James 1:26-27

If you consider yourself religious but do not control your tongue, you deceive your own heart and your "religion" is in vain. Religion that is pure, genuine, and acceptable to GOD the FATHER, is caring for orphans and widows in their distress, and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Psalm 25:4-7

Cause me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth, and teach me; for you are the GOD of my salvation. I put my hope in you all the day long. Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ago. Remember not the sins of my youth or my rebellion. LORD, remember me according to your loving kindness for the sake of your goodness.

2 John 1:6

This is love: that we live in obedience to the commandments of GOD. And as you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you live a life of love.

1 Timothy 1:15-17

Here is a trustworthy statement that deserves universal acceptance: CHRIST JESUS entered the world to rescue sinners, of whom I am the worst. Yet for that very reason I received mercy so that CHRIST JESUS could display his great patience, with even the worst of sinners, as an example for those who would believe on him for eternal life. Now to the ETERNAL KING, the IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, and ONLY GOD, be all honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not worry over anything. Instead, with earnest and thankful prayer, make your requests known to GOD. Then the peace of GOD, which is beyond human comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in CHRIST JESUS.

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, they put it on a stand so it can illuminate everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light be seen by everyone. Let them see the good things you do and praise your FATHER in Heaven.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that nothing has the power to separate us from the love of GOD in JESUS CHRIST, our LORD! Not death, and not life. No angels, no rulers, and no powers. Neither what happens today, nor what may happen tomorrow. Nothing from on high; nothing from below. Nothing in all creation!

Matthew 11:28-30

JESUS said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light."

1 John 5:3-4

Loving GOD means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. Everyone born of GOD overcomes the world, and we achieve this overcoming-the-world victory through our faith.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

Aspire to live quietly, minding your own affairs, working with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders, and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Matthew 10:34-38

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword, dividing a man from his father, a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law. You will have enemies right in your own household! For anyone loving father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. Anyone loving son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.

John 13:34-35

JESUS said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Having such love for one another will show the world that you are my disciples."

Psalm 91:1-2

Those who live in the shelter of the MOST HIGH will find rest in the shadow of the ALMIGHTY. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my GOD, and I trust him.

Mark 8:34-37

Then JESUS gathered the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, "Anyone wanting to follow in my footsteps must first deny himself, then take up his cross to follow me. If you would rather save your life, you will lose it. If you are willing to give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel - you will save it. For what good is it for a man to gain the whole world, but forfeit his own soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul?"

2 Peter 1:2-3

May grace and peace be yours in abundance through your knowledge of GOD and of JESUS, our LORD. By his divine power, he has given us everything we need for life and godliness. We have received this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by his glory and goodness.

1 Peter 1:3-7

Praise be to the GOD and FATHER of our LORD, JESUS CHRIST! By His great mercy we have been born again into a living hope through the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - an inheritance reserved in heaven for you.

Romans 12:1-2

In view of the mercy of GOD, I plead with you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to him. Do not let the world squeeze you into it's mold, but let GOD change the way you think. Then you'll be able to know the will of GOD - his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Psalm 65:5-8

You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds of righteousness, O GOD of our salvation.
You are the hope and confidence of all, to the end of earth and sea.
You formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with mighty strength.
You quieted roaring oceans and their pounding waves, and silenced the turmoil of nations.
Inhabitants from far, far away are in awe of your wonder.
From the dawn of morning to where the evening fades, you inspire songs of joy.

Hebrews 6:10-12

GOD is not unjust. He will forget neither how hard you have worked for Him, nor your labor of love for other believers. Our great desire is that you will keep on showing this same diligence to the very end, in order to make certain your hope. Do not become lazy, but follow the example of those who through faith and patient endurance are going to inherit what has been promised.

Matthew 7:21-25

Not everyone who calls me, 'LORD,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who is doing the will of my FATHER. Many will say to me on that day, 'LORD, did we not prophesy in your name, and did we not drive out demons in your name, and did we not do other great things in your name?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Therefore, everyone who actually puts my words into practice is like a wise man who built his house on rock. There came a heavy rain, floodwaters rose, and the storm winds battered the house; yet it did not fall, because it had a solid foundation.

Psalm 119:33-37

Show me, O LORD, the way of your statutes and I will keep them to the end.
Cause me to understand and I will keep your laws, obeying with my whole heart.
Direct me on the path of your commandments, for I delight in them.
Turn my heart toward your laws and away from selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things.
Give me life through your Word.

Luke 7:11-17

The next day JESUS went to a town called Nain. Many of his disciples and a large group of people were traveling with him. When he came near to the gate of the city, he saw a funeral procession. A mother, who was a widow, had lost her only son. Many from the town were with her. When the LORD saw her, he had compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not cry." He came near, touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. Then JESUS said, "Young man, arise!" The dead man sat up, and began to speak. JESUS gave him back to his mother. All of the people were in awe, and they glorified GOD, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us," and, "GOD has visited his people." News of JESUS spread throughout Judea and in all the surrounding areas.

