Psalms 84; Psalms 85; Psalms 86; Romans 12

Psalms 84

1 How I love your Temple, Lord Almighty!

2 How I want to be there! I long to be in the Lord's Temple. With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God.

3 Even the sparrows have built a nest, and the swallows have their own home; they keep their young near your altars, Lord Almighty, my king and my God.

4 How happy are those who live in your Temple, always singing praise to you.

5 How happy are those whose strength comes from you, who are eager to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion.

6 As they pass through the dry valley of Baca, it becomes a place of springs; the autumn rain fills it with pools.

7 They grow stronger as they go; they will see the God of gods on Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty. Listen, O God of Jacob!

9 Bless our king, O God, the king you have chosen.

10 One day spent in your Temple is better than a thousand anywhere else; I would rather stand at the gate of the house of my God than live in the homes of the wicked.

11 The Lord is our protector and glorious king, blessing us with kindness and honor. He does not refuse any good thing to those who do what is right.

12 Lord Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!

Psalms 85

1 Lord, you have been merciful to your land; you have made Israel prosperous again.

2 You have forgiven your people's sins and pardoned all their wrongs.

3 You stopped being angry with them and held back your furious rage.

4 Bring us back, O God our savior, and stop being displeased with us!

5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will your anger never cease?

6 Make us strong again, and we, your people, will praise you.

7 Show us your constant love, O Lord, and give us your saving help.

8 I am listening to what the Lord God is saying; he promises peace to us, his own people, if we do not go back to our foolish ways.

9 Surely he is ready to save those who honor him, and his saving presence will remain in our land.

10 Love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will embrace.

11 Human loyalty will reach up from the earth, and God's righteousness will look down from heaven.

12 The Lord will make us prosperous, and our land will produce rich harvests.

13 Righteousness will go before the Lord and prepare the path for him.

Psalms 86

1 Listen to me, Lord, and answer me, for I am helpless and weak.

2 Save me from death, because I am loyal to you; save me, for I am your servant and I trust in you.

3 You are my God, so be merciful to me; I pray to you all day long.

4 Make your servant glad, O Lord, because my prayers go up to you.

5 You are good to us and forgiving, full of constant love for all who pray to you.

6 Listen, Lord, to my prayer; hear my cries for help.

7 I call to you in times of trouble, because you answer my prayers.

8 There is no god like you, O Lord, not one has done what you have done.

9 All the nations that you have created will come and bow down to you; they will praise your greatness.

10 You are mighty and do wonderful things; you alone are God.

11 Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and I will obey you faithfully; teach me to serve you with complete devotion.

12 I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God; I will proclaim your greatness forever.

13 How great is your constant love for me! You have saved me from the grave itself.

14 Proud people are coming against me, O God; a cruel gang is trying to kill me - people who pay no attention to you.

15 But you, O Lord, are a merciful and loving God, always patient, always kind and faithful.

16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; strengthen me and save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.

17 Show me proof of your goodness, Lord; those who hate me will be ashamed when they see that you have given me comfort and help.

Romans 12

1 So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.

2 Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

3 And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.

4 We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions.

5 In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.

6 So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have;

7 if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach;

8 if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.

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

10 Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another.

11 Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.

12 Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.

13 Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.

14 Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not to curse.

15 Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.

16 Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.

17 If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good.

18 Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.

19 Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord."

20 Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame."

21 Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.