Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.

Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.”

Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name.

All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror.

For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”

You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates!

Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months!

For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of the grass; the grass withers and the flower falls off,

Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you.

So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin,

In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

From Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours.

For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.

But concerning the one who lacks such things – he is blind. That is to say, he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins.