Psalm 23

The Passion Translation

The Good Shepherd

David’s poetic praise to God

23 Yahweh is my best friend and my shepherd.[a]

I always have more than enough.[b]

2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.[c]

His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss.[d]

3 That’s where he restores and revives my life.[e]

He opens before me the right path

and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness[f]

so that I can bring honor to his name.

4 Even when your path takes me through

the valley of deepest darkness,

fear will never conquer me, for you already have!

Your authority is my strength and my peace.[g]

The comfort of your love takes away my fear.

I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.

5 You become my delicious feast

even when my enemies dare to fight.

You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit;[h]

you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows.[i]

6 So why would I fear the future?

Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life.

Then afterward, when my life is through,

I’ll return to your glorious presence[j] to be forever with you!

Psalm 91

The Passion Translation

Safe and Secure

91 When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai,[a]

you are hidden[b] in the strength of God Most High.

2 He’s the hope that holds me and the stronghold to shelter me,

the only God for me, and my great confidence.

3 He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy,[c]

and he will protect you from false accusation

and any deadly curse.[d]

4 His massive arms[e] are wrapped around you, protecting you.

You can run under his covering of majesty and hide.

His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.

5 You will never worry about an attack of demonic forces at night

nor have to fear a spirit of darkness coming against you.

6 Don’t fear a thing!

Whether by night or by day, demonic danger will not trouble you,[f]

nor will the powers of evil be launched against you.

7 Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed,

you will remain unscathed and unharmed.

8 You will be a spectator as the wicked perish in judgment,

for they will be paid back for what they have done!

9–10 When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High,

our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm.

How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?

11 God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go,

defending you from all harm.

12 If you walk into a trap, they’ll be there for you

and keep you from stumbling.

13 You’ll even walk unharmed among the fiercest powers of darkness,[g]

trampling every one of them beneath your feet!

14 For here is what the Lord has spoken to me:

“Because you loved me, delighted in me, and have been loyal to my name,

I will greatly protect you.

15 I will answer your cry for help every time you pray,

and you will feel my presence

in your time of trouble.

I will deliver you and bring you honor.

16 I will satisfy you with a full life and with all that I do for you.

For you will enjoy the fullness of my salvation!”

Psalm 90

The Passion Translation

Book 4

The Numbers Psalms

Psalms of our pilgrimage on earth

God, the Eternal

A prayer of Moses, God’s prophet

90 Lord, you have always been our eternal home,

our hiding place from generation to generation.

2 Long before you gave birth to the earth

and before the mountains were born,

you have been from everlasting to everlasting,[a]

the one and only true God.

3 When you speak the words “Life, return to me!”

man turns back to dust.

4 One thousand years pass before your eyes

like yesterday that quickly faded away,

like a night’s sleep soon forgotten.[b]

5–6 One day we will each be swept away into the sleep of death.

We glide along through the tides of time—

so quickly gone, like a dream that fades at dawn,[c]

like glistening grass that springs up one day

and is dry and withered the next, ready to be cut down!

7 Terrified by your anger, confined beneath the curse,

we live our lives knowing your wrath.[d]

8 For all of our faults and flaws are in full view to you.[e]

Everything we want to hide, you search out

and expose by the radiance of your face.

9 We are banished to live in the shadow of your anger.

Our days soon become years until our lifetime comes to an end,

finished with nothing but a sigh.[f]

10 You’ve limited our life span to a mere seventy years,

yet some you give grace to live still longer.[g]

But even the best of years are marred by tears and toils

and in the end are nothing more than a gravestone in a graveyard![h]

We’re gone so quickly, so swiftly;

we pass away and simply disappear.

11 Lord, who fully knows the power of your passion

and the intensity of your emotions?[i]

12 Help us to remember that our days are numbered,

and help us to interpret our lives correctly.

Set your wisdom deeply in our hearts

so that we may accept your correction.[j]

13 Return to us again, O God!

How much longer will it take until you show us

your abundant compassion?

14 Let the sunrise of your love end our dark night.

Break through our clouded dawn again!

Only you can satisfy our hearts,

filling us with songs of joy to the end of our days.

15 We’ve been overwhelmed with grief;

come now and overwhelm us with gladness.

Replace our years of trouble with decades of delight.

16 Let us see your miracles again, and let the rising generation

see the glorious wonders you’re famous for.

17 O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty[k] rest upon us.

Come work with us, and then our works will endure;

you will give us success in all we do.

Psalm 40

The Passion Translation

A Joyful Salvation

For the Pure and Shining One

A song of poetic praise by King David

40 I waited and waited and waited some more,

patiently, knowing God would come through for me.

Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry.

2 He stooped down to lift me out of danger

from the desolate pit I was in,

out of the muddy mess I had fallen into.

Now he’s lifted me up into a firm, secure place

and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path.

3 A new song for a new day rises up in me

every time I think about how he breaks through for me!

Ecstatic praise pours out of my mouth until

everyone hears how God has set me free.

Many will see his miracles;

they’ll stand in awe of God and fall in love with him!

4 Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord.

They will not fall away,

for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.

5 O Lord, our God, no one can compare with you.

Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with you!

And you think of us all the time

with your countless expressions of love—

far exceeding our expectations!

6 It’s not sacrifices that really move your heart.

Burnt offerings, sin offerings—those aren’t what bring you joy.

