Bible Reading Plan – Day 329

₁₇In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless ₁₈and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. ₁₉They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint.

₂₀That was not what you learnt about Christ! ₂₁You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. ₂₂So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to — the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. ₂₃Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, ₂₄and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.

₂₅No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to one another, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. ₂₆If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. ₂₇Don't give the Devil a chance. ₂₈Those who used to rob must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for themselves and to be able to help the poor. ₂₉Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. ₃₀And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. ₃₁Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. ₃₂Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

₁Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. ₂Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

₃Since you are God's people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. ₄Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. ₅You may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

₆Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him. ₇So have nothing at all to do with such people. ₈You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, ₉for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. ₁₀Try to learn what pleases the Lord. ₁₁Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light. ₁₂(It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.) ₁₃And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; ₁₄for anything that is clearly revealed becomes light. That is why it is said:

₁₅So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. ₁₆Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. ₁₇Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do.

₁₈Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit. ₁₉Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. ₂₀In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.

₂₁Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.

₂₂Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ₂₃For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Saviour of the church, his body. ₂₄And so wives must submit completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ.

₂₅Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. ₂₆He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, ₂₇in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty — pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. ₂₈Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. ₂₉(People never hate their own bodies. Instead, they feed them and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; ₃₀for we are members of his body.) ₃₁As the scripture says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.” ₃₂There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. ₃₃But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

₁Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. ₂“Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: ₃“so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”

₄Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, bring them up with Christian discipline and instruction.

₅Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. ₆Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ. ₇Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. ₈Remember that the Lord will reward everyone, whether slave or free, for the good work they do.

₉Masters, behave in the same way towards your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, who judges everyone by the same standard.

₁₀Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. ₁₁Put on all the armour that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks. ₁₂For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. ₁₃So put on God's armour now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

₁₄So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight round your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, ₁₅and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. ₁₆At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. ₁₇And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. ₁₈Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people. ₁₉And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the gospel's secret. ₂₀For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.

₂₁Tychicus, our dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me, so that you may know how I am getting on. ₂₂That is why I am sending him to you — to tell you how all of us are getting on, and to encourage you.

₂₃May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give to all Christian brothers and sisters peace and love with faith. ₂₄May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.