Anger

  Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper – it only leads to harm. 1 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour. Instead, be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. 2

 Love is patient and kind. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 3 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. 

4 Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. 5 Short tempered people do foolish things. 6 A hot tempered person starts fights; a cool tempered person stops them. 7 

The wisdom from above is peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. 8 The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control. 9 

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. 10 Understand this, my dears brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 11 

 1 Ps 37.8 2 Eph 4.31-32 3 1Cor 13.4-5 4 Prov 19.11 5 Prov 29.11 6 Prov 14.17 7 Prov 15.18 8 Jam 3.17 9 Gal 5.22-23 10 Eph 4.26-27 11 Jam 1.19-20

My Servant

 God says

 

Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 1

He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. 2

When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honours of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. 3

My servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 4 

I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him. I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth. 5 He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. 6

Look at my servant, whom I strength. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. 7 This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him. 8

 

1 Zec 3.8 2 Isa 42.1-3 3 Isa 53.11-12 4 Isa 52.13 5 Ps 89.23 6 Jer 23.5 7 Isa 42.1 8 Mt 17.5

 

 

We know

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 1

We know that there is no God but one. 2 

We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. 3

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death has dominion over him. 4

We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we have believe in Christ Jesus. 5

We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 6

We know that we passed out of death into life. 7

We know that we abide in God and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 8

We know that he hears us in whatever we ask. 9

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good. 10

We know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 11

We know that when Jesus appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 12

 

1 Heb 11.1 2 1Cor 8.4 3 1Jn 5.20 4 Rom 6.9 5 Gal 2.16 6 Rom 6.6 7 1Jn 3.14 8 1Jn 4.13 9 1Jn 5.15 10 Rom 8.28 11 2Cor 5.1 12 1Jn 3.2

Content in the Lord

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 1

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. 2

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 3 God has been gracious to me and I have all I need. 4

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup. 6 My cup overflows. 7

 

1 Phil. 4.12-13 2 Hab 3.17-19 3 Phil. 4.11 4 Gen 33.11 5 Ps 23.1 6 Ps 16.5 7 Ps 23.5

Love your enemies

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 1

If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. 2

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. 3

If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 4 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 5

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 6

 

1 Lk 6.27,31 2 Ex 23.4-5 3 Prov 25.21-22 4 Lk 6.32-34 5 Mt 5.47 6 Lk 6.35-36

Let us praise the LORD

Come, let us shout joyfully to the LORD, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. For the LORD is a great God. 1

Proclaim His greatness with me; let us exalt His name together. 2 Praise Him for His powerful acts. 3 

The LORD has brought about our vindication; come, let’s tell in Zion what the LORD our God has accomplished. 4

Sing for joy to God our strength. 5 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory. 6

Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. 7

Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven. 8 For His faithful love to us is great; the LORD‘s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah! 9

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen. 10

 

1 Ps 95.1-3 2 Ps 34.3 3 Ps 150.2 4 Jer 51.10 5 Ps 81.1 6 Rev 19.7 7 Ps 95.6-7 8 Lam 3.41 9 Ps 117.2 10 Rev 7.12

Blessed are the LORD’s people

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart. 1

Those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 2 The LORD their God is with them. 3

Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause. 4

The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. 5 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 6 They are preserved forever. 7

They will be called “sons of the living God” 8 And they will all be taught by God. 9 

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 10 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 11

Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD! 12

 

1 Ps 119.1-2 2 Ps 34.10 3 Num 23.21 4 Jer 50.34 5 Ps 92.12-13 6 Ps 125.1 7 Ps 37.28 8 Rom 9.26 9 Jn 6.45 10 Ps 34.5 11 Isa 40.31 12 Ps 144.15