Book of Common Prayer
The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God.
A Psalm of David, [a]when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
63 God, (A)You are my God; I shall be watching for You;
My soul (B)thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a (C)dry and exhausted land where there is no water.
2 So have I (D)seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and glory.
3 Because Your [b](E)favor is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
4 So I will bless You (F)as long as I live;
I will (G)lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul is (H)satisfied as with fat and fatness,
And my mouth offers (I)praises with joyful lips.
6 When I remember You (J)on my bed,
I meditate on You in the (K)night watches,
7 For (L)You have been my help,
And in the (M)shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul (N)clings [c]to You;
Your (O)right hand takes hold of me.
9 But those who (P)seek my [d]life to destroy it,
Will go into the [e](Q)depths of the earth.
10 [f]They will be [g](R)turned over to the power of the sword;
They will be a [h](S)prey for foxes.
11 But the (T)king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who (U)swears by Him will boast,
For the (V)mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.
A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness.
A Psalm.
98 Sing a (A)new song to the Lord,
For He has done (B)wonderful things,
His (C)right hand and His (D)holy arm have [a]gained the victory for Him.
2 (E)The Lord has made His salvation known;
He has (F)revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has (G)remembered His graciousness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
(H)All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.
A Psalm of David.
103 (A)Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His (B)holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And (C)do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who (D)pardons all your guilt,
Who (E)heals all your diseases;
4 Who (F)redeems your life from the pit,
Who (G)crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who (H)satisfies your [a]years with good things,
So that your youth is (I)renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord (J)performs [b]righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are (K)oppressed.
7 He (L)made known His ways to Moses,
His (M)deeds to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is (N)compassionate and gracious,
(O)Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
9 He (P)will not always contend with us,
Nor will He (Q)keep His anger forever.
10 He has (R)not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.
11 For as high (S)as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who [c]fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He (T)removed our wrongdoings from us.
13 Just (U)as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who [d]fear Him.
14 For (V)He Himself knows [e]our form;
He (W)is mindful that we are nothing but (X)dust.
15 As for man, his days are (Y)like grass;
Like a (Z)flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the (AA)wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its (AB)place no longer knows about it.
17 But the [f](AC)mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who [g]fear Him,
And His justice (AD)to the children’s children,
18 To (AE)those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts, so as to do them.
19 The Lord has established His (AF)throne in the heavens,
And His [h](AG)sovereignty rules over [i]all.
20 Bless the Lord, you (AH)His angels,
(AI)Mighty in strength, who (AJ)perform His word,
(AK)Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you (AL)His [j]angels,
You (AM)who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, (AN)all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, my soul!
Serve God Willingly
5 (A)Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your (B)fellow elder and a (C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a [a](D)fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: 2 shepherd (E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, (F)not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and (G)not [b]with greed but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as (H)domineering over [c]those assigned to your care, but by [d]proving to be [e](I)examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief (J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the (K)unfading [f](L)crown of glory. 5 (M)You [g]younger men, likewise, (N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with (O)humility toward one another, because (P)God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore (Q)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 having cast all your (R)anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. 8 (S)Be of sober spirit, (T)be on the alert. Your adversary, (U)the devil, prowls around like a roaring (V)lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [h](W)So resist him, (X)firm in your faith, knowing that (Y)the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [i]brothers and sisters who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered (Z)for a little while, the (AA)God of all grace, who (AB)called you to His (AC)eternal glory in Christ, will Himself (AD)perfect, (AE)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 (AF)To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of the (A)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are (B)ravenous wolves. 16 You will [a](C)know them by their fruits. [b]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So (D)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 (E)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will [c]know them (F)by their fruits.
21 “(G)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 (H)Many will say to Me on (I)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [d]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; (J)leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
The Two Foundations
24 “Therefore, (K)everyone who hears these words of Mine, and [e]acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the [f]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not [g]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell and the [h]floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
28 [i](L)When Jesus had finished these words, (M)the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
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