Then he said to the crowd,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way,
take up your cross daily,
and follow me.
If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake,
you will save it.
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world
but are yourself lost or destroyed?
Luke 9:23-25
Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey his laws
and search for him with all their hearts.
Psalm 119:1-2
Help me understand the meaning of your commandments,
and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds
Keep me from lying to myself;
give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
young men and young women,
old men and children.
Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
Psalm 148:7-13
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
Praise him,
all his angels!
Praise him,
all the armies of heaven!
Praise him,
sun and moon!
Praise him,
all you twinkling stars!
Praise him,
skies above!
Praise him,
vapors high above the clouds!
Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command,
and they came into being.
Psalm 148:1-5
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Although I have scattered you
in the countries of the world,
I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile.
I,
the Sovereign Lord,
will gather you back from the nations
where you have been scattered,
and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’
Ezekiel 11:16-16
Blessings of knowing God always does what he says
Be on guard.
Stand firm in the faith.
Be courageous.
Be strong.
And do everything with love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
..thank God!
He gives us victory over sin and death
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So…
be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret.
We will not all die,
but we will all be transformed!
It will happen in a moment,
in the blink of an eye,
when the last trumpet is blown.
For when the trumpet sounds,
those who have died will be raised to live forever.
And we who are living will also be transformed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Now we see things imperfectly,
like puzzling reflections in a mirror,
but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.
All that I know now is partial and incomplete,
but then I will know everything completely,
just as God now knows me completely.
1 Corinthians 13:12
