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"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the
body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they
neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can
any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you,
even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe
you — you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying,
'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we
wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things;
and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
"So do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is
enough for today.
Matthew 6:25-34
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you."
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God's people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon
you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their
nurses' arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be
brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.
I will appoint Peace as your overseer
and Righteousness as your taskmaster.
Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your
borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.
The sun shall no longer be
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give light to you by night;
but the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
Your sun shall no more go down,
or your moon withdraw itself;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever.
They are the shoot that I planted, the work of
my hands,
so that I might be glorified.
The least of them shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the LORD;
in its time I will accomplish it quickly.
Isaiah 60, selected verses
For surely I know the plans I have for you,
says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a
future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me,
I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you
seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD,
and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations
and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will
bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into
an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through
faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was
no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out
of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"See, the home of God is among
mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no
more,
for the first things have passed away."
And the one who was seated on the throne said,
"See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write
this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Then he said
to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the
spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these
things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But as
for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the
fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place
will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the
second death."
Revelation 21:1-8
Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
when he delights in our way;
though we stumble, we shall not fall
headlong,
for the LORD holds us by the hand.
I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.
Psalm 37:23-29
Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from your birth,
carried from the womb;
even to your old age I am he,
even when you turn gray I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.
Isaiah 46:3-4
I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who
kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will
warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has
authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not
five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is
forgotten in God's sight. But even the hairs of your head are
all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:4-7
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