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2 Timothy 4 7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
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1 Corinthians 9 24-1 Corinthians 9 27
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
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Luke 21:34
“ Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
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Philippians 2:16
Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
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Philippians 3:10-14
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
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Hebrews 10:35-39
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.“ For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.
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Galatians 5:7
You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?
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Colossians 3:5-8
So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.
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Romans 12:12
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
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Romans 5:3-5
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
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1 Peter 2 1
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
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Ephesians 4:22-24
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.Put on your new nature, created to be like God— truly righteous and holy.
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2 Corinthians 7 1
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.
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James 5:7-11
Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look— the Judge is standing at the door!For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
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Romans 13:11-14
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
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Hebrews 6:15
Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
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2 Timothy 2 4
Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
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1John 2:15-16
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Romans 2:7
He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.
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James 1:3
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
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Matthew 24:13
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
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Matthew 10:22
And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
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Romans 8:24-25
We were given this hope when we were saved.( If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
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Luke 8:14-15
The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
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Revelation 3:10
“ Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
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1 Peter 4 2
You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.
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Luke 14:26-33
“ If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else— your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters— yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.“ But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.They would say,‘ There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’“ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
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2 Peter 1 6
and knowledge with self control, and self control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,
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Revelation 22:16
“ I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”
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Revelation 13:10
Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.
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Luke 12:15
Then he said,“ Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
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John 3:32
He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them!
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1 Timothy 6 9-1 Timothy 6 10
But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
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Revelation 1:9
I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.
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Matthew 10:37-38
“ If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.
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1 Peter 5 12
I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.
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Luke 18:22-25
When Jesus heard his answer, he said,“ There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.When Jesus saw this, he said,“ How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
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Hebrews 11:2-38
Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“ he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith— for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead— a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,even though God had told him,“ Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
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Isaiah 60:8
“ And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?
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Luke 16:28
For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
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John 4:39
Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said,“ He told me everything I ever did!”
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Psalms 18:23
I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.
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Ezekiel 38:16
and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.
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Luke 9:59-62
He said to another person,“ Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said,“ Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”But Jesus told him,“ Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”Another said,“ Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good bye to my family.”But Jesus told him,“ Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
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Ezekiel 38:9
You and all your allies— a vast and awesome army— will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.
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John 4:44
He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown.
