Day 47 of 365

¹Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

²Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

³Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

⁴If then, you have to judge things pertaining to this life, do you set them to judge who are of no account in the church?

⁵I say this to move you to shame. Is not there even one wise man among you who would be able to decide between his brothers?

⁶But brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers!

⁷Therefore it is already altogether a defect in you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

⁸No, but you yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that against your brothers.

⁹Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor men who practice sexual relations with men,

¹⁰nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God.

¹¹Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.

¹²"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are expedient. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

¹³"Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods," but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

¹⁴Now God raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by his power.

¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

¹⁶Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, "The two," says he, "will become one flesh."

¹⁷But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

¹⁸Flee sexual immorality! "Every sin that a man does is outside the body," but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own,

²⁰for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

¹Now concerning the things about which you wrote: it is good for a man not to touch a woman.

²But, because of sexual immoralities, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

³Let the husband fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.

⁴The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.

⁵Do not deprive one another, unless it is by consent for a season, that you may give yourselves to prayer, and may be together again, that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

⁶But this I say by way of concession, not of commandment.

⁷Yet I wish that all men were like me. However each man has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that kind.

⁸But I say to the unmarried and to widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am.

⁹But if they do not have self-control, let them marry. For it's better to marry than to burn.

¹⁰But to the married I command-not I, but the Lord-that the wife not leave her husband

¹¹(but if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband not leave his wife.

¹²But to the rest I-not the Lord-say, if any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she is content to live with him, let him not leave her.

¹³The woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he is content to live with her, let her not leave her husband.

¹⁴For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the brother. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

¹⁵Yet if the unbeliever departs, let there be separation. The brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.

¹⁶For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

¹⁷Only, as the Lord has distributed to each man, as God has called each, so let him walk. So I command in all the churches.

¹⁸Was anyone called having been circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

¹⁹Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

²⁰Let each man stay in that calling in which he was called.

²¹Were you called being a bondservant? Do not let that bother you, but if you get an opportunity to become free, use it.

²²For he who was called in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord's free man. Likewise he who was called being free is Christ's bondservant.

²³You were bought with a price. Do not become bondservants of men.

²⁴Brothers, let each man, in whatever condition he was called, stay in that condition with God.

²⁵Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who has obtained mercy from the Lord to be trustworthy.

²⁶I think that it is good therefore, because of the distress that is on us, that it is good for a man to be as he is.

²⁷Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be freed. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

²⁸But if you marry, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have oppression in the flesh, and I want to spare you.

²⁹But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none;

³⁰and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess;

³¹and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away.

³²But I desire to have you to be free from cares. He who is unmarried is concerned for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;

³³but he who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife.

³⁴There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world-how she may please her husband.

³⁵This I say for your own profit; not that I may ensnare you, but for that which is appropriate, and that you may attend to the Lord without distraction.

³⁶But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He does not sin. Let them marry.

³⁷But he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own heart, to keep his own virgin, does well.

³⁸So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage does better.

³⁹A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives; but if the husband is dead, she is free to be married to whomever she desires, only in the Lord.

⁴⁰But she is happier if she stays as she is, in my judgment, and I think that I also have God's Spirit.

¹Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

²But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he does not yet know as he ought to know.

³But if anyone loves God, the same is known by him.

⁴Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no God but one.

⁵For though there are things that are called "gods," whether in the heavens or on earth; as there are many "gods" and many "lords;"

⁶yet to us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.

⁷However, that knowledge is not in all men. But some, being so accustomed to idols until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

⁸But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we do not eat, are we the worse; nor, if we eat, are we the better.

⁹But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.

¹⁰For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol's temple, won't his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

¹¹And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whom the Christ died.

¹²Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

¹³Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forevermore, that I do not cause my brother to stumble.

¹Oh clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

²For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth.

³He subdues nations under us, and peoples under our feet.

⁴He chooses our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

⁵God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.

⁶Sing praise to God, sing praises. Sing praises to our King, sing praises.

⁷For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding.

⁸God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne.

⁹The princes of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted!

¹The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

²All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weighs the motives.

³Commit your deeds to the Lord, and your plans shall succeed.

⁴The Lord has made everything for its own end- yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

⁵Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: they shall certainly not be unpunished.

⁶By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

⁷When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.

⁹A man's heart plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.

¹¹Honest balances and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.

¹²It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.

¹⁴The king's wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.

¹⁵In the light of the king's face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain.

¹⁶How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the plunder with the proud.

²⁰He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in the Lord is blessed.

²¹The wise in heart shall be called prudent. Pleasantness of the lips promotes instruction.

²²Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly.

²³The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

²⁵There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

²⁶The appetite of the laboring man labors for him; for his mouth urges him on.

²⁷A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.

²⁸A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.

²⁹A man of violence entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰One who winks his eyes to plot perversities, one who compresses his lips, is bent on evil.

³¹Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.

³²One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.