Giving to the Poor
I want you to give to the poor. But be careful not to give in front of people just so they will see you. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. When you give to the poor, don’t blow a trumpet in front of you. That’s what people who pretend do in the churches and on the streets. They want people to think they are great. I tell you the truth. That’s all the reward they will get. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Keep your gifts secret. Your Father sees what you do in secret. He will reward you.
How to Pray
When you pray, don’t be like the people who pretend. They love to pray while standing in the churches and on the street corners. They want people to see them. I tell you the truth. That’s all the reward they will get. But when you pray, go into your room. Shut your door and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father sees what you do in secret. He will reward you. When you pray, don’t say the same words over and over like people who don’t know God. They think God will hear them if they say lots of words. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
So pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name is holy. Let what you want happen on earth just like it happens in heaven. And forgive us for what we owe you, just like we forgive those who owe us. And don’t let us be tempted, but save us from evil. The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen.
If you forgive people when they do wrong to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you too. But if you don’t forgive people, your Father will not forgive you.
Going Without Food to Pray
When you go without food to pray, don’t look sad like people who pretend. They make their faces look bad so others will know they are going without food. I tell you the truth. That’s all the reward they will get. But when you go without food to pray, put oil on your head and wash your face. Don’t let people know you are going without food. Let only your Father know. He sees what you do in secret. He will reward you.
Treasures in Heaven
Don’t save up treasures for yourselves on earth. Moths and rust can ruin them. Robbers can break in and steal them. Instead, save up treasures for yourselves in heaven. Moths and rust can’t ruin them there. Robbers can’t break in and steal them. Your heart will be where your treasure is.
Your eye is like a lamp for your body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is really darkness, how dark that is! No one can serve two masters. You will hate one and love the other. Or you will follow one and not care about the other. You can’t serve both God and money.
Don’t Worry
After Jesus spoke these words, he looked at the twelve he had chosen. He said to them: Remember what I have said. You are the ones I chose to serve this people. So I tell you: Don’t worry about your life. Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink. Don’t worry about what you will wear. Isn’t life more important than food? Isn’t your body more important than clothes? Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant seeds. They don’t gather crops. They don’t store food in barns. But your Father in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? Can you make yourself taller by worrying about it? Why do you worry about clothes? Think about the flowers in the field. See how they grow. They don’t work or make clothes. But I tell you that King Solomon with all his riches didn’t dress as well as one of these flowers. So if God dresses the grass in the field like this, he will dress you too. The grass is here today and burned tomorrow. Won’t God take care of you if you have more faith? So don’t worry and say: What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? Your Father in heaven knows you need all these things. But put God’s kingdom first. Do what is right. Then all these things will be given to you. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough troubles of its own.