Christian Hedonism

And delight thyself on Jehovah, And He giveth to thee the petitions of thy heart.

Thou causest me to know the path of life; Fulness of joys <FI>is<Fi> with Thy presence, Pleasant things by Thy right hand for ever!

these things I have spoken to you, that my joy in you may remain, and your joy may be full.

`Again, the reign of the heavens is like to treasure hid in the field, which a man having found did hide, and from his joy goeth, and all, as much as he hath, he selleth, and buyeth that field.

not that we are lords over your faith, but we are workers together with your joy, for by the faith ye stand.

for men shall be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, evil-speakers, to parents disobedient, unthankful, unkind, — read the full passage →

but it is great gain--the piety with contentment;

and apart from faith it is impossible to please well, for it behoveth him who is coming to God to believe that He is, and to those seeking Him He becometh a rewarder.

yes, indeed, and I count all things to be loss, because of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, because of whom of the all things I suffered loss, and do count them to be refuse, that Christ I may gain, and be found in him,

and the God of the hope shall fill you with all joy and peace in the believing, for your abounding in the hope in power of the Holy Spirit.

And he saith to them, `Go, eat fat things, and drink sweet things, and sent portions to him for whom nothing is prepared, for to-day <FI>is<Fi> holy to our Lord, and be not grieved, for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.'

sanctify them in Thy truth, Thy word is truth;

till now ye did ask nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

<FI> Nun.<Fi> A lamp to my foot <FI>is<Fi> Thy word, And a light to my path.

all things I did shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth <FI>us<Fi> to partake with the ailing, to be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

Thy words have been found, and I eat them, And Thy word is to me for a joy, And for the rejoicing of my heart, For Thy name is called on me, O Jehovah, God of Hosts.

But--in this let the boaster boast himself, In understanding and knowing Me, For I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah, doing kindness, Judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, For in these I have delighted, An affirmation of Jehovah.

In Thy statutes I delight myself, I do not forget Thy word.

Satisfy us at morn <FI>with<Fi> Thy kindness, And we sing and rejoice all our days.

Rejoice and sing do nations, For Thou judgest peoples uprightly, And peoples on earth comfortest. Selah.

Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous, And sing, all ye upright of heart!

The precepts of Jehovah <FI>are<Fi> upright, Rejoicing the heart, The command of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> pure, enlightening the eyes,

I did write to you, fathers, because ye have known him who <FI>is<Fi> from the beginning; I did write to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God in you doth remain, and ye have overcome the evil.

being begotten again, not out of seed corruptible, but incorruptible, through a word of God--living and remaining--to the age;

by faith Moses, having become great, did refuse to be called a son of the daughter of Pharaoh, — read the full passage →

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice;

And the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,

for, as many things as were written before, for our instruction were written before, that through the endurance, and the exhortation of the Writings, we might have the hope.

<FI> Mem.<Fi> O how I have loved Thy law! All the day it <FI>is<Fi> my meditation.

The law of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> perfect, refreshing the soul, The testimonies of Jehovah <FI>are<Fi> stedfast, Making wise the simple, — read the full passage →

The law of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> perfect, refreshing the soul, The testimonies of Jehovah <FI>are<Fi> stedfast, Making wise the simple,

Be obedient to those leading you, and be subject, for these do watch for your souls, as about to give account, that with joy they may do this, and not sighing, for this <FI>is<Fi> unprofitable to you.

who being the brightness of the glory, and the impress of His subsistence, bearing up also the all things by the saying of his might--through himself having made a cleansing of our sins, sat down at the right hand of the greatness in the highest,

every Writing <FI>is<Fi> God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that <FI>is<Fi> in righteousness,

So that, my beloved, as ye always obey, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, with fear and trembling your own salvation work out, — read the full passage →

nothing in rivalry or vain-glory, but in humility of mind one another counting more excellent than yourselves--

so then the faith <FI>is<Fi> by a report, and the report through a saying of God,

and these have been written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye may have life in his name.'

