Matthew 6 study 🌿
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This chapter follows Jesus explaining a few specific facets of practically living a christian life. He goes through and explains the how & why behind privately giving, praying and fasting, as well as stewarding possessions as christians and addresses the pointlessness of worry.
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Giving should be done quietly, not in front of others to be seen & recognized for doing something good. Good works come through faith & obedience to God and should not be done to simply be noticed. Matthew 6:3-4 reads, “But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Cultivating an image of righteousness only brings glory to ourselves, not to the Lord, where the glory should be placed. In other words, God cares about the motives behind our works and our focus should be on serving and glorifying the Lord alone.
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When praying, it should be an intimate conversation between a believer (or believers) and the Lord. Like giving, prayer should not be done to be noticed by others or form an image of any kind. We should not be hypocrites; we should have genuine prayers based on a foundation of genuine faith that is not done for appearances, to impress others or the world. Truthfully, God knows what we will pray before before we even think or speak the words. He also knows our hearts behind the words we think or speak.“When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” v. 6:7-8
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““Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” v. 6:9-13 The Lord’s Prayer is a model from Jesus, characterized by close relationship, reverence, submission, trust, and dependence upon the Lord.
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Caption continued in post, swipe to read! 🌿