M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

17 When Jesus had said these things, he looked up to heaven and said, `Father, the time has come now. Make your Son's name great, so that your Son may make your name great.

² You have given your Son power over all people. So all those you have given him will live for ever.

³ You are the only true God. If they know you, and Jesus Christ whom you sent, they will live for ever.

⁴ I made your name great on earth. I have done the work you gave me to do.

⁵ So now, Father, let my name be great with you. Make my name as great as it was when I was with you before the world was made.

⁶ `I have shown these men who you really are. They are men whom you gave me from the world. They belonged to you and you gave them to me. They have obeyed you.

⁷ Now they really know that everything you gave me comes from you.

⁸ I have told them the things that you told me to tell them. And they have believed my words. They know it is true that I was with you before I came. They have believed that you sent me.

⁹ It is these men I am asking you for. I am not asking you for the people of the world. But I am asking for those you gave me, because they belong to you.

¹⁰ All those I have are yours. And all you have are mine. And they make my name great.

¹¹ `I am not in the world any longer. But they are in the world. And I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me. Then they will be one, just as you and I are one.

¹² While I was with them, I took care of them in your name, which you gave me. I have taken care of them. Only one of them is lost. That is the one who was born to be lost. What your book says came true.

¹³ Now I am coming to you. `I say these things while I am in the world so that they may be very glad, as I am.

¹⁴ I have told them what you said. The world has hated them because they do not belong to the world. So also, I do not belong to the world.

¹⁵ I do not ask you to take them out of the world. But I ask you to take care of them, so that the evil one of this world will not harm them.

¹⁶ They do not belong to the world, even as I do not belong to the world.

¹⁷ Make them clean by the true word and keep them for yourself. Your word is true.

¹⁸ I have sent them into the world as you sent me into the world.

¹⁹ I have made myself clean and kept myself for them, so that they may be clean and be kept for you also by the truth.

²⁰ `I do not ask this for these people only; I ask it also for the people who will believe in me when they hear what these people say.

²¹ I do this so that the people will all be one. That is the same way with us. You, my Father, belong to me and I belong to you. I ask that they also may be joined to us. Then the world will believe that you have sent me.

²² I have made them great the way you have made me great. That makes us one, as we are one.

²³ I belong to them and you belong to me, so that they all may be really one together. Then the world will know that you have sent me and that you have loved them just as you have loved me.

²⁴ `Father, I want the people that you have given me to be with me. Then they will see that you made me great, because you loved me before you made the world.

²⁵ Father, you are the one who is right. The world has not known you. But I have known you. These people know that you have sent me.

²⁶ I have told them who you are. I will tell them again and again. Then they will love each other as much as you have loved me. And I will live in them.'

1 We, Paul and Timothy, are servants of Christ Jesus. We send greetings to all of God's people who belong to Christ Jesus and who live in the city of Philippi. We send greetings to the leaders of the church people and those who have been chosen to help them.

² May the loving kindness of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

³ Every time I think of you I thank God for you.

⁴ I have joy in my heart every time I ask God to help you.

⁵ I thank God for the joy we share in telling the good news from the very first day until now.

⁶ God began to do a good work in you. And I am sure that he will keep on doing it until he has finished it. He will keep on until the day Jesus Christ comes again.

⁷ I have a right to feel this way about you all because I love you very much. God is good to me and you all share in this goodness. You share in my troubles in prison. You share in my work of staying true to the good news of Jesus.

⁸ I love you all as Jesus Christ loves you. God knows that what I say is true.

¹⁰ When I talk to God I ask that you may have more and more love. I ask him that you will also know and understand, so that you will be able to see what things are right. I want you to be clean with nothing wrong in you when Jesus Christ comes back.

¹¹ I want you to be doing right by the help of Jesus Christ. That will make people praise God and will show how great he is.

¹² My brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has made more people know about the good news.

¹³ All the soldiers here and all the other people know that I am in prison because of Christ.

¹⁴ Because I am in prison, most of my Christian brothers are stronger for the Lord. They are strong in the faith now and they are not afraid to tell God's good news about Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ Some of them tell about Christ because they are jealous. They want to prove they are better than me. Some of them tell about Christ because they want to help me.

¹⁶ The first ones do it because they want to prove they are better than I am. They do not have a good reason. But they think they will make trouble for me while I am in prison.

¹⁷ These last ones do it because they love me. They know that I am here to speak for the good news.

¹⁸ But it does not matter. Every way, in the wrong way or in the right way, Christ is talked about. I will be glad because of that.

¹⁹ Yes, I will keep on being glad about it. I know that you will talk to God about me, and I know that the Spirit of Jesus Christ will help me. So I know that things will work out for me to be free.

²⁰ I look forward to this very much and hope that I will not be ashamed at all. But I want to be very strong. I want to bring honour to Christ now as I always have. I can do this if I live or die.

²¹ All I live for is Christ, and to die would give me more blessing.

²² If I keep on living, then I will keep on doing my good work. I really do not know which I want more, to live or to die.

²³ I am caught between these two. I want to die and go to be with Christ, which would be very much better.

²⁴ But you need me more to stay here.

²⁵ Because I am sure of this, I know that I will stay on and be here with you all. That will help you to be better Christians and happy ones.

²⁶ Then you will be even more happy about what Christ Jesus has done for me because I have come back to you.

²⁷ So whatever happens, live as people who believe the good news of Christ should live. Then, if I come and see you, or if I am away and hear about you, you will be standing strong together in one spirit. With one mind you will be working hard together for the good news.

²⁸ Do not fear in any way those who are working against you. It is God who shows them they are lost and you are saved.

²⁹ God has given you a special gift. You can not only believe in Christ but also suffer for him.

³⁰ You have the same trouble which you saw me have. And you hear now that I still have it.