As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
   For who could really understand a man's inmost thoughts except the spirit of the man himself? How much less could anyone understand the thoughts of God except the very Spirit of God? We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God Himself, so that we can understand something of God's generosity towards us.
   [God spoke to Isaiah:] "And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him . . . indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob . . . I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' " But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me." But to Israel He says: "All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people."
   Beware, then, lest you bring down upon yourselves the doom proclaimed by the prophets: 'See this, you scoffers, wonder, and begone; for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed which you will never believe when you are told of it.' " For this very reason you must do your utmost from your side, and see that your faith carries with it real goodness of life. Your goodness must be accompanied by knowledge, your knowledge by self-control, your self-control by the ability to endure. Your endurance too must always be accompanied by devotion to God; that in turn must have in it the quality of brotherliness, and your brotherliness must lead on to Christian love. If you have these qualities existing and growing in you then it means that knowing our Lord Jesus Christ has not made your lives either complacent or unproductive. The man whose life fails to exhibit these qualities is blind - his eyes so closed that he has forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Taken from Ps. 17, I Cor. 2, Is. 49, Rom. 10, Acts 13, II Pt. 1, Ps. 16, The New King
James, The Phillips Translation, The New English Bible, The Everyday Bible and
The New American Standard. For free Lifescope book, write to Box 1575,
Carlsbad, NM 88221. Please send $1.00 for postage and handling.