The Suffering of the Believer: God’s Provision and Power

 1 Peter 5  10-11 <>< The Suffering of the Believer: God’s Provision and Power

 

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”^[1]

 

This passage concludes Peter’s letter to the believers. But before he makes his concluding remarks, he has one more important subject to discuss: the suffering of the believer and God. The believer suffers greatly in this world. The believer not only bears the natural sufferings of this world that all men suffer, but he is attacked because of his faith in Christ. He is attacked by both the devil and unbelievers because he lives a righteous and godly life and proclaims the hope of salvation for all men. Most people want nothing to do with pure godliness and holiness: they want to live in the comfort and enjoyment of their desires and in the pleasures and possessions of this world. Therefore, they reject and oppose anyone who stresses pure godliness and holiness.

But the genuine believer has a great promise: God will take care of him through all the sufferings of this life. God will keep and preserve the believer and eventually take him on home to heaven. This is the great study of this passage.

1.   God’s great resources: grace and His eternal call to glory (v. 10).

2.   God’s great provision (v. 10).

3.   God’s great power (v. 11).

God—Grace—Glory 

There is God’s Great Resource.

Two great resources are mentioned: His grace and His call to eternal glory. Everything that God does for the believer is because of His grace. Note that He is even called the God of all grace. Grace means favor, the favor of God. God favors us; therefore, He blesses us. Every blessing we ever receive comes from the favor of God, even life itself. All good things come from God and from His grace.

But note another fact as well: God has called us to eternal glory. He wants us in heaven with Him, free from all the sin, dirt, filth, evil, corruption, disease, and death of this world. God wants us perfected and glorified, made just like His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God wants us living with Him forever and ever, worshipping and serving Him. He has called the believer to eternal glory. Therefore, God will do anything—do what is necessary—to save and keep the believer for glory. God has called the believer to glory; therefore, He is committed to keep and preserve the believer for glory.

This is the glorious truth: God’s grace and God’s call to eternal glory will keep us through all the sufferings of this life. No matter how much Satan attacks us, no matter how severe the suffering, God will keep us. He will keep us …

•     because He is gracious to us; He has favored us

•     because He has called us to His eternal glory

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Ro. 8:16–17).

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ep. 2:4–8).

“For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Ph. 3:20–21).

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Ph. 4:19).

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4).

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:11–13).

“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:7). 

 

God 

There is God’s Great Provision.

How does God keep and preserve the believer? The temptations and trials of life are severe and fierce. How does God make sure the believer makes it to heaven and its eternal glory? God does four wonderful things for the believer.

Note: in the Greek the emphasis is upon God Himself doing these things. God, Himself becomes actively involved in taking care of the believer, in keeping and preserving and taking the believer to heaven and its glory.

a. God Himself uses the believer’s suffering to perfect the believer. The word perfect (katartisei) means to make fit or join together; to restore. The Greek authority Marvin Vincent says:

“The radical notion of the verb is … adjustment—the putting of all the parts into right relation and connection. We find it used …

•     “of mending the nets (Mt. 4:21)

•     “of restoring an erring brother (Ga. 6:1)

•     “of framing the body and the worlds (He. 10:5; 11:3)

•     “of the union of members in the church (1 Co. 1:10; 2 Co. 13:11)

“Out of this comes the general sense of perfecting (Mt. 21:16; Lu. 6:40; 1 Th. 3:10).” (Word Studies In The New Testament, Vol. 1, p. 671.) (Note: the paragraph has been outlined for simplicity.) 

God takes all of the displaced joints and broken limbs of life and uses them to adjust our character. He uses all the trials and temptations, difficulties and persecutions—all the sufferings of life—and makes us more and more like Christ. If we are truly called of God and if we truly love God, then God will take all that ever happens to us and work it out for good. He will perfect us, fit all the parts of life together, and lead us to glory. This is the glorious grace and call of God to eternal glory.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Mt. 5:48).

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ep. 4:12–13).

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (Js. 1:3–4).

