November Daily Bible Verses

It helps me to keep my nose in the Bible by doing daily verses.

So far else where, I have done John through 1 Corinthians (which I am into now.) Plus, Revelations.

I'm not the fastest typist in the world & it seems that as I type these out more slowly than quickly reading over them that God tends to reveal things to me that I may have not noticed before. It is my goal one day to say that I have typed out the complete Bible myself.

I hope you enjoy them & they bless you as much as they have blessed me.

Michie

 

Spiritual Gifts

My friends, you asked me about spiritual gifts. I want you to remember that before you became followers of the Lord, you were led in all the wrong ways by idols that cannot even talk. Now I want you to know that if you are led by God's Spirit, you will say that Jesus is Lord, and you will never curse Jesus.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve the same Lord, and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.

The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles.

Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give each of us.
<B>1 Corinthians12:1-11</B>

One Body with Many Parts

The body of Christ has many different parts, just as any other body does. Some of us are Jews, while other are Gentiles. Some of us are slaves, and others are free. But God's Spirit baptized each of us and made us part of the body of Christ. Now we each drink from that same Spirit.

Our bodies don't have just one part. They have many parts. Suppose a foot says, "I'm not a hand, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the foot still belong to the body? Or suppose an ear says, "I'm not an eye, and so I'm not part of the body." Wouldn't the ear still belong to the body? If our bodies were only an eye, we couldn't hear a thing. And if they were only an ear, we couldn't smell a thing. But God has put all parts of our body together in the way that he decided is best.

A body really isn't a body, unless there is more than one part. It takes many parts to make a single body. That's why the eyes cannot say they don't need the hands. That's also why the head cannot say it does not need the feet. In fact, we cannot get along without parts of the body that seem to be the weakest. We take special care to dress up some parts of our bodies. We are modest about our personal parts, but we don't have to be modest about other parts.

God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. He did this to make all the parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy.

Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body. First, God chose some people to be apostles and prophets and teachers for the church. But he also chose some to work miracles or to heal the sick or help others to be leaders or speak different kinds of languages. Not everyone is an apostle. Not everyone is a prophet. Not everyone is a teacher. Not everyone can work miracles. Not everyone can heal the sick. Not everyone can speak different kinds of languages. Not everyone can tell what these languages mean. I want you to desire the best gifts. So I will show you a much better way.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Love

What if I could speak all languages of humans and angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains?
I would be nothing, unless I loved others.

What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.

Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.

Love isn't selfish or quick tempered.

It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do.

Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.

Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.

Love never fails!

Everyone who prophisies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten.

We don't know everything and our prophecies are not complete.
But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn't perfect will then disappear.

When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.

Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face.

We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.

For now there are faith, hope, and love.

But of these three, the greatest is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13

<B>Speaking Unknown Languages and Prophesying</B>

Love should be your guide. Be eager to have the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy. If you speak languages that others don't know, God will understasnd what you are saying, though no one else will know what you mean. You will be talking about mysteries that only the Spirit understands. But when you prophesy, you will be understood, and others will be helped. They will be encouraged and made to feel better.

By speaking languages that others don't know, you help only yourself. But by prophesying you help everyone in the church. I am glad for you to speak unknown languages, although I had rather for you to prophesy. In fact, prophesying does much more good than speaking unknown languages, unless someone can help the church by explaining what you mean.

My friends, what good would it do, if I came and spoke unknown languages to you and didn't explain what I meant? How would I help you, unless I told you what God has shown me or gave you some knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If all musical instruments sounded alike, how would you know the difference between a flute and a harp? If a bugle call isn't clear, how would you know to get ready for battle?

That's how it is when you speak unknown languages. If no one can understand what your talking about, you will only be talking to the wind. There are many different languages in this world, and all of them make sense. But if I don't understand the language that someone is using, we will be like foreigners to each other. If you really want spiritual gifts, choose the ones that will be most helpful to the church.

When we speak languages that others don't know, we should pray for the power to explain what we mean. For example, if I use an unknown language in my prayers, my spirit prays but my mind is useless. Then what should I do? There are times when I should pray with my spirit, and times I should pray with my mind. Sometimes I should sing with my spirit, and at other times I should sing with my mind.

