Study Desk

So we say that proud people are happy. Evil people succeed. They challenge God and get away with it.'"

"There is a day coming that will burn like a hot furnace, and all the proud and evil people will be like straw. On that day they will be completely burned up so that not a root or branch will be left," says the Lord All-Powerful.

"The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel," which means "God is with us."

They asked, "Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and learned from them the exact time they first saw the star.

They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

After they left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, because Herod is starting to look for the child so he can kill him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to return."

They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the lake because they were fishermen.

As Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus told them to come with him.

Immediately they left the boat and their father, and they followed Jesus.

The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought all the sick to him. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases. Some were in great pain, some had demons, some were epileptics, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed all of them.

They are blessed who hunger and thirst after justice, for they will be satisfied.

"People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be blessed.

And people don't hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand so the light shines for all the people in the house.

In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.

"When you give to the poor, don't be like the hypocrites. They blow trumpets in the synagogues and on the streets so that people will see them and honor them. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.

"When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray so people will see them. I tell you the truth, they already have their full reward.

"And when you pray, don't be like those people who don't know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words.

But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed by moths or rust and where thieves cannot break in and steal them.