CHRISTIAN READINGS (Carter)
Colossians 3:18-4:1 (New International Version)
3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting
in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh
with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for
this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they
will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in
everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win
their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for
men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from
the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone
who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
4:1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right
and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Matthew 5:1-12 (New International Version)
5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a
mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he
began to teach them saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the
earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown
mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see
God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be
called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because
of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who
were before you."
Romans 13:1-8 (Worldwide English )
13:1 Every person must obey the rulers over him.
Every ruler has his power from God. And the rulers are put there by God.
2 So anyone who fights against the ruler, fights
against what God put there. And those who fight will be punished.
3 The rulers do not bring fear to a good man, but
they bring fear to a bad man. If you do not want to be afraid of a
ruler, do what is good and he will praise you.
4 Such a person is God's servant and will do what
is good for you. But if you do what is wrong, you should fear him. He
has great power and he will use it. He is God's servant and will punish
those who do wrong.
5 So you must obey, not only because of the
punishment, but because you know it is right.
6 That is why you also pay taxes. The rulers serve
God and they give all their time to their work.
7 Pay them all that they should have. Pay taxes to
the person who should have the taxes. Pay money to the person who should
have the money. Respect the people who should be respected. Honour a
person who should be honoured.
8 Do not have any debts, but love each other.
Anyone who loves his neighbour has done all that the law says we should
do.
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