Suppose some strangers are in your worship service, when you are praising God with your spirit. If they don't understand you, how will they know to say,"Amen"? You may be worshipping God in a wonderful way, but no one else is helped. I thank God that I speak unknown languages more than any of you. But words that make sense can help the church. That's why in church I had rather speak five words that make sense than to speak ten thousand words in a language that others don't know.

My friends, stop thinking like children. Think like mature people and be as innocent as tiny babies. In the Scriptures the Lord says,

"I will use strangers who speak unknown languages to talk to my people. They will speak to them in foreign languages, but still my people won't listen to me."

Languages that others don't know may mean something to unbelievers, but not to the Lord's followers. Prophecy, on the other hand, is for followers, not for unbelievers. Suppose everyone in your worship service started speaking unknown languages, and some outsiders or some unbelievers come in. Won't they think you are crazy? But suppose all of you are prophesying when those unbelievers and outsiders come in. They will realize that they are sinners, and they will want to change their ways because of what you are saying. They will tell what is hidden in their hearts. Then they will kneel down and say to God, "We are certain that you are with these people."
<B>1 Corinthians 14:1-25</B>

Worship Must Be Orderly

My friends, when you meet to worship, you must do everything for the good of everyone there. That's how it should be when someone sings or teaches or tells what God has said or speaks an unknown language or explains what the language means. No more than two or three of you should speak unknown languages during the meeting. You must take turns, and someone should always be there to explain what you mean. If no one can explain, you must keep silent in the church and speak only to yourself and God.

Two or three persons may prophesy, and everyone else must listen carefully. Is someone sitting there recieves a message from God, the speaker must stop and let the other person speak. Let only one person speak at a time, then all of you will learn something and be encouraged. A prophet should be willing to stop and let someone else speak. God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order.

When God's people meet in church, the women must not be allowed to speak. They must keep quiet and listen, as the Law of Moses teaches. If there is something they want to know, they can ask their husbands when they get home. It is disgraceful for women to speak in church. God's message did not start with you people, and you are not the only ones it has reached.

If you think of yourself as a prophet or a spiritual person, you will know that I am writing only what the Lord has commanded. So don't pay attention to anyone who ignores what I am writing. My friends, be eager to prophesy and don't stop anyone from speaking languages others don't know. But do everything properly and in order.
<B>1 Corinthians 14:26-40</B><!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: postbit_signature -->

November 14 Verses

Paul gives his most detailed teaching about the Christian hope for life after death. God's people will be raised to new life, just as God raised Jesus from death. When this happens, earthly bodies will be changed into eternal, or spiritual bodies.

Christ was raised to life

My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing.

I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:

Christ died for our sins, as Scriptures say.

He was buried, and three days later he was raised to life, as the Scriptures say.

Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.

After this, he appeared to more than five hundred other followers.

Most of them are still alive, but some have died.

He also appeared to James, and then to all the apostles.

Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone born at the wrong time.

I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle. But God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's kindness at work and not me. But it doesn't matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

November 15 Verses

If we preached that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life. And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.

So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life. Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. But we must each wait our turn. Christ was the first to be raised to life, and his people will be raised to life when he returns. Then after Christ has destroyed all powers and forces, the end will come, and he will give the kingdom&nbsp;to God the Father.

Christ will rule until he puts all his enemies under his power, and the last enemy he destroys will be death. When the Scriptures say that he will put everything under his power, they don't include God. It was God who put everything under the power of Christ. After everything is under the power of God's Son, he will put himself under the power of God, who put everything under his Son's power. Then God will mean everything to everyone.

If the dead are not going to be raised to life, what will people do who are being baptized&nbsp;for them? Why are they being baptized for those dead people? And why do we risk our lives and face death everyday? The pride that I have in you because of Christ Jesus our Lord is what makes me say this. What do you think I gained by fighting wild animals in Ephesus? If the dead are not raised to life,

"Let's eat and drink. Tomorrow we die."

Don't fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you. Be sensible and stop sinning. You should be embarrassed that some people still don't know about God.

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

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I'm glad your enjoying them carmen.

