…You must all be quick to listen,
slow to speak,
and slow to get angry.
Human anger does not produce the righteousness
God desires.
So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,
and humbly accept the word God has planted
in your hearts,
for it has the power to save your souls.
Whatever is good and perfect
is a gift coming down to us
from God our Father,
who created all the lights in the heavens.
He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
He chose to give birth to us
by giving us his true word.
And we,
out of all creation,
became his prized possession.
If you need wisdom,
ask our generous God,
and he will give it to you.
He will not rebuke you for asking.
But when you ask him,
be sure that your faith is in God alone.
Do not waver…
…when troubles of any kind come your way,
consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested,
your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow…
(Hadrian’s Gate, Athens, Greece)
…let us offer through Jesus
a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
And don’t forget to do good
and to share with those in need.
These are the sacrifices that please God.
(Monemvasia, Greece)
Don’t love money;
be satisfied with what you have.
For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”
So we can say with confidence,
“The LORD is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”
(Monemvasia, Greece)
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen
to the One who is speaking.
…we will certainly not escape
if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
When God spoke from Mount Sinai
his voice shook the earth,
but now he makes another promise:
“Once again I will shake not only the earth
but the heavens also.”
This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed,
so that only unshakable things will remain.
You have not come to a physical mountain,
to a place of flaming fire,
darkness, gloom, and whirlwind,
as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.
No, you have come to Mount Zion,
to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.
…You have come to God himself,
who is the judge over all things.
You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven
who have now been made perfect.
You have come to Jesus…
Therefore,
since we are surrounded
by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance
the race God has set before us.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
the champion who initiates and perfects our faith…
It was by faith that Moses,
when he grew up,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ
than to own the treasures of Egypt,
for he was looking ahead to his great reward.
…He kept right on going because he kept his eyes
on the one who is invisible.
