And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not. I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not. The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’”
Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”
And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’?
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.