Teaching about Giving to the Poor

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people in order to be noticed by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2So whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow a trumpet before you like the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they will be praised by people. I tell all of youa with certainty, they have their full reward! 3But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”b

Teaching about Prayer

(Luke 11:2-4)

5“And whenever you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell all of youc with certainty, they have their full reward! 6But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees from the hidden place will reward you.d

7“When you are praying, don’t say meaningless thingse like the unbelieversf do, because they think they will be heard by being so wordy. 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9Therefore, this is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

10May your kingdom come.

May your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread,

12and forgive us our sins,g

as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.h

13And never bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.’i

14Because if you forgive people their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive people their offenses,j your Father will not forgive your offenses.”

Teaching about Fasting

16“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites, because they put on sad faces to show others they are fasting. I tell all of youk with certainty, they have their full reward! 17But when you fast, put oil onl your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting will not be noticed by others but by your Father who is in the hidden place. And your Father who watches from the hidden place will reward you.”m

Teaching about Treasures

(Luke 12:33-34)

19“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, 21because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The Lamp of the Body

(Luke 11:34-36)

22“The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!”

God and Riches

(Luke 16:13)

24“No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”n

Stop Worrying

(Luke 12:22-34)

25“That’s why I’m telling you to stop worrying about your life—what you will eat or what you will drinko —or about your body—what you will wear. Life is more than food, isn’t it, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than they are, aren’t you? 27Can any of you add a single hour to the length of your lifep by worrying? 28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don’t work or spin yarn, 29but I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won’t he clothe you much better—you who have little faith?

31“So don’t ever worry by saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32because it is the unbelieversq who are eager for all those things. Surely your heavenly Father knows that you need all of them! 33But first be concerned about God’s kingdom and his righteousness,r and all of these things will be provided for you as well. 34So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”