Study Desk

The Scripture says, "So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body."

But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and a wife must respect her husband.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power.

Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness?

Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit.

But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant.

And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross.

So God raised him to the highest place. God made his name greater than every other name

You know the kind of person Timothy is. You know he has served with me in telling the Good News, as a son serves his father.

because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to give me the help you could not give in your service to me.

We are the ones who are truly circumcised. We worship God through his Spirit, and our pride is in Christ Jesus. We do not put trust in ourselves or anything we can do,

I want to know Christ and the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death.

I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.

By his power to rule all things, he will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body.

My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.

God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient.

And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light.

God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ.

At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God.