Proverbs 3

1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart.

2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.

3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

11 My child, don’t reject the LORD ’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

12 For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.

14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.

15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

16 She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.

17 She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.

18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.

19 By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens.

20 By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

21 My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,

22 for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

23 They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.

24 You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.

25 You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,

26 for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.

28 If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”

29 Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you.

30 Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm.

31 Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.

32 Such wicked people are detestable to the LORD, but he offers his friendship to the godly.

33 The LORD curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.

34 The LORD mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.

35 The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!

Galatians 5 and 6 NLT

Outline

• Introduction (1:1-10)
  • Greetings (1:1-5)
  • Denunciation (1:6-10)
• Personal: Authentication of the Apostle of Liberty and Faith (1:11;2:21)
  • Paul's Gospel Was Received by Special Revelation (1:11-12)
  • Paul's Gospel Was Independent of the Jerusalem Apostles and the Judean Churches (1:13;2:21)
    1. Evidenced by his early activities as a Christian (1:13-17)
    2. Evidenced by his first post-Christian visit to Jerusalem (1:18-24)
    3. Evidenced by his second post-Christian visit to Jerusalem (2:1-10)
    4. Evidenced by his rebuke of Peter at Antioch (2:11-21)
• Doctrinal: Justification of the Doctrine of Liberty and Faith (chs. 3-4)
  • The Galatians' Experience of the Gospel (3:1-5)
  • The Experience of Abraham (3:6-9)
  • The Curse of the Law (3:10-14)
  • The Priority of the Promise (3:15-18)
  • The Purpose of the Law (3:19-25)
  • Sons, Not Slaves (3:26;4:7)
  • The Danger of Turning Back (4:8-11)
  • Appeal to Embrace the Freedom of God's Children (4:12-20)
  • God's Children Are Children of the Free Woman (4:21-31)
• Practical: Practice of the Life of Liberty and Faith (5:1;6:10)
  • Exhortation to Freedom (5:1-12)
  • Life by the Spirit, Not by the Flesh (5:13-26)
  • Call for Mutual Help (6:1-10)
• Conclusion and Benediction (6:11-18)

Galatians 5 NLT

1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 

2Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 

3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 

4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. 

5 But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.

6 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. 

7 You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? 

8 It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. 

9 This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!

10 I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. 

11 Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. 

12 I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves. 

13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 

14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. 

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 

17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 

18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 

20idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 

21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 

25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 

26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Galatians 6 NLT

1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 

2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 

3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. 

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 

5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. 

6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them. 

7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 

8Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 

9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 

10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. 

11 NOTICE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I USE AS I WRITE THESE CLOSING WORDS IN MY OWN HANDWRITING. 

12 Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. 

13 And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. 

14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. 

15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 

16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

17 From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. 

18 Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.