I am telling you the truth: no slaves are greater than their master, and no messengers are greater than the one who sent them.

"If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

Remember what I told you: 'Slaves are not greater than their master.' If people persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too.

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and yet don't do what I tell you?

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God to preach his Good News.

And when you serve Christ in this way, you please God and are approved by others.

For it is not ourselves that we preach; we preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.

Greetings from Epaphras, another member of your group and a servant of Christ Jesus. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God's will.

From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ--- To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have been given a faith as precious as ours:

For our love for God means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not too hard for us,

From Jude, servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James--- To those who have been called by God, who live in the love of God the Father and the protection of Jesus Christ:

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Jesus answered him, "If I want him to live until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!"

But because my servant Caleb has a different attitude and has remained loyal to me, I will bring him into the land which he explored, and his descendants will possess the land

'I swear that because they did not remain loyal to me, none of the men twenty years old or older who came out of Egypt will enter the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.

Then Jesus called the crowd and his disciples to him. "If any of you want to come with me," he told them, "you must forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.

And he said to them all, "If you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, take up your cross every day, and follow me.

Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him.

Your 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.

They are the men who have kept themselves pure by not having sexual relations with women; they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from the rest of the human race and are the first ones to be offered to God and to the Lamb.

And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.

"Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory you gave me; for you loved me before the world was made.

But I will see you, because I have done no wrong; and when I awake, your presence will fill me with joy.

'Well done, you good and faithful servant!' said his master. 'You have been faithful in managing small amounts, so I will put you in charge of large amounts. Come on in and share my happiness!'

We are full of courage and would much prefer to leave our home in the body and be at home with the Lord.

I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing;

then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

So then, encourage one another with these words.

"Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. My Father will love those who love me; I too will love them and reveal myself to them."

Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and my Father and I will come to them and live with them.

I, the LORD God of Israel, promised in the past that your family and your clan would serve me as priests for all time. But now I say that I won't have it any longer! Instead, I will honor those who honor me, and I will treat with contempt those who despise me.

Take care of a fig tree and you will have figs to eat. Servants who take care of their master will be honored.