²⁶ Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

³⁰ “Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi^[a] would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.

²⁴ Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.^[a]

¹⁰ Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Greetings from Paul

1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

²⁴ Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

⁸ Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

Greetings from Jude

¹ This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.^[a]

³ Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.