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Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?

James 2:5 (New Living Translation)

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

James 2:5 (New International Version)

Listen, dear friends. Isn’t it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world’s down-and-out as the kingdom’s first citizens, with full rights and privileges.

James 2:5 (The Message)

Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

Isaiah 58:8 (New Living Translation)

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Isaiah 58:8 (New International Version)

Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.

Isaiah 58:8 (The Message)

The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; Honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (The Message)

The wicked man flees though no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Proverbs 28:1 (New International Version)

The wicked run away when no one is chasing them,
but the godly are as bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (New Living Translation)

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:9 (New Living Translation)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (New International Version)

On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.

1 John 1:9 (The Message)

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

Proverbs 2:7 (New Living Translation)

He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless.

Proverbs 2:7 (New International Version)

He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well,
a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.

Proverbs 2:7 (The Message)

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
—Philippians 1:6

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God spoke these words to the Jewish people during their captivity in Babylon. They were discouraged and wondering if they ever would be free to worship God as they once had. So God spoke to them, effectively saying, “I have a future for you.” That word “future” could be translated, “an expected end,” or “a ground of hope.”

Certainly we can apply this verse in principle to our own lives. God knows what we are going through right now, and He is thinking about us. Now if that verse simply said, “I know the single thought that I once had toward you,” I would be happy with that. Just knowing that the Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, actually thought even for a moment about me would be enough.

But that is not what this verse says. Rather, God says, “I know the thoughts that I think. . . .” So God’s thoughts toward us are past, present, and future. How many thoughts would that be? Well, how high can you count? Psalm 40:5 says, “Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” His thoughts toward us are innumerable, and they are good.

You are a work in progress, and God is not done yet. There is going to be an outcome. There is going to be completion. And when life is a mess and you can’t sort it all out, God will pull it all together. He will work it all together for good.

by Greg Laurie

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7 (New Living Translation)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7 (New International Version)

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.

1 John 4:7 (The Message)