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To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. (Heb 11:1 GNB)
Be certain about what you believe and consistent in what you say. Don't try to please everyone or agree with everything people say. Always be ready to listen, but take your time in answering. Answer only if you know what to say, and if you don't know what to say, keep quiet. (Sirach 5:9-12 GNB)
- My friends, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too. (Ga 6:1 GNB)
Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world.
The oppressed were weeping, and no one would help them.
No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.
I envy those who are dead and gone; they are better off than those who are still alive.
But better off than either are those who have never been born,
who have never seen the injustice that goes on in this world.
(Ecc 4:1-3 GNB)
- Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power.
Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks.
For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.
So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.
So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate,
and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace.
At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.
And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.
Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people.
(Eph 6:10-18 GNB)
Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. After all, even a fool may be thought wise and intelligent if he stays quiet and keeps his mouth shut. (Prov 17:27-28 GNB)
I wish you would hide me in the world of the dead; let me be hidden until your anger is over, and then set a time to remember me.
If a man dies, can he come back to life? But I will wait for better times, wait till this time of trouble is ended.
Then you will call, and I will answer, and you will be pleased with me, your creature.
Then you will watch every step I take, but you will not keep track of my sins.
You will forgive them and put them away; you will wipe out all the wrongs I have done.
(Job 14:13-17 GNB)
He called the twelve disciples together and sent them out two by two.
(Mark 6:7 GNB)
After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.
(Luke 10:1 GNB)
The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the LORD, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the LORD, have spoken." (Jer 31:33-34 GNB)
He promises that as long as the natural order lasts, so long will Israel be a nation.
If one day the sky could be measured and the foundations of the earth explored, only then would he reject the people of Israel because of all they have done. The LORD has spoken.
(Jer 31:36-37 GNB)
- The LORD, the God of Israel, said to me, "Jeremiah, the people are saying that war, starvation, and disease will make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylonia. Now listen to what else I have to say.
I am going to gather the people from all the countries where I have scattered them in my anger and fury, and I am going to bring them back to this place and let them live here in safety.
Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.
I will give them a single purpose in life: to honor me for all time, for their own good and the good of their descendants.
I will make an eternal covenant with them. I will never stop doing good things for them, and I will make them fear me with all their heart, so that they will never turn away from me.
I will take pleasure in doing good things for them, and I will establish them permanently in this land. (Jer 32:36-41 GNB)
- Can anyone measure the ocean by handfuls or measure the sky with his hands? Can anyone hold the soil of the earth in a cup or weigh the mountains and hills on scales?
Can anyone tell the LORD what to do? Who can teach him or give him advice?
With whom does God consult in order to know and understand and to learn how things should be done? (Isiah 40:12-14 GNB)
- Who can ever learn the will of God? Human reason is not adequate for the task, and our philosophies tend to mislead us, because our mortal bodies weigh our souls down. The body is a temporary structure made of earth, a burden to the active mind. All we can do is make guesses about things on earth; we must struggle to learn about things that are close to us. Who, then, can ever hope to understand heavenly things? No one has ever learnt your will, unless you first gave him Wisdom, and sent your holy spirit down to him. In this way people on earth have been set on the right path, have learnt what pleases you, and have been kept safe by Wisdom. (Wis 9:13-18 GNB)
- But do not forget one thing, my dear friends! There is no difference in the Lord's sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same.
The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead, he is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants all to turn away from their sins. (2 Peter 3:8-9 GNB)
- I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength for my work. I thank him for considering me worthy and appointing me to serve him, even though in the past I spoke evil of him and persecuted and insulted him. But God was merciful to me because I did not yet have faith and so did not know what I was doing. And our Lord poured out his abundant grace on me and gave me the faith and love which are ours in union with Christ Jesus. This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life. To the eternal King, immortal and invisible, the only God — to him be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-17 GNB)
- "Who can understand the human heart? There is nothing else so deceitful; it is too sick to be healed. I, the LORD, search the minds and test the hearts of people. I treat each of them according to the way they live, according to what they do." (Jeremiah 17:9-10 GNB)
