Philippians 2: 1-18

1 If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy,

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.

3 Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

4 each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others.

5 Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,

6 Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,

8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

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

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

12 So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.

14 Do everything without grumbling or questioning,

15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world,

16 as you hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

17 But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.

18 In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/squeeksrocks/15643306208/in/photostream/

attribution: Tyler Neyens and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

the fullness of joy

St. Anselm in his "An Address on God's Existence" (1077) wrote:
"O who shall enjoy this Good! And what shall he have, and what shall he lack? Surely whatsoever he wisheth he shall have and whatsoever he wisheth not, he shall be without. For there shall be goods of body and of soul, such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive. Why then, poor child of man, dost thou wander hither and thither, seeking the goods of thy soul and body? Love the one Good wherein are all goods, and it sufficeth thee. Set thy desires upon that uncompounded Good which is all good, and it is enough. For what dost thou love, O my flesh, what dost thou desire, O my soul? If beauty delight thee, the righteous shall shine forth as the sun if swiftness or strength or freedom of body which nothing may hinder, they are as the angels of God, because it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body, spiritual, that is, in powers, not in nature. If a long life of health, there is an eternity of health; for the righteous live for evermore and the health of the righteous cometh of the Lord. If abundance, they shall be satisfied when the glory of God shall appear. If drunkenness, they shall be made drunken with the plenteousness of God’s house. If melody, there shall the choirs of angels sing together unto God for ever and ever. If any pleasure, so it be but chaste, Thou shalt give them drink of Thy pleasures as out of the river. If wisdom, the very Wisdom of God shall manifest itself to them. If friendship, they shall love God above themselves and one another as themselves; and God shall love them more than they love themselves; for they shall love Him and one another in Him; and He shall love Himself and them in Himself. If concord, they shall all have one will, for they shall have no will but God’s will only. If power, they shall be almighty to do their own wills, even as God to do His; for as God shall be able to do what He willeth through His own power, so shall they be able to do what they will through His power; since, as they will do nothing else but what He wills, so He shall will whatsoever they will; and whatsoever He willeth cannot but be. If honour and riches, God shall set His good and faithful servants over many things; yea, they shall be called sons of God, and gods; and where His Son shall be, there also they shall be, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. If true security, certainly they shall be as sure that those goods, or rather that Good, shall never and in no wise fail them as they shall be sure that they will not lose it of their own free will, and that God their lover will not take it against their wills from them that love Him, and that nothing mightier than God will separate God and them against their wills. But what manner of joy and how great a joy must there be, where there is such and so great a Good! O thou human heart, thou hungry heart, thou heart acquainted with sorrow, nay overwhelmed by sorrow, how wouldest thou rejoice if thou didst abound in all these goods! Look into thine heart and ask it whether it could contain the greatness of the joy which it would have, did it possess so great happiness. Yet surely if another whom thou didst love altogether as well as thyself, were to have the same happiness, thy joy would be doubled, since thou wouldst rejoice for him no less than for thyself. But if two or three or many more should have the same happiness, thou wouldst rejoice as much for each as for thyself, didst thou love each as thyself. Therefore in that perfect mutual love of innumerable blessed angels and men, where none loveth another less than himself, each will rejoice no less for every other, than for himself. If then the heart of a man can scarce contain the joy he will have in himself in one enjoyment of so great a good, how shall it be capable of so many and so great joys? And since every man rejoiceth in the good of any in proportion as he loveth Him, as in that perfect felicity everyone will love God beyond all comparison more than he loves himself and all his fellows; so will he rejoice beyond all measure more in the felicity of God than in his own and that of all his fellows. But if they so love God with their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, yet so that the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul shall not suffice to the excellency of the love; it will follow that they shall so rejoice with their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, that their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul shall not suffice to the fullness of their joy." 

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Proslogion#Chapter_XXV 

image by Sapphire Dream Photography

Psalm 16:11 | Sapphire Dream Photography | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

God speaks to us, Hebrews 1

In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”? Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”? And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”Of the angels he says: “He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame”; but of the Son: “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions”; and: “At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” But to which of the angels has he ever said: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? 

Hebrews 1 


God Speaks to Us - YouTube

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

Hebrews 1:2 | but in these last days he has spoken to us by … | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” 

Matthew 11: 28-30 

I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

Ephesians 4: 1-6 

Teach me Your ways and show me how I may clothe myself in humility toward one another, for Peter teaches that, "God opposes the proud but shows grace to the humble." 

