So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God,

keep on doing what is right

and trust your lives to the God who created you,

for he will never fail you.

1 Peter 4:19

He never sinned,

nor ever deceived anyone.

He did not retaliate when he was insulted,

nor threaten revenge when he suffered.

He left his case in the hands of God,

who always judges fairly.

He personally carried our sins

in his body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin

and live for what is right.

By his wounds you are healed.

Once you were like sheep

who wandered away.

But now you have turned to your Shepherd,

the Guardian of your souls. 

1 Peter 1:22-25

The end of the world is coming soon.

Therefore,

be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.

1 Peter 4:7

…worship Christ as Lord of your life.

and if someone asks about your hope as a believer,

always be ready to explain it.

But do this in a gentle and respectful way…

1 Peter 3:15-16

(Photo credit: Richard Brice)

So be truly glad.

There is wonderful joy ahead,

even though you must endure many trials

 for a little while.

These trials will show that your faith is genuine.

It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—

though your faith is far more precious than gold.

So when your faith remains strong 

through many trials,

it will bring you much praise and glory and honor

on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed 

to the whole world.

1 Peter 1:6-7

All praise to God,

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is by his great mercy that we have been born again,

because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now we live with great expectation,

and we have a priceless inheritance—

an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you,

pure and undefiled,

beyond the reach of change and decay.

1 Peter 1:3-4

…The earnest prayer of a righteous person

has great power

and produces wonderful results.

James 5:16

(Summer Tanager)

…be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return.

Consider the farmers who patiently wait

for the rains in the fall and in the spring.

They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

You, too, must be patient.

Take courage,

for the coming of the Lord is near.

James 5:7-8

(Young Red-bellied Woodpecker)

Look here, you who say,

“Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town

and will stay there a year.

We will do business there and make a profit.”

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?

Your life is like the morning fog—

it’s here a little while,

then it’s gone.

What you ought to say is,

“If the Lord wants us to,

we will live and do this or that.”

James 4:13-15

…God is passionate 

that the spirit he has placed within us

should be faithful to him.

Come close to God,

and God will come close to you…

James 4:5, 8