Study Desk

So, if you never receive the discipline that every child must have, you are not true children and don't really belong to God.

Our fathers on earth disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us to help us so that we can be holy like him.

Be careful that no one commits sexual sin. And be careful that no one is like Esau and never thinks about God. As the oldest son, Esau would have inherited everything from his father. But he sold all that for a single meal.

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to a place where thousands of angels have gathered to celebrate.

You have come to the meeting of God's firstborn children. Their names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all people. And you have come to the spirits of good people who have been made perfect.

You have come to Jesus—the one who brought the new agreement from God to his people. You have come to the sprinkled blood that tells us about better things than the blood of Abel.

Be careful and don't refuse to listen when God speaks. Those people refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth. And they did not escape. Now God is speaking from heaven. So now it will be worse for those who refuse to listen to him.

So we should be thankful because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And because we are thankful, we should worship God in a way that will please him. We should do this with respect and fear,

because our God is like a fire that can destroy us.

Marriage should be honored by everyone. And every marriage should be kept pure between husband and wife. God will judge guilty those who commit sexual sins and adultery.

Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said, "I will never leave you; I will never run away from you."

So through Jesus we should never stop offering our sacrifice to God. That sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name.

And don't forget to do good and to share what you have with others, because sacrifices like these are very pleasing to God.

And I beg you to pray that God will send me back to you soon. I want this more than anything else.

I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so that you can do what he wants. God is the one who raised from death our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of his sheep. He raised him because Jesus sacrificed his blood to begin the new agreement that never ends. I pray that God will work through Jesus Christ to do the things in us that please him. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Greetings from James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To God's people who are scattered all over the world.

If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.

Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom.

But when you ask God, you must believe. Don't doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind.

Believers who are poor should be glad that God considers them so important.