Thank You for opening up Your Word to me and helping me to see the beautiful truth about humility - and I ask that You would work a good work in my life day by day, until I am more like Christ and less like me. in Jesus' name I pray.  
Amen

https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/Prayers-for-Humility

Saint Carlo Acutis

https://youtu.be/dUpqQneSOFM?si=X4Va4kX3aQxuH5X_

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Acutis

"In the lead-up to Acutis’ canonization on Sunday (September 7, 2025), it’s all Acutis, all the time at the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish and school in Chicago. The parish was the first in the United States to take its name from Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 and is about to become history’s first millennial saint."

https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-carlo-acutis-sainthood-chicago-caad841be09a1e98f0edb2628933e0a7

https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/22683555191/

attribution: Lawrence OP and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en

anxiety, Luke 8: 22-25

One day he got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So they set sail, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A squall blew over the lake, and they were taking in water and were in danger. They came and woke him saying, “Master, master, we are perishing!” He awakened, rebuked the wind and the waves, and they subsided and there was a calm. Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” But they were filled with awe and amazed and said to one another, “Who then is this, who commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey him?” 

Luke 8: 22-25

Calm Your Anxious Mind - Soul Shepherding

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Jesus_Stilling_the_Tempest_(J%C3%A9sus_calmant_la_temp%C3%AAte)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg

James Tissot [No restrictions or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Commons:Copyright tags - Wikimedia Commons

Who do you trust?

 a parent? your spouse? a friend? a teacher? a pastor? a priest? 

these may be good choices, but some people, even those closest to us, betray our trust. after all, we're all humans.

that's the point. why not trust God? God is our Father. 

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,

your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread;

and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors;

and do not subject us to the final test,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Ask God for no more than our daily bread and for God to forgive our sins, as we forgive those who sinned against us. 

Then thank God, and praise, worship and love God. 

God knows best. Trust God implicitly. 

Creative Commons — Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic — CC BY-ND 2.0

"In God We Trust" - landscape format | "My trust is in you, … | Flickr

1 peter 1: 3-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and investigated it, investigating the time and circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories to follow them. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you with regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you [through] the holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels longed to look.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinlabar/41152853321

attribution: Martin LaBar and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en

        faith

                   hope
                               love

2 samuel 7: 22, "Therefore, great are you, Lord GOD! There is no one like you, no God but you, as we have always heard."

Then King David went in and sat in the LORD’s presence and said, “Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far? And yet even this is too little in your sight, Lord GOD! For you have made a promise regarding your servant’s house reaching into the future, and giving guidance to the people, Lord GOD! What more can David say to you? You know your servant, Lord GOD! For your servant’s sake and as you have had at heart, you have brought about this whole magnificent disclosure to your servant. Therefore, great are you, Lord GOD! There is no one like you, no God but you, as we have always heard. What other nation on earth is there like your people Israel? What god has ever led a nation, redeeming it as his people and making a name by great and awesome deeds, as you drove out the nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt? You have established for yourself your people Israel as your people forever, and you, LORD, have become their God. Now, LORD God, confirm the promise that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house forever. Bring about what you have promised so that your name may be forever great. People will say: ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ when the house of your servant David is established in your presence. Because you, LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house,’ your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer before you. Since you, Lord GOD, are truly God and your words are truth and you have made this generous promise to your servant, do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in your presence forever—since you, Lord GOD, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever.” 

2 samuel 7: 18-29

How Great Thou Art with lyrics performed by chris rice - YouTube 

image by Church Iglesia

2 Samuel 7-22 "Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for t… | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

good and evil

For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For in this tent we groan, longing to be further clothed with our heavenly habitation if indeed, when we have taken it off, we shall not be found naked. For while we are in this tent we groan and are weighed down, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a first installment.

So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we are clearly apparent to God, and I hope we are also apparent to your consciousness. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you an opportunity to boast of us, so that you may have something to say to those who boast of external appearance rather than of the heart. For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are rational, it is for you. For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 

2 corinthians 5 


We walk by faith - YouTube


The ugliness of sin and the hope through Christ | Juneau Empire - Alaska's Capital City Online Newspaper

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

42: Daily Inspirational Bible Verse | 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 --… | Flickr 

1 corinthians 1: 18-25, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.” 

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 

1 corinthians 1: 18-25

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

1 Corinthians 1:18 | For the message of the cross is foolish… | Flickr

Beautiful Praise & Worship Playlist - With Lyrics - Hillsong - Shout To The Lord - YouTube

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

psalm 34: "Taste and see that the LORD is good"

I 

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be always in my mouth.

My soul will glory in the LORD;

let the poor hear and be glad.

Magnify the LORD with me;

and let us exalt his name together.

II

I sought the LORD, and he answered me,

delivered me from all my fears.

Look to him and be radiant,

and your faces may not blush for shame.

This poor one cried out and the LORD heard,

and from all his distress he saved him.

The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and he saves them.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the stalwart one who takes refuge in him.

