Bible passages

James 4:13–17

Make Plans Humbly and Do the Good You Know

A confident business plan becomes a lesson in life's uncertainty and present responsibility.

James 5:1–6

Unpaid Workers' Cries Reach God

Read with an adult. James accuses wealthy oppressors of fraud and violence and warns of judgment.

James 5:7–12

Wait Patiently and Let Your Words Be True

A farmer's waiting helps explain steadiness while the passage points toward the Lord's coming.

Poetry and prayer

James 5:13–18

Pray in Suffering, Joy and Sickness

Read with an adult. The passage joins prayer, care for the sick, forgiveness and shared confession.

James 5:19–20

Helping Someone Return from a Wrong Way

The letter ends with concern for a person wandering from truth and someone helping them return.

1 Peter 1:1–2

Peter Greets Scattered Believers with Grace and Peace

The readers live spread across named regions, yet the greeting describes their shared belonging to God.

1 Peter 1:3–12

Living Hope through Jesus' Resurrection

Praise, grief and future hope are held together, not treated as opposites.

1 Peter 1:13–21

Let God's Holiness Shape Every Part of Life

Ready minds and hopeful lives are linked with the cost of Christ's rescue.

1 Peter 1:22–25

Love Deeply through God's Enduring Word

The call to sincere love is grounded in new life from a word that outlasts human glory.

1 Peter 2:1–12

Grow as God's People around the Living Stone

Milk, stones and a household explain growth and belonging that should show in public conduct.

1 Peter 2:13–20

Doing Good under Rulers and Harsh Masters

Read with an adult. These instructions include people held in slavery and beaten by masters.

1 Peter 2:21–25

Christ Suffers without Revenge and Bears Sins

Read with an adult. Christ's example is given within instructions to servants suffering under masters.

1 Peter 3:1–7

Marriage Instructions about Character and Honour

Read with an adult. Notice the instructions to wives alongside the husband's duty to honour his wife as a fellow heir.

1 Peter 3:8–13

Bless Instead of Paying Back Insults

Care for one another should become truthful words, good actions and an active pursuit of peace.

1 Peter 3:14–22

Explain Hope Gently and Remember Christ's Victory

Read with an adult. The passage includes suffering, spirits in prison and a difficult baptism comparison.

1 Peter 4:1–11

Leave Harmful Excess and Use Gifts to Serve

Read with an adult. The passage names sexual excess, drunkenness, judgment and Good News preached to the dead.

1 Peter 4:12–19

Keep Doing Good When Insulted for Christ

Read with an adult. Fiery testing and judgment are discussed alongside good conduct and trust in God.

1 Peter 5:1–4

Leaders Must Care Willingly and Set an Example

God's people belong to God, so their leaders must serve rather than dominate them.

1 Peter 5:5–9

Give God Your Worries and Stay Alert

Humility, God's care and steady resistance to evil belong together.

1 Peter 5:10–14

God Strengthens, and the Letter Ends in Peace

A prayer for firmness leads to the letter's purpose, named greetings and peace in Christ.

2 Peter 1:1–2

Simon Peter Greets People with Equally Precious Faith

The greeting names a shared gift before asking for growing grace and peace.

2 Peter 1:3–15

Grow in Good Character and Remember the Promise

God's gifts call for careful growth, and Peter wants the message remembered after his death.

2 Peter 1:16–21

Eyewitness Testimony and a Lamp of Prophecy

The writer contrasts invented stories with witnessed glory and the Spirit's message.

2 Peter 2:1–22

False Teachers Exploit People and Promise Empty Freedom

Read with an adult. This severe warning includes sexual wrongdoing, greed, confinement, flood, fire and degrading animal comparisons.