instruct Me in the work of My hands?

It is I who made the earth

and created man upon it.

It was My hands that stretched out the heavens,

and I ordained all their host.

I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness,

and I will make all his ways straight.

He will rebuild My city

and set My exiles free,

but not for payment or reward,

says the LORD of Hosts.”

This is what the LORD says:

“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,

along with the Sabeans, men of stature,

will come over to you

and will be yours;

they will trudge behind you;

they will come over in chains and bow down to you.

They will confess to you:

‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other;

there is no other God.’ ”

Truly You are a God who hides Himself,

O God of Israel, the Savior.

They will all be put to shame and humiliated;

the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.

But Israel will be saved by the LORD

with an everlasting salvation;

you will not be put to shame or humiliated,

to ages everlasting.

For thus says the LORD,

who created the heavens—He is God;

He formed the earth and fashioned it;

He established it;

He did not create it to be empty,

but formed it to be inhabited:

“I am the LORD,

and there is no other.

I have not spoken in secret,

from a place in a land of darkness.

I did not say to the descendants of Jacob,

‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’

I, the LORD, speak the truth;

I say what is right.

Come, gather together, and draw near,

you fugitives from the nations.

Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood

and pray to a god that cannot save.

Speak up and present your case—

yes, let them take counsel together.

Who foretold this long ago?

Who announced it from ancient times?

Was it not I, the LORD?

There is no other God but Me,

a righteous God and Savior;

there is none but Me.

Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth;

for I am God,

and there is no other.

By Myself I have sworn;

truth has gone out from My mouth,

a word that will not be revoked:

Every knee will bow before Me,

every tongue will swear allegiance.

Surely they will say of Me,

‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’ ”

All who rage against Him

will come to Him and be put to shame.

In the LORD all descendants of Israel

will be justified and will exult.

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Isaiah 42
(“salvation of the Lord,“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)