“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his
Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no
one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can
have a whole and lasting life.”—John 3:16

Jesus stated, “I am Light that has come into the world
so that all who believe in me won’t have to stay any
longer in the dark.”—John 12:46
Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with
your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for
those who believe without seeing.”—John 20:29

Those who think they can do it on their own end up
obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but
never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who
trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in
them—living and breathing God!—Romans 8:5

Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s
Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
—Romans 10:17
Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions,
give it all you’ve got, be resolute.—1 Corinthians 16:13
It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us
going.—2 Corinthians 5:7

I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer
central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous
before you or have your good opinion, and I am no
longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The
life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me.—Galatians 2:20

Saving is all God’s idea, and all his work. All we do is
trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from
start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did,
we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the
whole thing!—Ephesians 2:8-9

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be
seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose
in everything created. For everything, absolutely
everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank
after rank after rank of angels—everything got started
in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there
before any of it came into existence and holds it all
together right up to this moment.—Colossians 1:15-17

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in
God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything
that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we
can’t see.—Hebrews 11:1

By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s
word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
—Hebrews 11:3

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why?
Because anyone who wants to approach God must
believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to
respond to those who seek him.—Hebrews 11:6
You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced
into the open and shows its true colors.—James 1:3

Do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn
all the right words but never do anything? Does merely
talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?
For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in
rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend!
Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and
walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup
of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that
God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
—James 2:14-17

Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure;
genuine faith put through this suffering comes out
proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your
faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as
evidence of his victory.—1 Peter 1:7

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been
given, complementing your basic faith with good character,
spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and change
generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing
the others.—2 Peter 1:5-7

Anyone who gets so progressive in his thinking that
he walks out on the teaching of Christ, walks out on
God.—2 John 9