Deuteronomy 31:1-8
FINAL SPEECHES AND THE DEATH OF MOSES

Moses again spoke to the whole nation of Israel:
I am a hundred twenty years old, and I am no longer able to be your leader. And besides that, the LORD your God has told me that he won't let me cross the Jordan River. But he has promised that he and Joshua will lead you across the Jordan to attack the nations that live on the other side. The LORD will destroy those nations just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings. Just remember--whenever you capture a place, kill everyone who lives there.

Be brave and strong! Don't be afraid of the nations on the other side of the Jordan. The LORD your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.

Then Moses called Joshua up in front of the crowd and said:
Joshua, be brave and strong as you lead these people into their land. The LORD made a promise long ago to Israel's ancestors that this land would someday belong to Israel. That time has now come, and you must divide up the land among the people. The LORD will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don't ever be afraid of your enemies.

Psalm 73:21-26

Once I was bitter and brokenhearted. I was stupid and ignorant, and I treated you as a wild animal would. But I never really left you, and you hold my right hand. Your advice has been my guide, and later you will welcome me in glory. In heaven I have only you, and on this earth you are all I want. My body and mind may fail, but you are my strength and my choice forever.

Psalm 108
(by David)
With God on Our Side

Our God, I am faithful to you with all my heart, and you can trust me. I will sing and play music for you with all that I am. I will start playing my harps before the sun rises. I will praise you, LORD, for everyone to hear; I will sing hymns to you in every nation. Your love reaches higher than the heavens, and your loyalty extends beyond the clouds.

Our God, may you be honored above the heavens; may your glory be seen everywhere on earth. Answer my prayers and use your powerful arm to give us victory. Then the people you love will be safe.

Our God, from your holy place you made this promise: "I will gladly divide up the city of Shechem and give away Succoth Valley piece by piece. The lands of Gilead and Manasseh are mine. Ephraim is my war helmet, and Judah is my symbol of royal power. Moab is merely my washbasin, and Edom belongs to me. I shout with victory over the Philistines."

Our God, who will bring me to the fortress or lead me to Edom? Have you rejected us? You don't lead our armies. Help us defeat our enemies! No one else can rescue us. You are the one who gives us victory and crushes our enemies.

Philippians 4:10-20
Paul Gives Thanks for the Gifts He Was Given

The Lord has made me very grateful that at last you have thought about me once again. Actually, you were thinking about me all along, but you didn't have any chance to show it. I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. Christ gives me the strength to face anything. It was good of you to help me when I was having such a hard time. My friends at Philippi, you remember what it was like when I started preaching the good news in Macedonia. After I left there, you were the only church that became my partner by giving blessings and by receiving them in return. Even when I was in Thessalonica, you helped me more than once. I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving. I have been paid back everything, and with interest. I am completely satisfied with the gifts that you had Epaphroditus bring me. They are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God. I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus! May God our Father be praised forever and ever. Amen.

1 John 3:19-24

When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God. But even if we don't feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near him. He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey him and do what pleases him. God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other. This is also what Jesus taught us to do. If we obey God's commandments, we will stay one in our hearts with him, and he will stay one with us. The Spirit that he has given us is proof that we are one with him.