Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.
and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
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