Psalm 16:1-11

Preserve me, O GOD: I take refuge in you. O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my MASTER. Apart from you I have no goodness." As for the saints who are on the earth, they are honorable and my delight is in them. Sorrows will be multiplied for those who worship another god. I will not offer up their blood offerings; nor will I speak their names. The LORD is my inheritance, my cup. You made my lot secure. Boundaries have fallen for me in pleasant places; truly, my inheritance is beautiful. I will bless the LORD, who has counseled me. My conscience instructs me during the night. I have set the LORD before me continually, and since he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. My heart is glad, therefore, as all of me rejoices, and my body will rest in safety. Neither will you leave my soul in hell, nor will you allow your HOLY ONE to experience corruption. You will show me the way of life; abundant joy is in your presence. At your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Romans 6:1-7

What shall we say then? Should we remain in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we, who died to sin, live in it any longer? Do you not know that we who were baptized into CHRIST JESUS were baptized into his death? Through baptism we were buried with him into death. CHRIST was raised from death through the glory of the Father, and in the same way - we live a new life. For if we have been united with him by sharing a death like his, so shall we also share a resurrection like his. We know, therefore, that our old sinful selves were nailed to the cross with CHRIST, so that the body of sin would become powerless, and so that we would no longer be held captive to sin. For a person who has died, has been set free from sin.

1 Corinthians 4:20

The kingdom of GOD is not just talk, but power.

Colossians 4:1-6

Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, remembering that you too have a MASTER in heaven. Continue in prayer; be alert; be thankful. And pray for us also: that GOD will open a door for us to share the Word, that we may talk about the mystery of CHRIST (the very reason I am in chains), and that I may make it clear, as I should. Live in wisdom before outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity. Let your message be full of grace, and seasoned with salt. Learn how to answer each person.

Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-51; John 6:16-21

As evening approached, JESUS made his disciples go down to the Sea of Galilee to get into the boat, while he sent the people away. They were going ahead of him to the other side, first to Bethsaida, and later on to Capernaum. After JESUS had sent the multitude away, he went up onto a mountain to be alone and pray. When evening had come, he was there alone, and the boat was in the middle of the sea. When it became dark, JESUS had not yet come to them, and the boat was being tossed around; the waves were beating against the boat as a great wind blew. About three o'clock in the morning, JESUS came to them, walking on the sea. He saw the difficulty they were having rowing, for the wind was against them, and he was about to pass them by when they saw him drawing near the boat, walking on the water. They were alarmed, and cried out in fear, "It's a ghost!" But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is me; do not be afraid." Peter answered him and said, "LORD, if it is really you, command me to come to you on the water." And JESUS said, "Come!" Peter got down out of the boat, and walked on the water toward JESUS. But Peter saw how the wind was blowing, and was afraid. As he began to sink, he cried out to the LORD, "Save me!" Immediately JESUS stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Those in the boat were glad to receive them, and as soon as they had climbed into the boat, the wind stopped, and they were astonished. They worshipped him, and said, "Truly, you really are the SON of GOD!" And immediately the boat came to the shore where they were heading.

Psalm 13:1-6

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me? Consider, and answer me, O LORD, my GOD. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy announce, "I have prevailed against him;" lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your forever loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has been very good to me.

Matthew 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:5-14

JESUS looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming toward him. The twelve came to him saying, "The day is wearing away, and we are in a remote location. Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and farms to get food and lodging for themselves." JESUS answered them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Then he asked Philip, "Where can we buy enough food to feed so many people?" He said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii worth of food would not be enough, even if each person ate only a small amount." And JESUS asked them, "How much food do you have? Go see." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five small barley loaves and two small fish, but that is not nearly enough for all these people." And JESUS said, "Bring them here to me." He commanded all the people to sit down in groups of 50 or 100 on the green grass, which was plentiful in that area. In all, there were about five thousand men, plus women and children. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up into heaven, he gave thanks and blessed the food. Then he distributed the food to the disciples, and they in turn served all the people, as much as they desired. They all ate and were filled. Then he said to the disciples, "Gather up all the leftovers. Let nothing go to waste." So they collected the food that was left over, and it filled twelve large baskets! When the people had seen this miracle that JESUS had performed, they said, "Truly this is the Prophet we were expecting to come into the world."

Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21

While JESUS was speaking to the crowd, behold, his family arrived, desiring to speak with him. They could not reach him because there were so many people, so they waited outside while someone told him that his family was there looking for him. But he asked the one who spoke to him, "Who is my family?" Then he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, "Behold, here is my family. My family is whoever hears the Word of GOD and obeys, doing the will of my FATHER who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:31-32

JESUS said, "It has been said that when a man divorces his wife, he must give her a certificate of divorce. But I, I am telling you, that unless the reason is for the cause of sexual immorality, any man who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery (when she remarries), and whoever marries a woman who was divorced for reasons other than sexual immorality also commits adultery."