A good person will never fail; he will always be remembered.

For David said about him, 'I saw the Lord before me at all times; he is near me, and I will not be troubled.

But I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do, which is to declare the Good News about the grace of God.

But he answered, "What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.

I beg you, then, not to be discouraged because I am suffering for you; it is all for your benefit.

Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory.

You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel. It is of this gospel that I, Paul, became a servant---this gospel which has been preached to everybody in the world.

That is why we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God. We boast about the way you continue to endure and believe through all the persecutions and sufferings you are experiencing.

Do not be ashamed, then, of witnessing for our Lord; neither be ashamed of me, a prisoner for Christ's sake. Instead, take your part in suffering for the Good News, as God gives you the strength for it.

My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you.

Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ's followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

Don't be afraid of anything you are about to suffer. Listen! The Devil will put you to the test by having some of you thrown into prison, and your troubles will last ten days. Be faithful to me, even if it means death, and I will give you life as your prize of victory.

I know where you live, there where Satan has his throne. You are true to me, and you did not abandon your faith in me even during the time when Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed there where Satan lives.

God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

"Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves.

For my sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles.

"Then you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me.

Many will give up their faith at that time; they will betray one another and hate one another.

Before all these things take place, however, you will be arrested and persecuted; you will be handed over to be tried in synagogues and be put in prison; you will be brought before kings and rulers for my sake.

If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you.

But they will do all this to you because you are mine; for they do not know the one who sent me.

You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time will come when those who kill you will think that by doing this they are serving God.

I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world!"

And I myself will show him all that he must suffer for my sake."

They strengthened the believers and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. "We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God," they taught.

I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit has warned me that prison and troubles wait for me.

He came to us, took Paul's belt, tied up his own feet and hands with it, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: The owner of this belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles."

But he answered, "What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?

No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!

For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings.

my persecutions, and my sufferings. You know all that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the terrible persecutions I endured! But the Lord rescued me from them all.

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted;

It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.

My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you.