I remember the sincere faith you have, the kind of faith that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice also had. I am sure that you have it also.

In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the LORD, wearing a sacred linen apron.

In the eighth year that Josiah was king, while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship, the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and all the other idols.

You have taught me ever since I was young, and I still tell of your wonderful acts.

I love those who love me; whoever looks for me can find me.

Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.

So remember your Creator while you are still young, before those dismal days and years come when you will say, "I don't enjoy life."

John will be great in the Lord's sight. He must not drink any wine or strong drink. From his very birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,

The child grew and became strong; he was full of wisdom, and God's blessings were upon him.

(SEE 10:20)

Jesus answered them, "How wrong you are! It is because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power.

And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.

They said to each other, "Wasn't it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting

The Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures.

Now, however, that truth has been brought out into the open through the writings of the prophets; and by the command of the eternal God it is made known to all nations, so that all may believe and obey.

I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures;

that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures;

Above all else, however, remember that none of us can explain by ourselves a prophecy in the Scriptures.

For no prophetic message ever came just from the human will, but people were under the control of the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God.

This is what he says in all his letters when he writes on the subject. There are some difficult things in his letters which ignorant and unstable people explain falsely, as they do with other passages of the Scriptures. So they bring on their own destruction.

The law of the LORD is perfect; it gives new strength. The commands of the LORD are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me!

Yet you are not willing to come to me in order to have life.

All the prophets spoke about him, saying that all who believe in him will have their sins forgiven through the power of his name."

And after they had done everything that the Scriptures say about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.

All of you, my fellow Israelites, are to know for sure that it is through Jesus that the message about forgiveness of sins is preached to you; you are to know that everyone who believes in him is set free from all the sins from which the Law of Moses could not set you free.

(SEE 13:38)

It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you.

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.

The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in his Son.

Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do it! I am a servant together with you and with other believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!" For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.