Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one; we have ruined no one, nor tried to take advantage of anyone.

You are our witnesses, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault.

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity.

the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with all purity.

In all things you yourself must be an example of good behavior. Be sincere and serious in your teaching.

The God who said, "Out of darkness the light shall shine!" is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God's glory shining in the face of Christ.

Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.

When I came to you, my friends, to preach God's secret truth, I did not use big words and great learning.

For while I was with you, I made up my mind to forget everything except Jesus Christ and especially his death on the cross.

As the scripture says, "Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?" We, however, have the mind of Christ.

and if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ.)

For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives.

Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.

God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.

He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge.

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another.

Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.

You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, and my purpose in life; you have observed my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance,

to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience.

It is clear that Christ himself wrote this letter and sent it by us. It is written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets but on human hearts.

For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!

by the power of miracles and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. And so, in traveling all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum, I have proclaimed fully the Good News about Christ.

and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit.

Tell me this one thing: did you receive God's Spirit by doing what the Law requires or by hearing the gospel and believing it?

Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you because you do what the Law requires or because you hear the gospel and believe it?

For we brought the Good News to you, not with words only, but also with power and the Holy Spirit, and with complete conviction of its truth. You know how we lived when we were with you; it was for your own good.

You imitated us and the Lord; and even though you suffered much, you received the message with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.

God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.

I wrote you with a greatly troubled and distressed heart and with many tears; my purpose was not to make you sad, but to make you realize how much I love you all.

Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!

I will be glad to spend all I have, and myself as well, in order to help you. Will you love me less because I love you so much?

So she said to him, "How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it? You've made a fool of me three times, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong."

So my people crowd in to hear what you have to say, but they don't do what you tell them to do. Loving words are on their lips, but they continue their greedy ways.

Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.

My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.