“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (1 Jn. 2:5).

b. God Himself uses the believer’s sufferings to stablish the believer. The word stablish (sterixei) means to make steadfast, firm, and solid. It means to be firmly set, as firmly as if one was set in reinforced concrete. It means to be immovable. God is able to attach us to Himself to such a degree that we will be immovable, no matter how severe the attack of temptation or suffering. But remember our duty: we must resist the devil and resist him steadfastly (v. 8). The promise is clear: if we resist the devil and draw near God, He will draw near us (Js. 4:7–8).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (Js. 4:7–8).

“To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Th. 3:13).

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work” (2 Th. 2:16–17).

“Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (Js. 5:8). 

c. God Himself will strengthen (sthenosei) us. This is the only time this word is used in the New Testament. Most translators say that it means strength. It would, therefore, mean to be filled with all strength, with all the strength necessary to overcome all the trials and temptations and sufferings of life. Again, remember that it is only God Himself who can give us such enormous strength. And He will if we will only draw near Him.

“That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ep. 3:16).

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Ph. 4:13).

“Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness” (Col. 1:11).

“Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” (2 Ti. 4:17).

d. God Himself will settle us. The word settle (themeliosei) means to secure as in a foundation; to ground with security. God is able to make us secure through all the sufferings of life, no matter what they are. He is able to settle and secure our nerves, thoughts, and fears—all the uneasy and unnerving emotions that disturb us. God can settle us if we will only do one thing: resist the devil and draw near to Him.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded [settled] in love” (Ep. 3:17).

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Mt. 7:24–25).

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Ph. 4:6–7).  

God—Power 

There is God’s Power.

This is a doxology, an exclamation of praise. In thinking about all that God does for us, Peter just breaks forth with praise. God assures our salvation—despite all our sins, failures, shortcomings, weaknesses, and frailties—God calls us to eternal glory and secures us forever and ever. He makes us perfect, stablishes, strengthens, and settles us through all the temptations and trials and sufferings of life. He is God who possesses all power—power which no person or thing can defeat. He is God, the glorious and Sovereign Majesty of the universe; therefore, He is able to secure us. “To Him be glory and dominion forever.”^[2]

  

LIFE APPLICATION: JUST A LITTLE WHILE

For believers, suffering will not last forever. If you’re under stress, if food is scarce, if disease is spreading, God promises that suffering will last “just a little while more.”

No matter what trouble you face, hard as it is, God has stamped your life “temporarily out of order,” with emphasis on “temporarily.” A day is coming when the Great Repairman will wrench evil from the world and restore your life so that it works as God intended. You will be in mint condition, guaranteed to function as God designed.

Many times, all we can do is trust God and look forward to Jesus’ return when God will restore us. Our hope is in him!^[3]

 

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^[1] The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 

^[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. 1 Peter–Jude. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 

^[3] Barton, Bruce B. 1995. 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Pub. 

[4] https://www.bible.com/bible/114/1PE.5.10.NKJV 

Invitation to the LORD’s Salvation: An Invitation to Abundant Life

The Savior’s Great Invitation to the World

 

Introduction: the human race has the most unique opportunity imaginable, that of having worldwide peace, economic prosperity, and justice. Peace among all people is possible. A society in which need has been eliminated is possible. A society in which citizens live in comfort and joy, treat others fairly, and always do what is right is possible. Incomprehensible! Unimaginable! Yet this is the very offer that God extends to the world—the salvation of society. His great invitation to every society and group of people of the world is to receive His gift of peace, prosperity, joy, justice, and righteousness. This is the great message of the present Scripture. As seen earlier, God’s very special Servant, His Son Jesus Christ, died for the sins of the entire world (Is. 52:13–53:12). He died to offer salvation to the world. This is "The Savior’s Great Invitation to the World." 

The invitation to come to the LORD 

1 (55:1–5) The invitation is not extended only to the Jews. God does not call only the religious and righteous to come. He calls everyone, including the ungodly and unrighteous. Note the Scripture and outline:

OUTLINE

SCRIPTURE

  1.      The invitation to come to the LORD

    a.      The people invited: The thirsty & poor

    b.      The offer: Salvation

      1)      Water: Spiritual fullness

      2)      Wine & milk: All needs met

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

    c.      The price: Free

    d.      The urgent plea

      1)      Do not waste money & labor on things that do not satisfy

      2)      Listen to the LORD: Be filled with His nourishment

2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

    e.      The promise: If you come to the LORD …

      1)      You will live

      2)      You will receive all the mercies & love promised to David, 2 S. 7:11–17

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

    f.      The agent of salvation: The Savior

      1)      He is God’s Witness, Leader, & Commander

4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader, and commander to the people.

