Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to him for help.

Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon.

Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life, and I will live in the Lord's house a long, long time.

You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.

I ask only one thing from the Lord. This is what I want most: Let me live in the Lord's house all my life, enjoying the Lord's beauty and spending time in his palace.

The Spirit of God came on Azariah, who was Obed's son.
Azariah went to meet Asa and said, "Listen to me Asa, and all you people of Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you look for the Lord, you will find him. But if you leave him, he will leave you.
For a long time Israel was without the true God. And they were without a teaching priest, and without the law.
But when the Israelites had trouble, they turned to the Lord God again. He is the God of Israel. They looked for the Lord and they found him.
In those times of trouble, no one could travel safely. There was much trouble in all the nations.
One nation would destroy another nation and one city would destroy another city. This was happening because God gave them all kinds of trouble.
But Asa, you and the people of Judah and Benjamin, be strong. Don't be weak, don't give up because you will get a reward for your good work!"
Asa felt encouraged when he heard these words and the message from Obed the prophet. Then he removed the hated idols from the whole area of Judah and Benjamin. He also removed the hated idols from the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the Lord's altar that was in front of the porch of the Lord's Temple.
Then Asa gathered all the people from Judah and Benjamin and the people from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had moved from the country of Israel to live in the country of Judah. A great many of these people came to Judah because they saw that the Lord, Asa's God, was with him.
Asa and these people gathered together in Jerusalem on the third month in the 15 year of Asa's rule.
At that time they sacrificed 700 bulls and 7000 sheep and goats to the Lord. Asa's army had taken the animals and other valuable things from their enemies.
Then they made an agreement to serve the Lord God with all their heart and with all their soul. He is the God their ancestors served.
Anyone who refused to serve the Lord God was to be killed. It did not matter if that person was important or not or if that person was a man or woman.
Then Asa and the people made an oath to the Lord. They shouted it out loudly and blew their trumpets and rams' horns.
All the people of Judah were happy about the oath, because they had promised with all their heart. They followed God with all their heart. They looked for God and found him, so the Lord gave them peace in all the country.
King Asa also removed Maacah, his mother, from being queen mother. He did this because she had set up one of those awful poles to honor the goddess Asherah. Asa cut down that Asherah pole, smashed it into small pieces, and burned the pieces in the Kidron Valley.
Asa did not destroy the high places, even though he was faithful to the Lord all his life.
Asa and his father had given some special gifts to God. Asa put these gifts of gold, silver, and other things into the Temple.
There was no more war until the 35 year of Asa's rule.

Pray to the Lord, and he will hear you. He will save you from all your troubles.
The Lord is close to those who have suffered disappointment. He saves those who are discouraged.

We know that we live in God and God lives in us. We know this because he gave us his Spirit.

We pray that the Lord of peace will give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Depend on the Lord for strength. Always go to him for help.

I pray that the Lord our God will be with us, as he was with our ancestors. I pray that he will never leave us.

One day in your Temple is better than a thousand days anywhere else. Serving as a guard at the gate of my God's house is better than living in the homes of the wicked.

"I will not leave you all alone like orphans. I will come back to you.

So you should look for the Lord before it is too late. You should call to him now, while he is near.

No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father.

Yes, at one time you were far away from God, but now in Christ Jesus, you are brought near to him. You are brought near to God through the blood sacrifice of Christ.

Heal the sick people who live there, and tell them, 'God's kingdom is coming to you soon!'

"But you are so kind! You didn't completely destroy them. You didn't leave them. You are such a kind and merciful God!

Now, brothers and sisters, be filled with joy. Try to make everything right, and do what I have asked you to do. Agree with each other, and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses did not eat any food or drink any water. And he wrote the words of the agreement (the Ten Commandments) on the two stone tablets.