Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁵ “See, I have put in front of you today life and what is good, and death and what is bad. ¹⁶ I tell you today to love the Lord your God. Walk in His ways. Keep all His Laws and all that He has decided. Then you will live and become many. And the Lord your God will bring good to you in the land you are going in to take. ¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but leave to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸ I tell you today that you will die for sure. You will not live long in that land across the Jordan which you are about to take for your own. ¹⁹ I call heaven and earth to speak against you today. I have put in front of you life and death, the good and the curse. So choose life so you and your children after you may live. ²⁰ Love the Lord your God and obey His voice. Hold on to Him. For He is your life, and by Him your days will be long. You will be allowed to live in the land the Lord promised to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

The Difference between Good and Sinful People

1 Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. ² But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. ³ This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.

⁴ Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. ⁵ So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. ⁶ For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever.

¹ This letter is from Paul. I am in prison because of Jesus Christ. Brother Timothy is also writing to you, Philemon. You are a much-loved workman together with us. ² We are also writing to the church that meets in your home. This letter is also for our Christian sister Apphia and it is for Archippus who is a soldier together with us. ³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you His loving-favor and peace.

⁴ I always thank God when I speak of you in my prayers. ⁵ It is because I hear of your love and trust in the Lord Jesus and in all the Christians. ⁶ I pray that our faith together will help you know all the good things you have through Christ Jesus. ⁷ Your love has given me much joy and comfort. The hearts of the Christians have been made happy by you, Christian brother.

⁸ So now, through Christ, I am free to tell you what you must do. ⁹ But because I love you, I will only ask you. I am Paul, an old man, here in prison because of Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ I am asking you for my son, Onesimus. He has become my son in the Christian life while I have been here in prison. ¹¹ At one time he was of no use to you. But now he is of use to you and to me. ¹² I am sending him back to you. It is like sending you my own heart. ¹³ I would like to keep him with me. He could have helped me in your place while I am in prison for preaching the Good News. ¹⁴ But I did not want to keep him without word from you. I did not want you to be kind to me because you had to but because you wanted to. ¹⁵ He ran away from you for awhile. But now he is yours forever. ¹⁶ Do not think of him any longer as a servant you own. He is more than that to you. He is a much-loved Christian brother to you and to me.

¹⁷ If you think of me as a true friend, take him back as you would take me. ¹⁸ If he has done anything wrong or owes you anything, send me

the bill. ¹⁹ I will pay it. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will not talk about how much you owe me because you owe me your life. ²⁰ Yes, Christian brother, I want you to be of use to me as a Christian. Give my heart new joy in Christ. ²¹ I write this letter knowing you will do what I ask and even more.

Giving Up Things of This Earth ^(A)

²⁵ Many people followed Jesus. Then He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If any man comes to Me and does not have much more love for Me than for his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My follower. ²⁷ If he does not carry his cross and follow Me, he cannot be My follower.

²⁸ “If one of you wanted to build a large building, you would sit down first and think of how much money it would take to build it. You would see if you had enough money to finish it, ²⁹ or when the base of the building is finished, you might see that you do not have enough money to finish it. Then all who would see it would make fun of you. ³⁰ They would say, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

³¹ “What if a king is going to war with another king? Will he not sit down first and decide if he is able to go with 10,000 men against the other king who is coming with 20,000 men? ³² Or, he will send a soldier to the other king while he is still a long way off. He will ask what can be done to have peace. ³³ In the same way, whoever does not give up all that he has, cannot be My follower.