`I am the vine, ye the branches; he who is remaining in me, and I in him, this one doth bear much fruit, because apart from me ye are not able to do anything;

and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you.

and the truth shall make you free.'

sell your goods, and give alms, make to yourselves bags that become not old, a treasure unfailing in the heavens, where thief doth not come near, nor moth destroy;

`But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward will be great, and ye shall be sons of the Highest, because He is kind unto the ungracious and evil;

Then said Jesus to his disciples, `If any one doth will to come after me, let him disown himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,

But he answering said, `It hath been written, Not upon bread alone doth man live, but upon every word coming forth from the mouth of God.'

Every saying of God <FI>is<Fi> tried, A shield He <FI>is<Fi> to those trusting in Him.

as also in all the epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, among which things are certain hard to be understood, which the untaught and unstable do wrest, as also the other Writings, unto their own destruction.

about to receive a reward of unrighteousness, pleasures counting the luxury in the day, spots and blemishes, luxuriating in their deceits, feasting with you,

for not by will of man did ever prophecy come, but by the Holy Spirit borne on holy men of God spake.

through which to us the most great and precious promises have been given, that through these ye may become partakers of a divine nature, having escaped from the corruption in the world in desires.

ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend <FI>it<Fi> .

having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.

looking to the author and perfecter of faith--Jesus, who, over-against the joy set before him--did endure a cross, shame having despised, on the right hand also of the throne of God did sit down;

Therefore, we also having so great a cloud of witnesses set around us, every weight having put off, and the closely besetting sin, through endurance may we run the contest that is set before us, — read the full passage →

by faith we understand the ages to have been prepared by a saying of God, in regard to the things seen not having come out of things appearing;

And faith is of things hoped for a confidence, of matters not seen a conviction,

and the helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God,

The husbands! love your own wives, as also the Christ did love the assembly, and did give himself for it,

which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, with spiritual things spiritual things comparing,

and when He may come--the Spirit of truth--He will guide you to all the truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but as many things as He will hear He will speak, and the coming things He will tell you;

if ye may remain in me, and my sayings in you may remain, whatever ye may wish ye shall ask, and it shall be done to you.

already ye are clean, because of the word that I have spoken to you;

and whatever ye may ask in my name, I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;

if them he did call gods unto whom the word of God came, (and the Writing is not able to be broken,)

for God did so love the world, that His Son--the only begotten--He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.

and he said to them, `These <FI>are<Fi> the words that I spake unto you, being yet with you, that it behoveth to be fulfilled all the things that are written in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, about me.'

and I say to you, Make to yourselves friends out of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye may fail, they may receive you to the age-during tabernacles.

And he said also to him who did call him, `When thou mayest make a dinner or a supper, be not calling thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kindred, nor rich neighbours, lest they may also call thee again, and a recompense may come to thee; — read the full passage →

And he said unto all, `If any one doth will to come after me, let him disown himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me;

and the second <FI>is<Fi> like <FI>it<Fi> , this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; --greater than these there is no other command.'

And Jesus answering said to them, `Ye go astray, not knowing the Writings, nor the power of God;

for whoever may will to save his life, shall lose it, and whoever may lose his life for my sake shall find it,

`Do not suppose that I came to throw down the law or the prophets--I did not come to throw down, but to fulfil;

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, hath a word of Jehovah been unto Zechariah, son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, the prophet, saying:

He hath declared to thee, O man, what <FI>is<Fi> good; Yea, what is Jehovah requiring of thee, Except--to do judgment, and love kindness, And lowly to walk with thy God?

A word of Jehovah that hath been unto Micah the Morashite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, that he hath seen concerning Samaria and Jerusalem:

Righteous <FI>is<Fi> the first in his own cause, His neighbour cometh and hath searched him.

I have inherited Thy testimonies to the age, For the joy of my heart <FI>are<Fi> they.

I remembered Thy judgments of old, O Jehovah, And I comfort myself.

This <FI>is<Fi> my comfort in mine affliction, That Thy saying hath quickened me.

And I walk habitually in a broad place, For Thy precepts I have sought.

In my heart I have hid Thy saying, That I sin not before Thee.

For He hath said, and it is, He hath commanded, and it standeth.

`And He doth humble thee, and cause thee to hunger and doth cause thee to eat the manna (which thou hast not known, even thy fathers have not known), in order to cause thee to know that not by bread alone doth man live, but by every produce of the mouth of Jehovah man doth live.