"A NOBLE WIFE"

 Who can find a noble wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.

 

 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.

 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.

 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.

 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.

 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.

 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.

 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.

 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.

 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

 

 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.

 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.

 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

 Her children rise up and call her blessed;Her husband also, and he praises her:

 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”

 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

 

"MY SON"

 

The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

 

^{Proverbs 31}

 What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?

³ Do not give your strength to women,Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

 

⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;

⁵ Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.

⁶ Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.

⁷ Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

 

⁸ Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.

⁹ Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

"GOD IS LOVE"

 

2 John 4

 

Knowing God Through Love

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 

Seeing God Through Love

¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

 

The Consummation of Love

¹⁷ Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love Him because He first loved us.

 

Obedience by Faith

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

 

"WE ARE OF GOD!"

1 John 4

 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. ⁶ We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

"PRACTICE, PRACTICE"

The Imperative of Love

1 John 3

¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, ¹² not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. ¹⁵ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

¹⁶ By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸ My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. ²² And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

²⁴ Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

"LET KNOW ONE DECEIVE YOU"

 

Sin and the Child of God

1 John 3

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
⁷ 
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. ⁸ He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God

1 John 3

"WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM!"

 

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

 

Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ 

 

And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

PAUL; "I WRITE TO YOU"

1 JOHN 2

 

Your Spiritual State

¹² I write to you, little children,
    Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
¹³ I write to you, fathers,
    Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
    Because you have known the Father.
¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers,
    Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
    Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
    And you have overcome the wicked one.

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

¹⁸ Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.  ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
²² Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

²⁴ Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. ²⁷ 

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will^[ abide in Him.

The Children of God

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 2

"WALK AS HE WALKED"

 

 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.   And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.   He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  

 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.   He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

"PRACTICE THE TRUTH"

 

Fellowship with Him and One Another

1 John 1

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  

 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.   

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

1 John 1

"THE WORD OF LIFE"

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched

 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—  the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—   that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.   And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

 

2 Thessalonians 3

 

"THE LORD OF PEACE"

Warning Against Idleness

 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.   For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;   nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,  not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.   For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.   Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.   And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.   Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Benediction

 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.
 
The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 3

"FOR NOT ALL HAVE FAITH"

Pray for Us

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,   and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

 
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. 

And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2

 "STAND FAST"

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,   to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.   

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace,   comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

=

 

 

2 Thessalonians 2

"FALLING AWAY"

The Great Apostasy

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,   not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

 

"CHRIST GLORIFIED IN YOU"

2 Thessalonians 1

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

 
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,  so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,   which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; ⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,   and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,   in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,   when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.


 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,   that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1

 

"COUNTED WORTHY"

 

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,   so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,   which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;   since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,   and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,   that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5

"Highly Esteemed"

Various Exhortations

¹² And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. ¹⁵ See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies. ²¹ Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.