Read Colossians 3:5–11   Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5   Greed (or covetousness in the King James Version) is the sin of always wanting more, whether it be more things or more...

Read Galatians 1:1–10 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. Galatians 1:1   In the early days of the church, God called special men to do special tasks. Among them were the apostles. The...

Read 1 Corinthians 11:1–16 I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3   Eastern society at this time was very jealous over its women. Except for the...

Read 2 Corinthians 13:11–14 Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11   Our God is the “God of love and peace.” Can the outside world tell that from the...

Read 1 Peter 5:12 I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 1 Peter 5:12   “While there’s life, there’s hope!” That ancient Roman saying is still quoted today, and like most adages, it has an...

Read Isaiah 45—48 See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10   The Jews had become comfortable and complacent in their Babylonian captivity. They had followed the counsel of Jeremiah (Jer. 29:4–7) and had built houses, planted gardens,...

Read Ecclesiastes 8:1–13 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. Ecclesiastes 8:12   If there is no God, then we have nobody to blame but ourselves for what...

Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–28 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle. 1 Corinthians 15:9   One of the greatest witnesses of the resurrection was Paul himself, for as an unbeliever he was soundly convinced that Jesus was dead. The...

Read Philippians 3:4–7 Measuring Sticks But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Philippians 3:7   Every Jew could boast of his own blood heritage. Some Jews could boast of their faithfulness. But Paul could boast of those things plus his zeal in...

Read 2 Corinthians 8:10–24 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it. 2 Corinthians 8:11 During my years of ministry, I have endured many offering appeals. I have listened to pathetic tales about unbelievable needs. I have forced...