Psalm 84; Psalm 85; Psalm 86; Romans 12 (New Living Translation)

1 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty. 2 I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home there, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young -- at a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God! 4 How happy are those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude 5 Happy are those who are strong in the LORD, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains! 7 They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. 8 O LORD God Almighty, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Israel. Interlude 9 O God, look with favor upon the king, our protector! Have mercy on the one you have anointed. 10 A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right. 12 O LORD Almighty, happy are those who trust in you. 1 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. LORD, you have poured out amazing blessings on your land! You have restored the fortunes of Israel. 2 You have forgiven the guilt of your people -- yes, you have covered all their sins. Interlude 3 You have withdrawn your fury. You have ended your blazing anger. 4 Now turn to us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us. 5 Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to distant generations? 6 Won't you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? 7 Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. 8 I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his people, his faithful ones. But let them not return to their foolish ways. 9 Surely his salvation is near to those who honor him; our land will be filled with his glory. 10 Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! 11 Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. 12 Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful crops. 13 Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps. 1 A prayer of David. Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. 2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. 3 Be merciful, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. 4 Give me happiness, O Lord, for my life depends on you. 5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask your aid. 6 Listen closely to my prayer, O LORD; hear my urgent cry. 7 I will call to you whenever trouble strikes, and you will answer me. 8 Nowhere among the pagan gods is there a god like you, O Lord. There are no other miracles like yours. 9 All the nations -- and you made each one -- will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your great and holy name. 10 For you are great and perform great miracles. You alone are God. 11 Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, that I may honor you. 12 With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, 13 for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death ! 14 O God, insolent people rise up against me; violent people are trying to kill me. And you mean nothing to them. 15 But you, O Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love and truth. 16 Look down and have mercy on me. Give strength to your servant; yes, save me, for I am your servant. 17 Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O LORD, help and comfort me. 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. 3 As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. 6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. 14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. 19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord. 20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." 21 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.