But when you open my ears and speak to me,

I become your willing servant, your prisoner of love for life.[a]

7 So I said, “Here I am! I’m coming to you as a sacrifice,[b]

for in the prophetic scrolls of your book

you have written about me.

8 I delight to fulfill your will, my God,

for your living words are written upon the pages of my heart.”

9 I tell everyone everywhere the truth of your righteousness.

And you know I haven’t held back in telling the message to all.

10 I don’t keep it a secret or hide the truth.

I preach of your faithfulness and kindness,

proclaiming your extravagant love to the largest crowd I can find!

11 So Lord, don’t hold back your love or withhold

your tender mercies from me.

Keep me in your truth and let your compassion overflow to me

no matter what I face.

12 Evil surrounds me; problems greater than I can solve

come one after another.

Without you, I know I can’t make it.

My sins are so many!

I’m so ashamed to lift my face to you.

For my guilt grabs me and stings my soul

until I am weakened and spent.

13 Please, Lord! Come quickly and rescue me!

Take pleasure in showing me your favor and restore me.

14 Let all who seek my life be humiliated!

Let them be confused and ashamed, God.

Scatter those who wish me evil; they just want me dead.

15 Scoff at every scoffer and cause them all to be utter failures.

Let them be ashamed and horrified by their complete defeat.

16 But let all who passionately seek you

erupt with excitement and joy over what you’ve done!

Let all your devoted lovers rejoice continually in the Savior,[c] saying,

“How great and glorious is our God!”

17 Lord, in my place of weakness and need, I ask again:

Will you come and help me?

I know I’m always in your thoughts.

You are my true Savior and hero,

so don’t delay to deliver me now, for you are my God.

"Once saved always saved"?

 "Once saved always saved"

Hebrews 3:7-5:10

New International Version

Warning Against Unbelief

7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:(A)

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion,

during the time of testing in the wilderness,

9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,

though for forty years they saw what I did.(C)

10 That is why I was angry with that generation;

I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,

and they have not known my ways.’

11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(D)

‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (E)”[a](F)

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(G) 13 But encourage one another daily,(H) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(I) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(J) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(K) 15 As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion.”[b](L)

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(M) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(N) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(O) if not to those who disobeyed?(P) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(Q)

Ezekiel 18

New International Version

The One Who Sins Will Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

“‘The parents eat sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3 “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. 4 For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

5 “Suppose there is a righteous man

who does what is just and right.

6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines

or look to the idols of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife

or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.

7 He does not oppress anyone,

but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.

He does not commit robbery

but gives his food to the hungry

and provides clothing for the naked.

8 He does not lend to them at interest

or take a profit from them.

He withholds his hand from doing wrong

and judges fairly between two parties.

9 He follows my decrees

and faithfully keeps my laws.

That man is righteous;

he will surely live,

declares the Sovereign Lord.

10 “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things[a] 11 (though the father has done none of them):

“He eats at the mountain shrines.

He defiles his neighbor’s wife.

12 He oppresses the poor and needy.

He commits robbery.

He does not return what he took in pledge.

He looks to the idols.

He does detestable things.

13 He lends at interest and takes a profit.

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

14 “But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

15 “He does not eat at the mountain shrines

or look to the idols of Israel.

He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.

16 He does not oppress anyone

or require a pledge for a loan.

He does not commit robbery

but gives his food to the hungry

and provides clothing for the naked.

17 He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor

and takes no interest or profit from them.

He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.

He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

19 “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. 20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. 22 None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

24 “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.

25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? 26 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. 27 But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. 28 Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. 29 Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

https://www.desiringgod.org/.../what-is-the-sin-not...

Romans 11:11-31

English Standard Version

Gentiles Grafted In

11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass (A)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion[a] mean!

13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as (B)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and (C)thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means (D)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 (E)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 But if (F)some of the branches were broken off, and you, (G)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root[b] of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you (H)stand fast through faith. So (I)do not become proud, but (J)fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, (K)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise (L)you too will be cut off. 23 And (M)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

For instance, if we see a Christian believer sinning (clearly I’m not talking about those who make a practice of sin in a way that is “fatal,” leading to eternal death), we ask for God’s help and he gladly gives it, gives life to the sinner whose sin is not fatal. There is such a thing as a fatal sin, and I’m not urging you to pray about that. Everything we do wrong is sin, but not all sin is fatal. 1 John 5:16

Therefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. Mat 12:31

Hebrews 10

A Call to Persevere in Faith

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[e] 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,

“In just a little while,

he who is coming will come

and will not delay.”[f]

38 And,

“But my righteous[g] one will live by faith.

And I take no pleasure

in the one who shrinks back.”[h]

39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Phi 2:13-14

Many plans are in a man’s mind, But it is the LORD’S purpose for him that will stand (be carried out). Proverbs 19:21

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG

Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

 
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. AMP

Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

Put God in charge of your work,
then what you’ve planned will take place.

And don’t keep wanting more and more for yourself, which is the same as worshiping a false god (idolatry). Colossians 3:5 ERV

Galatians 6:4-5
The Message
4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
2 Corinthians 10:12

New King James Version
Limits of Paul’s Authority
12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

2 Timothy 2:15-18
The Message
14-18 Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul.

 
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Love is the greatest

Romans 13 KJV

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

James 1:23-25

The Message

22-24 Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

25 But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.


22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.