      2)      He is God’s Witness who issues the call for the people (Gentile nations) to come

         •      They will rush to Him

         •      They will see Him glorified by God

5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. 

a. The people invited to come are those who have thirsty souls and poverty-stricken hearts. To thirst means to desire, crave, long after, yearn for, eagerly seek. So to those whose souls are like a desert—dry and barren, eagerly seeking and yearning to have their thirst quenched—God says, “Come to me!”

To be poverty-stricken means to be poor, impoverished, distressed, and in desperate need. To those whose souls are poverty-stricken—utterly famished, destitute, unable to find anything that will satisfy their emptiness—the LORD cries out, “Come to me!” Let all who are thirsty and poor come to the LORD.

b. The offer of the LORD is salvation (v. 1). The thirsty, hungry soul can be saved and delivered from its thirst and hunger. The LORD offers streams of living waters to satisfy the dry, thirsty soul, and He offers wine and milk to satisfy the hungry heart. Keep in mind that water and food are the most valuable commodities in a dry, barren country. When traveling through desert areas, people will perish unless they have prepared themselves by securing water and food. So it is with the human soul. As people walk through life, they must secure the water and food that the LORD provides, or else they will perish. What is the water and food that God provides?

      ⇒      Jesus Christ is the living water of God.

      “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (Jn. 4:10).

      “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (Jn. 7:37–38; also see Re. 7:17; 22:1–2; 22:17).

      ⇒      Jesus Christ is the bread of life.

      “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (Jn. 6:35).

      “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews, therefore, strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn. 6:48–52).

c. What is the cost of God’s water and food? Astoundingly, they are free, absolutely free. This fact suggests several points: 

First, God’s salvation is a free gift. It cannot be secured by money, giving religious offerings, or working for it. If salvation were by works, people's good deeds would put God in debt to them. God would owe them. If that were the case, God would be subjected to them, owing them salvation to pay His debt. But God cannot be subjected to any man. God is the LORD of the universe, ruling and reigning over all. All creatures are in debt to Him; He is in debt to no creature. Whatever He gives is from grace, freely given. He restates the point: God’s salvation—the water and food that satisfy the human soul—is freely given. It is a gift.

• “And by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Ac. 13:39).
• “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Ro. 3:23–24).
• “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Ro. 4:3–7).
• “But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many” (Ro. 5:15).
• “Therefore as by the offense of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Ro. 5:18–19).
• “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Ro. 6:23).
• “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Therefore, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:10–14).
• “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ep. 2:8–9). 

Second, the LORD cares deeply for us. He longs to meet the hunger and thirst of our hearts by freely giving us the living water and the bread of life. When a gift is given without any expectation of payment, the gift reveals a caring heart. God is interested in our welfare. He is concerned, cherishes, and holds us in the highest esteem. And He has proven His love by freely offering us the gift of salvation.

Third, the price of salvation was extremely costly to God. Salvation cost God the death of His very own Son. Christ paid the ransom for our sin. Through His death, we are redeemed, set free from the bondage of sin and death, and given eternal life. Although we receive salvation freely, God paid an enormous price for our redemption.

• “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29).
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
• “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Ac. 2:23).
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Ro. 5:8).
• “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Ro. 5:19).
• “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn. 3:16). 

d. The plea of God for people to come is urgent and compelling (v. 2). Come is an imperative that demands immediate attention. The life or death of the human soul is at stake, for the soul is as thirsty as a barren desert and as empty as a starving man. Thus the appeal by God is pressing, requiring our utmost and immediate consideration. God makes a twofold plea:

      1)      Do not waste money or labor on things that do not satisfy. Note that God puts this plea in the form of a question, focusing on how many people do just that. They spend their money on things that do not satisfy the human soul, such as …

• worldly pleasures and activities
• immoral and illicit sexual behavior
• material possessions
• fleeting and worthless adventures
• acquiring or buying position, authority, power, or fame

