For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

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

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Devotional Thoughts

By Gary Wilkerson

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, clove one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.

And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!