It is for your sake that I have been insulted and that I am covered with shame.

We have sinned against the LORD, so now we must endure his anger for a while. But in the end he will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light; we will live to see him save us.

On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross. (Simon was from Cyrene and was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples.

Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.

Let us, then, go to him outside the camp and share his shame.

I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God's word and the truth that Jesus revealed.

Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you safe from the time of trouble which is coming upon the world to test all the people on earth.

Be patient and wait for the LORD to act; don't be worried about those who prosper or those who succeed in their evil plans.

The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.

Stand firm, and you will save yourselves.

Some people keep on doing good, and seek glory, honor, and immortal life; to them God will give eternal life.

We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope.

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.

Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us.

And may God, the source of patience and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus,

May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.

May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God's love and the endurance that is given by Christ.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to be like those who believe and are patient, and so receive what God has promised.

Abraham was patient, and so he received what God had promised.

You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what he promises.

As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us.

for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.

Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Be patient, then, my friends, until the Lord comes. See how patient farmers are as they wait for their land to produce precious crops. They wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains.

Do not complain against one another, my friends, so that God will not judge you. The Judge is near, ready to appear.

We call them happy because they endured. You have heard of Job's patience, and you know how the Lord provided for him in the end. For the Lord is full of mercy and compassion.

to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness;

My greetings to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who work in the Lord's service, and to my dear friend Persis, who has done so much work for the Lord.

to follow the leadership of such people as these, and of anyone else who works and serves with them.

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

We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food.

So we do not boast about the work that others have done beyond the limits God set for us. Instead, we hope that your faith may grow and that we may be able to do a much greater work among you, always within the limits that God has set.

Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman---but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often.

as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the Day of Christ, because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted.

And you too, my faithful partner, I want you to help these women; for they have worked hard with me to spread the gospel, together with Clement and all my other fellow workers, whose names are in God's book of the living.

For we remember before our God and Father how you put your faith into practice, how your love made you work so hard, and how your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is firm.

Surely you remember, our friends, how we worked and toiled! We worked day and night so that we would not be any trouble to you as we preached to you the Good News from God.

We beg you, our friends, to pay proper respect to those who work among you, who guide and instruct you in the Christian life.

We did not accept anyone's support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you.

We struggle and work hard, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all and especially of those who believe.

The elders who do good work as leaders should be considered worthy of receiving double pay, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other Christians.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and never become discouraged.

God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged.

For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day.

So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.

But you, friends, must not become tired of doing good.

Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.

Have you forgotten the encouraging words which God speaks to you as his children? "My child, pay attention when the Lord corrects you, and do not be discouraged when he rebukes you.