Thursday, August 24, 2017

Proverbs 24 NLT

1 Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. 
2 For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble. 
3A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. 
4 Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables. 
5 The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. 
6 So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers. 
7 Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
8 A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker. 
9 The schemes of a fool are sinful; everyone detests a mocker. 
10 If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. 
11 Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death. 
12 Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve. 
13My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. 
14 In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future, and your hopes will not be cut short. 
15 Don’t wait in ambush at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live. 
16The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. 
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. 
18 For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. 
19 Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. 
20 For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. 
21 My child, fear the LORD and the king. Don’t associate with rebels, 
22for disaster will hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from the LORD and the king? 
23 Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment. 
24 A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. 
25 But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them. 
26 An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. 
27 Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. 
28 Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. 
29And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!” 
30 I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. 
31 I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. 
32 Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: 
33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—

34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

1 Thessalonians 1 NLT

Outline

  • The Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians (ch. 1)
    • The Grounds for the Thanksgiving (1:1-4)
    • The Genuineness of the Grounds (1:5-10)
  • The Defense of the Apostolic Actions and Absence (chs. 2-3)
    • The Defense of the Apostolic Actions (2:1-16)
    • The Defense of the Apostolic Absence (2:17;3:10)
    • The Prayer (3:11-13)
  • The Exhortations to the Thessalonians (4:1;5:22)
    • Primarily concerning Personal Life (4:1-12)
    • Concerning the Coming of Christ (4:13;5:11)
    • Primarily concerning Church Life (5:12-22)
  • The Concluding Prayer, Greetings and Benediction (5:23-28

1 Thessalonians 1 NLT
1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace. 
2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 
3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 
5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 
6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 
7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia. 
8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 
9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.
10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.