You are in Christ Jesus by God's act, for God has made Him our wisdom; He is our righteousness; in Him we are consecrated and set free. And so (do as the Scriptures say), "If a man is proud, let him be proud of the Lord." And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God - Who gives generously to all men without making them feel guilty - and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts.

   For the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea, carried forward by the wind one moment and driven back the next. That sort of man cannot hope to receive anything from the Lord, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn. [So] depend on the Lord in whatever you do. Then your plans will succeed.

   [The apostle Paul was sharing his testimony:] "Ananias came to me, stood by me, and said, 'Brother Saul, see again!' Immediately I was able to see him. Ananias told me, 'The God of our fathers chose you long ago. He chose you to know His plan. He chose you to see the Righteous One and to hear words from Him. You will be His witness to all people. You will tell them about the things you have seen and heard. Now, why wait any longer? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away. Do this, trusting in Him to save you.' "

   We ask God that you may receive from Him all wisdom and spiritual understanding for full insight into His will, so that your manner of life may be worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to Him. We pray that you may bear fruit in active goodness of every kind, and grow in the knowledge of God. May He strengthen you, in His glorious might, with ample power to meet whatever comes with fortitude, patience, and joy; and to give thanks to the Father Who has made you fit to share the heritage of God's people in the realm of light.

   [Jesus said:] "My own sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them from My care."

Taken from I Cor. 1, Jas. 1, Pro. 16, Acts 22, Col. 1, Jn. 10, The Everyday Bible,
The New English Bible and The Phillips Translation. For free Lifescope book,
write to Box 1575, Carlsbad, NM 88221. Please send $1.00 for postage and handling.