They sure help me.

What Our Bodies Will Be Like

Some of you have asked, "How will the dead be raised to life? What kind of bodies will they have?"

Don't be foolish. A seed must die before it can sprout from the ground. Wheat seeds and all&nbsp;other seeds look different from the sprouts that come up. This is because God gives everything the kind of body he wants it to have. People, animals, birds, and fish are each made of flesh, but none of them are alike. Everything in the heavens has a body, and so does everything on earth. But each one is very different from all the others. The sun isn't like the moon, the moon isn't like the stars, and each star is different.

That's how it will be when our bodies are raised to life. These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever. These ugly and&nbsp;weak bodies will become beautiful and strong. As surely as there are physical bodies, there are spiritual bodies. And our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies.

The first man was named Adam, and the Scriptures tell us that he was a living person. But Jesus, who may be called the last Adam, is a life-giving spirit. We see that the one with a spiritual body did not come first. He came after the one who had a physical body. The first man was made from the dust of the earth. And everyone in heaven has a body like the body of the one who came from heaven. Just as we are like the one who was made out of earth, we will be like the one who came from heaven.

My friends, I want you to know that our bodies of flesh and blood will decay. This means that they cannot share in God's kingdom, which lasts forever. I will explain a mystery to you. Not every one of us will die, but we will be changed. It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye. At the sound of the last trumpet the dead will be raised. We will all be changed, so that we will never die again. Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won't die or decay. The bodies we now have are weak and can die. But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal. Then the Scriptures will come true,

"Death has lost the battle! Where is its victory? Where is its sting?"

Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!

My dear friends, stand firm and don't be shaken. Always keep busy working for the Lord. You know that everything you do for him is worthwhile.

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Future Plans and Final Greetings

Paul tells the Corinthians about the money he hope to collect to help the followers in Jerusalem. He also hopes to come and see the Corinthians again soon. He closes by encouraging the Corinthians to welcome his friend Timothy and then send his greetings to many in Corinth.

A Collection for God's People

When you collect money for God's people, I want you to do exactly what I told the churches in Galatia to do. That is, each Sunday each of you must put aside part of what you have earned. If you do this, you won't have to take up a collection when I come. Choose some followers to take the money to Jerusalem. I will send them on with the money and with the letters which show that you approve of them. If you think I should go along, they can go with me.

Paul's Travel Plans

After I have gone through Macedonia, I hope to see you and visit with you for a while. I may even stay all winter, so that you can help me on my way to wherever I will be going next. If the Lord lets me, I would rather come later for a longer visit than to stop off now for only a short visit. I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, because there is a wonderful opportunity for me to do some work here. But there are also many people who are against me.

When Timothy arrives, give him a friendly welcome. He is doing the Lord's work, just as I am. Don't let anyone mistreat him. I am looking for him to return to me together with the other followers. So when he leaves, send him off with your blessings. I have tried to get our friend Apollos to visit you with the other followers. He doesn't want to come just now, but he will come when he can.

Personal Concerns and Greetings

Keep alert. Be firm in your faith. Stay brave and strong. Show love in everything you do.

You know that Stephanas and his family were the first in Achaia to have faith in the Lord. They have done all they can for God's people. My friends, I ask you to obey leaders like them and to do the same for all others who work hard&nbsp;with you.

I was glad to see Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus. Having them here was like having you. They made me feel much better, just as they made you feel better. You should appreciate people like them.

Greetings from the churches of Asia.

Aquila and Priscilla, together with the church that meets in their house, send greetings in the name of the Lord.

All of the Lord's followers send their greetings.

Give each of them a warm greeting.

I am signing this letter myself: PAUL.

I pray that God will put a curse on everyone who doesn't love the Lord. And may the Lord come soon. I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to you. I love everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 16:1-24

Greetings and Prayers of Thanks

Paul begins his letter with a formal introduction that names himself and Timothy as the ones sending the letter and God's people in Corinth and Achaia as the ones recieving it. This greeting is followed by Paul's prayers of thanks to God who has comforted Paul and others in times of great suffering.

From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.

To God's church in Corinth and to all God's people in Achaia.

