Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:
The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself,
“The LORD is my inheritance;
therefore,
I will hope in him!”
The LORD is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
Always be joyful.
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you
who belong to Christ Jesus.
Blessings of practicing thankfulness
…the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly,
like a thief in the night.
So be on your guard,
not asleep like the others.
Stay alert and be clearheaded.
…protected by the armor of faith and love,
and wearing as our helmet
the confidence of our salvation.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven
with a commanding shout,
with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trumpet call of God.
First,
the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
Then,
together with them,
we who are still alive and remain on the earth
will be caught up in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Then we will be with the Lord forever.
…we want you to know what will happen
to the believers who have died
so you will not grieve like people who
have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died
and was raised to life again,
we also believe that when Jesus returns,
God will bring back with him
the believers who have died.
…in the last days scoffers will come,
mocking the truth and following their own desires.
They will say,
“What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?
From before the times of our ancestors,
everything has remained the same
since the world was first created.”
They deliberately forget
that God made the heavens long ago
by the word of his command,
and he brought the earth out from the water
and surrounded it with water.
Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world
with a mighty flood.
And by the same word,
the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire.
They are being kept for the day of judgment,
when ungodly people will be destroyed.
…we have even greater confidence
in the message proclaimed by the prophets.
You must pay close attention to what they wrote,
for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—
until the Day dawns,
and Christ the Morning Star
shines in your hearts.
The more you grow like this,
the more productive and useful you will be
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
…work hard to prove that you really are
among those God has called and chosen.
Do these things,
and you will never fall away.
Then God will give you a grand entrance
into the eternal Kingdom
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
By his divine power,
God has given us everything we need
for living a godly life…
In view of all this,
make every effort to respond to God’s promises.
Supplement your faith
with a generous provision
of moral excellence
…with knowledge
…with self-control
…with patient endurance
…with godliness
…with brotherly affection
…with love for everyone.
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you.
Watch over it willingly,
not grudgingly—
not for what you will get out of it,
but because you are eager to serve God.
And when the Great Shepherd appears,
you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