      Carnal pleasures and worldly possessions cannot satisfy the human soul. Stimulating the flesh and securing the possessions or fame of this world will leave a person empty inside. With its bright lights, cheap thrills, and get-rich-quick schemes, this world will only make an individual more destitute. The person’s soul will be like a wasteland, hungry and starving for something that will give it a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

      Think of all the people whose primary objective in life is to get more money, more cars, more houses, more property, and so on. They work as hard as they can, laboring day and night to make more money to buy even more things. Once people have enough to meet the necessities of life, they accumulate more money for one of at least three purposes:

• to hoard it to satisfy the emptiness within their souls
• to become recognized as persons of wealth, authority, and power
• to use it to meet the world's needs and to carry the gospel of Christ to every living soul. (This is the only purpose that is truly justified in the eyes of God.)

      2)      God’s second plea is, “Listen, listen carefully to me! Eat what is good! Be filled with my nourishment!” Excess money is used for worldly, carnal, and selfish purposes in most cases. For this reason, God pleads with all of us to ask ourselves this question: Why do we spend money on things that do not nourish us and feed us spiritually? And why do we labor to purchase material things that do not satisfy? God provides the Water and Bread of life, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Everyone who truly comes to God receives the fullness of Christ. Christ floods the thirsty, hungry soul with the fullness of His Spirit:

• love
• joy
• peace
• patience
• gentleness or kindness
• goodness
• faithfulness
• meekness
• self-control or discipline
• purpose
• fulfillment
• satisfaction
• assurance
• confidence
• value

      When Jesus Christ fills a person’s soul, the individual walks victoriously in life, conquering and triumphing through all the trials and temptations that arise. Day by day, the person is filled with assurance and confidence in the LORD’s presence and guidance. This is the nourishment that Christ brings. He alone is the Water and Bread of life. He alone can meet every need to fill the human soul. He alone can keep man from dying of thirst and hunger. 

QUESTIONS FOR BIBLICAL INFLUENCE AND LIFE APPLICATION 

1. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? 
2. Why do you labor for that which satisfieth not? 
3. What is the water and food that God provides? 
4. How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
5. What is the cost of God’s water and food? 
6. For what saith the scripture?
7. Why do we spend money on things that do not nourish us and feed us spiritually? 
8. Why do we labor to purchase material things that do not satisfy?

1. Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 
2. The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 
3. Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 
4. Isaiah 55:1 ESV; “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (bible.com) 

Pursue Righteousness and Love

 Proverbs 21:21 

Pursue Righteousness and Love 

"He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor" (NKJV). 

"Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor" (NLT). 

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever" Psalm 23:6 (NKJV). 

Pursue righteousness and love: You will be filled with life, righteousness, and honor. 

Living righteously is another factor that contributes to the prosperity of the wise. 

Notice the treasures in this proverb: life, righteousness, and honor. The wise enjoy both the temporal things that money can buy and the priceless things that make life truly meaningful. These treasures belong to those who (pursue or chase) righteousness and love. To show mercy (chesed) is to show a faithful, steadfast, covenant love. 

But note: while loyalty and sacrificial love in relationships with others add much to life, it is (faithfulness) to God that is in view here. These incomparable riches are reserved for those who (walk faithfully with God), those who (pursue) His righteousness. 

• “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Mt. 5:6). 
• “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). 
• “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Mic. 6:8). 

The words pursue, follow, chase, and walk indicate an action. 

The verb here suggests action on the individual, presumably desiring righteousness and honor. Alternatively, as with Psalm 23:6, God is the one in pursuit of the individual desiring righteousness and mercy and provides goodness all the days of that individual's life. However, walking faithfully and humbly with God appears as a requirement that God shows us how. 

 

The next time you think you cannot pursue after righteousness and mercy, and that is walking humbly and faithfully before God is overwhelming, remember God first loved us and desires to fulfill His will in our lives. It is God that enables us to pursue Him. God allows us to become righteous in His sight through faith in Him and His Son. The act of mercy is all of God. The action of pursuit is of God and His unfailing love following us all the days of our lives.    

 

1. The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 
2. Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 
3. Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2012. Proverbs. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 
4. Proverbs 21:21 NLT; Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. (bible.com)