Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of faith.

So then, my friends, try even harder to make God's call and his choice of you a permanent experience; if you do so, you will never abandon your faith.

I will do my best, then, to provide a way for you to remember these matters at all times after my death.

And so, my friends, as you wait for that Day, do your best to be pure and faultless in God's sight and to be at peace with him.

"Listen to these words, fellow Israelites! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose divine authority was clearly proven to you by all the miracles and wonders which God performed through him. You yourselves know this, for it happened here among you.

And when you serve Christ in this way, you please God and are approved by others.

Greetings to Apelles, whose loyalty to Christ has been proved. Greetings to those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.

More than anything else, however, we want to please him, whether in our home here or there.

For it is when the Lord thinks well of us that we are really approved, and not when we think well of ourselves.

Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Instead, we always speak as God wants us to, because he has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please people, but to please God, who tests our motives.

So he replied, "This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room."

it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

We do not want anyone to find fault with our work, so we try not to put obstacles in anyone's way.

Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God's servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties.

If you give these instructions to the believers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, as you feed yourself spiritually on the words of faith and of the true teaching which you have followed.

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you, which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the elders laid their hands on you.

Watch yourself and watch your teaching. Keep on doing these things, because if you do, you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

So he replied, "This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room."

Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand.

The Lord answered, "Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? He is the one that his master will put in charge, to run the household and give the other servants their share of the food at the proper time.

After they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?" "Yes, Lord," he answered, "you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Take care of my lambs."

A third time Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter became sad because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" and so he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!" Jesus said to him, "Take care of my sheep.

For I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.

Yet I do proclaim a message of wisdom to those who are spiritually mature. But it is not the wisdom that belongs to this world or to the powers that rule this world---powers that are losing their power.

As a matter of fact, my friends, I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit; I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world, as children in the Christian faith.

I had to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it,

We put aside all secret and shameful deeds; we do not act with deceit, nor do we falsify the word of God. In the full light of truth we live in God's sight and try to commend ourselves to everyone's good conscience.

We urge you, our friends, to warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

There is much we have to say about this matter, but it is hard to explain to you, because you are so slow to understand.

Anyone who has to drink milk is still a child, without any experience in the matter of right and wrong.