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

Paul Gives Thanks

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share the same comfort with others in trouble. We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort he gives. We suffer in the hope that you will be comforted and saved. And because we are comforted, you will also be comforted, as you patiently endure suffering like ours. You never disappoint us. You suffered as much as we did, and we know that you will be comforted as we were.

My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain. In fact, we felt sure that we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in&nbsp;ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life. God saved us from the threat of death, and we are sure that he will do it again and again. Please help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks for the blessings we recieve in answer to all these prayers.

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Paul Wants To Make Peace with His Opponents

Paul hopes that he can make peace with his opponents and encourage the Corinthians to forgive one another. Added to his personal comments are important teachings about God's new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and that makes a new person of anyone that belongs to Christ. This section is "inter-person of anyone who belongs to Christ. This section is "interrupted" by a possible fragment of another letter (6.14-7.16).

Paul's Change of Plans

We can be proud of our clear conscience. We have always lived honestly and sincerely, especially when we were with you. And we were guided by God's wonderful kindness instead of by the wisdom of this world. I am not writing anything you cannot read and understand. I hope you will understand it completely, just as you already partly understand us. Then when our Lord Jesus returns, you can be as proud of us as we are of you.

I was so sure of your pride in us that I planned to visit you first of all. In this way you would have the blessing of two visits from me. Once on my way to Macedonia and again on my return from there. Then you could send me on to Judea. Do you think I could make up my mind about what to do? Or do I seem like someone who says "Yes" or "No" simply to please others? God can be trusted, and so can I, when I say that our answer to you has always been "Yes" and never "No." and he is the one that Silas, Timothy, and I told you about.

Christ says "Yes" to all of God's promises. That's why we have Christ to say "Amen" for us to the glory of God. And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the one who chose us and put his Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong only to him.

God is my witness that I stayed away from Corinth, just to keep from being hard on you. We are not bosses that tell you what to believe. We are working with you to make you glad, because your faith is strong.

2 Corinthians 1:12-24

I have decided not to make my next visit with you so painful. If I make you feel bad, who would be left to cheer me up, except the people I had made to feel bad? The reason I want to be happy is to make you happy. I wrote as I did because I didn't want to visit you and be made to feel bad, when you should make me feel happy. At the time I wrote, I was suffering terribly. My eyes were full of tears, and my heart was broken. But I didn't want to make you feel bad. I only wanted to let you know how much I cared for you.

2 Corinthians 2:1-4

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Forgiveness

I don't want to be hard on you. But if one of you has made someone feel bad, I am not really the one who has been made to feel bad. Some of you are the ones. Most of you have already pointed out the wrong that person did, and that is punishment enough for what was done.

When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair. You should make them sure of your love for them.

I also wrote because&nbsp;I wanted to test you and find out if you would follow my instructions. I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven. I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.

When I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ, I found that the Lord had already prepared the way. But I was worried when I didn't find my friend Titus there. So I left the other followers and went on to Macedonia.

I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume. In fact, God thinks of us as a perfume that brings Christ to everyone. For people who are being saved, this perfume has a sweet smell and leads them to a better life. But for people who are lost, it has a bad smell and leads them to a horrible death.

No one really has what it takes to do this work. A lot of people try to get rich from preaching God's message. But we are God's sincere messengers, and by the power of Christ we speak our message with God as our witness.

2 Corinthians 2:5-17

God's New Agreement

Are we once again bragging about ourselves? Do we need letters to you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters that tell about them. But you are our letter, and you are in our hearts for everyone to read and understand. You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God.

We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.

The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death, even thought it was carved on stones and given in a wonderful way. Still the Law made Moses' face shine so brightly that the people of Israel could not look at it, even though it was fading glory. So won't the agreement that the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful? If something that brings the&nbsp;death sentence is glorious, won't something that make us acceptable to God be even more glorious? I fact, the new agreement is so wonderful that the Law is no longer glorious at all. The Law was given with a glory that faded away. But the glory of the new agreement is much greater, because it will never fade away.

This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely. We are not like Moses. His face was shining, but he covered it to keep the people of Israel from seeing the brightness fade away. The people were stubborn, and something still keeps them from seeing the truth when the Law is read. Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.

