Bible verses about "tough love" | Riverside

¹ "DO not judge, so that you may not be judged. ² For with whatever judgment you judge you will be judged, and with whatever measure you measure you will be measured. ³ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, while you do not perceive the beam in your own eye? ⁴ Or how will you say to your brother, 'Let me get out the speck from your eye,' when there is a beam in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first get the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to get the speck out of your brother's eye. ⁶ "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor east your pearls before swine, for they may trample them under their feet and turn and tear you. ⁷ "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. ⁸ For every one who asks obtains, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door is opened. ⁹ Is there any man of you who if his son asks him for bread will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you, though evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. ¹² "All things that you wish men to do for you, do yourselves for them; for this is the Law and the Prophets. ¹³ "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide and spacious is the road that leads away to ruin, and many there are who go through it; ¹⁴ but narrow is the gate and contracted is the road that leads into life, and few there are who find it. ¹⁵ "Beware of false prophets, such as come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ From their fruits you will know them. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Just so every good tree yields fine fruit, but a worthless tree yields bad fruit. ¹⁸ It is not possible for a good tree to yield had fruit nor for a worthless tree to yield fine fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not yield fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, from their fruits you will know them. ²¹ "Not every one who says to me, 'Master, Master,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, 'Master, Master, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name east out demons, and in your name do many miracles?' ²³ And then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work lawlessness.' ²⁴ "Every one, therefore, who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; ²⁵ and the rain descended and the rivers rose and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house; but it fell not, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. ²⁷ And the rain descended and the rivers rose and the winds blew, and they struck upon that house and it fell, and great was the ruin of it." ²⁸ When Jesus ended these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching. ²⁹ For he taught them like one who had authority, and not as their scribes taught.

¹ JAMES, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the Twelve Tribes which are scattered in foreign lands: Greeting. ² Think it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into all sorts of trials, ³ since you know that the testing of your faith brings out endurance. ⁴ Let endurance do its complete work, that you may be complete and perfect, lacking in nothing. ⁵ If any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him ask it from God, who gives to all freely without reproaching, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith with never a doubt. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. ⁷ For that man must not think that he will obtain anything from the Lord — ⁸ a two-minded man unsteady in all his ways. ⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his high station, ¹⁰ and let the rich brother glory in his lowly station, for he will pass away like a flower of the grass. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and dries up the grass, and the flower of it falls and the beauty of its face perishes. So shall the rich man wither in his pursuits. ¹² Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has been tested he will gain the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. ¹³ No one must say when tempted, "My temptation comes from God." For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he tempts no one. ¹⁴ Every one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own passions and enticed. ¹⁵ Then when passion has conceived it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. ¹⁶ Make no mistake, my beloved brethren, ¹⁷ every good gift and every perfect boon is from above; it descends from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow caused by turning. ¹⁸ Of his own will he made us his children through the message of truth, so that we might be a sort of first fruits of his creatures. ¹⁹ I wish you to know this, my beloved brethren: Every man must be quick to hear, but slow to speak, slow to anger. ²⁰ For a man's anger does not work out God's righteousness. ²¹ So lay aside all that is vile and all that remains of malice, and receive with gentleness the implanted message which can save your souls. ²² Become doers of the message and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ²³ For if one is a hearer of the message and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ He looks at himself and is gone, and immediately forgets what sort of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks earnestly into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do so, and becomes not a forgetful hearer but a doer of work — that man will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶ If any one thinks himself religious while he does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, that man's religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and stainless religion in the sight of God the Father is to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep one's self unspotted from the world.

⁵ For each must bear his own load.

¹² "All things that you wish men to do for you, do yourselves for them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.

⁸ Above all things have earnest love to one another, for love hides a host of sins.

¹ I CHARGE you before God and Christ Jesus, who will soon judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² proclaim the message, be at it in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, encourage, with all patience in teaching. ³ For there will be a time when they will not endure wholesome teaching, but following their own fancies and wishing to have their ears tickled, they will get a crowd of teachers. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and give attention to myths. ⁵ But you must be calm in all circumstances, suffer hardships, do the work of a bringer of the good news, carry out fully all the duties of your office. ⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is near. ⁷ I have played the grand hard game, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now the crown of righteousness is awaiting me. The Lord the righteous judge will give it to me on that day, and not only to me but to all those who have loved his appearing. ⁹ Make haste to come to me quickly. ¹⁰ For Demas deserted me because he loved the present world and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in service. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, and particularly the parchments. ¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith showed much ill will toward me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵ Be on your guard against him, for he strongly opposed our teachings. ¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to my help; all deserted me. May it not be laid up against them! ¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might be fully published and all the Gentiles might hear it, and I was saved from the mouth of the lion. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every wicked attack and will keep me safe for his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for the ages of the ages! Amen. ¹⁹ Give my greetings to Prises and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰ Erastus stayed at Corinth. Trophimus I left at Miletus, sick. ²¹ Try to come before winter. Eubulus and Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren send their greetings to you. ²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

⁴ Love is longsuffering, love is kind, is not jealous, love does not boast, is not conceited, ⁵ does not behave unbecomingly, does not seek her own interest, is not irritable, does not count up her wrongs, ⁶ does not rejoice in wickedness, but rejoices with the truth, ⁷ excuses all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never fails; but if there are prophetic powers, they will become useless; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will become useless.