A Call to Persevere

¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles^(A) of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.^(B)

¹⁰ As it is written:

²³ For the wages of sin is death,^(A) but the gift of God is eternal life^(B) in^[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors^(A) through him who loved us.^{(B) 38} For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a] neither the present nor the future,^(C) nor any powers,^{(D) 39} neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God^(E) that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.^(F)

The Need for Self-Discipline

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?^(A) Run^(B) in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown^(C) that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.^{(D) 26} Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly;^(E) I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.^{(F) 27} No, I strike a blow to my body^(G) and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.^(H)