Friday, April 25

1James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

10but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

11For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

12Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

13Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

18Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

21Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;

24for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

26If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

27Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

1My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

2For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

3and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, 'You sit here in a good place,' and say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit here at my footstool,'

4have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

6But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

7Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?

8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well;

9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

11For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

1After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

2Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

3Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

4Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.

5But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'

6And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.

7And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.

8Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.

9And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

10But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,

11'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'

12But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

13'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

14But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

15And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.

1Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

2And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;

3who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

4And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, 'Look at us.'

5So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

6Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.'

7And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

8So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

9Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

10But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

11To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

13She who is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you; and so does Mark my son.

14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

12After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

13Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.

15When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.

16And He said to those who sold doves, 'Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!'

17Then His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.'

18So the Jews answered and said to Him, 'What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?'

19Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'

20Then the Jews said, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?'

21But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

22Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

38Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.

40But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.'

41And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'

1Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.'

2So He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

3Give us day by day our daily bread.

4And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.'

5And He said to them, 'Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves;

6for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him';

7and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?

8I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9'So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

10For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?

12Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!'

14And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.

15But some of them said, 'He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.'

16Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

17But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.

18If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.

19And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

20But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.

22But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.

23He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

24'When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'

25And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.

26Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.'

27And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!'

28But He said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'

7And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

8He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts—

9but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.

10Also He said to them, 'In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.

11And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!'

12So they went out and preached that people should repent.

13And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.