I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
…live as citizens of heaven,
conducting yourselves in a manner worthy
of the Good News about Christ…
standing together with one spirit and one purpose,
fighting together for the faith,
which is the Good News.
Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies…
We are in this struggle together…
Yes, everything else is worthless
when comparedwith the infinite value
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have discarded everything else,
counting it all as garbage,
so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.
I no longer count on my own righteousness
through obeying the law;
rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.
For God’s way of making us right with himself
depends on faith.
So we praise God for the glorious grace
he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
He is so rich in kindness and grace
that he purchased our freedom
with the blood of his Son
and forgave our sins.
Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature
to his cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the Spirit,
let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Let us not become conceited,
or provoke one another,
or be jealous of one another.
And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to his purpose.
…the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray for,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
with groans that words cannot express.
And he who searches our hearts
knows the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
in accordance with God’s will.
But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin,
so we receive God’s promise of freedom
only by believing in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:22
…no one can be made right with God
by trying to keep the law.
For the Scriptures say,
“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
This way of faith is very different from the way of law…
Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need,
and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus.