Fear the LORD, you his holy ones;

nothing is lacking to those who fear him.

The rich grow poor and go hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

III

Come, children, listen to me;

I will teach you fear of the LORD.

Who is the man who delights in life,

who loves to see the good days?

Keep your tongue from evil,

your lips from speaking lies.

Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are directed toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

The LORD’s face is against evildoers

to wipe out their memory from the earth.

The righteous cry out, the LORD hears

and he rescues them from all their afflictions.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted,

saves those whose spirit is crushed.

Many are the troubles of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him from them all.

He watches over all his bones;

not one of them shall be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;

those who hate the righteous are condemned.

The LORD is the redeemer of the souls of his servants;

and none are condemned who take refuge in him.
Psalm 34  

One Bread One Body - with lyrics.wmv - YouTube 

Psalm 34:8-10 | ║Charlotte's Photography ║ My Twitter ║ | Charlotte Tai | Flickr

image by Sapphire Dream Photography

Psalms 34:18-19 | I decided to put my very first pictures wi… | Flickr

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. 

Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2

Spread love everywhere you go Let no one... Picture Quotes 3050 - AllAuthor

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

“For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Matthew 19: 16-30

Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 

He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 

He asked him, “Which ones?” 

And Jesus replied, “‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 

When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” 

Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 

Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” 

Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." 

Matthew 19: 16-30

image by Church Iglesia

Matthew 19:26 "But with God all things are possible." | Flickr

labeled for noncommercial reuse

I received the living God - YouTube

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

Jesus gives us life's priorities that incorporate faith, hope and love.

1. love God first, above all else.
2. take care of your family.
3. take care of your neighbors.

After these first three priorities all others pale in comparison--money, fame, social status, education, possessions, etc. 

... even life itself.

Truth in Scripture: Duty to Live in the Light, Ephesians 5

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. So do not be associated with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says:

“Awake, O sleeper,

and arise from the dead,

and Christ will give you light.”  

Ephesians 5: 1-14

image by Scripture As Art

Ephesians 5:14 | Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepes… | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 

                                  love

psalm 100: "Know that the LORD is God, he made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the flock he shepherds."

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.

Know that the LORD is God,
he made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the flock he shepherds.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name;

good indeed is the LORD,
His mercy endures forever,
his faithfulness lasts through every generation.

psalm 100 


Glory and Praise to Our God by John Michael Talbot - YouTube

🎤 Psalm 100 Song with Lyrics - For the Lord is Good - Jason Silver - YouTube

Psalm 100 | Sapphire Dream Photography | Flickr

hope, jeremiah 29: 4-14: "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope."

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruits. Take wives and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters. Increase there; do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you; pray for it to the LORD, for upon its welfare your own depends. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners who are among you; do not listen to those among you who dream dreams, for they prophesy lies to you in my name; I did not send them—oracle of the LORD.

For thus says the LORD: Only after seventy years have elapsed for Babylon will I deal with you and fulfill for you my promise to bring you back to this place. For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me—oracle of the LORD—and I will change your lot; I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you—oracle of the LORD—and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you. 

jeremiah 29: 4-12

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

18: Daily Inspirational Bible Verse | Jeremiah 29:11 -------… | Flickr

           faith 

                      hope 
                                  love

john 1: 1-18, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.

What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;

the light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

John 1: 1-18


John 1:14 - KJV - The Power of God's Word - Scripture Song - YouTube

image by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue

40: Daily Inspirational Bible Verse | John 1:1 -------------… | Flickr

Colossians 2: 12-4

Brothers and sisters:
You were buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And even when you were dead
in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
he brought you to life along with him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions;
obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims,
which was opposed to us,
he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

https://flickr.com/photos/worshipbackgrounds/9351912647

attribution: Sapphire Dream Photography and flickr

Psalm 138

1 Of David.


I

1 I thank you, Lord, with all my heart;a

in the presence of the angels* to you I sing.


2 I bow low toward your holy temple;



3 I praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness.

For you have exalted over all

your name and your promise.


3 On the day I cried out, you answered;

you strengthened my spirit.

II


4 All the kings of earth will praise you, LORD,

when they hear the words of your mouth.


5 They will sing of the ways of the LORD:

“How great is the glory of the LORD!”


6 The LORD is on high, but cares for the lowly b

and knows the proud from afar.


7 Though I walk in the midst of dangers,

you guard my life when my enemies rage.

You stretch out your hand;

your right hand saves me.


8 The LORD is with me to the end.

LORD, your mercy endures forever.

Never forsake the work of your hands!

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/138

https://www.flickr.com/photos/titobalangue/5133094596/

attribution: Tito & Eva Marie Balangue and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en