When the Law of Moses is read, they have their minds covered over with a covering that is removed only for those that turn to the Lord. The Lord and the Spirit are one of the same, and the Lord's Spirit sets us free. So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Treasure in Clay Jars

God has been kind enough to trust us with his work. That's why we never give up. We don't do shameful things that must be kept secret. And we don't try to fool anyone or twist God's message around. God is our witness that we speak only the truth, so others will be sure that we can be trusted. If there is anything hidden&nbsp;about our message, it is hidden only to someone who is lost.

The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like. We are not preaching about ourselves. Our message is that Jesus Christ is Lord. He also sent us to be your servants. The Scriptures say, "God commanded light to shine in the dark." Now God is shining in our hearts to let you know that his glory is seen in Jesus Christ.

We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not us. We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. We face death everyday because of Jesus. Our bodies show what his death was like, so that his life can also be seen in us. This means that death is working in us, but life is working in you.

In the Scriptures it says, "I spoke because&nbsp;I had faith." We have that same kind of faith. So we speak because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together with you. All of this has been done&nbsp;for you, so that more and more people will know how kind God is and will praise and honor him.

2 Corinthians 4:1-15

Faith in the Lord

We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day. These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing. Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That's why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give us each a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.

These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this&nbsp;just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. God is the one that makes this all possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain that he will do it. So always be cheerful!

As long as we are in these bodies, we are away from the Lord. But we live by faith, not by what we see. We should be cheerful, because we would rather leave these bodies and be at home with the Lord. But whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him. After all, Christ will judge each of us for the good or the bad that we do while living in these bodies.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Bringing People to God

We know what it means to respect the Lord, and we encourage everyone to turn to him. God himself knows what we are like, and I hope you also know what kind of people we are. We are not trying once more to brag about ourselves. But we want you to be proud of us, when you are with those who are not sincere and brag about what others think of them.

If we seem out of our minds, it is between God and us. But if we are in our right minds, it is for your good. We are ruled by Christ's love for us. We are certain that if one person died for everyone else, then all of us have died. And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us.

We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in that way. Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God.

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God's kindness to you. In the Scriptures God says,

"When the time came, I listened to you, and when you needed help, I came to save you."

That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved. We don't want anyone to find fault with our work, and so we try hard not to cause problems. But in everything and in every way we show that we truly are God's servants. We have always been patient, though we have had a lot of trouble, suffering, and hard times. We have been beaten, put in jail, and hurt in riots. We have worked hard and have gone without sleep or food. But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real. We have spoken the truth, and God's power has worked in us. In our struggles we have said and done only what is right.

Whether we honored or dishonored or praised or cursed, we always told the truth about ourselves. But some people said we did not. We are unknown to others, but well known to you. We seem to be dying, and yet we are still alive. We have been punished, but never killed, and we are always happy, even in times of suffering. Although we are poor, we have made many people rich. And though we own nothing, everything is ours.

Friends in Corinth, we are telling you the truth when we say that there is room in our hearts for you. We are not&nbsp;holding back on our love for you, but you are holding back on your love for us. I speak to you as I would speak to my own children. Please make room in your hearts for us.

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

A Possible Fragment from Another Letter

Because 6.14-7.1 breaks the thought between 6.13 and 7.2, some scholars believe this section may be part of another letter. Its discussion of idols and the importance of being spiritually clean is similar to what Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians 8.1-13

The Temple of the Living God

Stay away from people that are not followers of the Lord! Can someone who is good get along with someone who is evil? Are light and darkness the same? Is Christ a friend of Satan? Can people who follow the Lord have anything in common with those who don't? Do idols belong in a temple&nbsp;of God? We are the temple of the living God, as God himself says,

"I will live with these people and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

The Lord also says,

"Leave them and stay away! Don't touch anything that isn't clean. Then I will welcome you and be your Father. You will be my sons and daughters, as surely as I am God, the All-Powerful."

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We should honor God and try to be completely like him.

2 Corinthians 7:1

I'll still be posting here &amp; there.

But the verses will start again December 1.

Thank you!

Michie