The Sermon on the Mount is full of very vivid imagery. I love how Jesus paints a picture with words that you can so clearly see in your mind’s eye.

This weeks passage is a great example. Take a look at Matthew 6:22-23.

The dichotomy that Jesus describes is very black and white here.

Black and white.

Light and darkness.

Good and evil.

It’s a little ironic to me that these verses are surrounded by paragraphs about storing up treasures and serving God or money. That really helps you see this passage in a whole new light, doesn’t it?

This passage is in the middle of a section on material possessions and money. How does knowing that change how you understand this passage? Let me know in the comments.

This week’s passage is one of my all-time favorites.

I love Matthew 6:19-21, but it’s so hard to apply sometimes.

The truth is, we live in a very materialistic culture. I know that’s no excuse, but it’s very true. Sometimes it is extremely difficult not to store up treasures on earth. We all think about it: savings accounts, retirement accounts, the 401k or IRA, insurance…

It’s sometimes extremely difficult to store up treasures in heaven when we have so many safety nets here.

I’m not sure exactly what I think on this topic, but it’s been on my mind a lot recently.

What do you think? How do you prevent yourself from storing up treasures here, and instead build up your heavenly accounts? Let me know in the comments.

How often do you fast?

Do you ever?

Fasting is one discipline that modern Christians have almost completely forgotten. It is such a neglected discipline that we aren’t even sure what it is any longer.

I find that extremely sad. And I bet Jesus does as well.

In this week’s passage, he begins by stating “when you fast…” When. Not if.

It’s almost like this is expected of us.

Check out the entire passage in Matthew 6:16-18.

Fasting is not something we find easy to do. Most of the time, we don’t even think about it. But it is a discipline that we need to develop.

I know that I’ve seen God’s hand very clearly during times when I’ve fasted.

Maybe we need to relearn this discipline…

Do you fast? What benefits have you received from fasting in your life? Let me know in the comments.

Forgiveness. It’s a crucial aspect of the Christian life. In fact, it’s a crucial aspect for everyone. It is one of the keys to making any relationship work.

In this week’s passage, Jesus connects the forgiveness within our human relationships to the forgiveness found in our relationship with the Father.

It’s simple, really.

If we forgive, he forgives. If we don’t, he won’t.

Take a look at the passage. It’s found in Matthew 6:14-15.

I can name numerous instances in my own life where I’ve seen this principle in action. Fortunately, I can say that eventually I’ve come to a place of forgiveness in almost every one of them. Unfortunately, I can’t say that it always happened quickly or timely.

I just pray that I’m getting better at it. And the more I practice it, the easier it gets.

Do you find it easy or hard to forgive others? What do you do to help you overcome the temptation to not forgive? Let me know in the comments.

This week’s passage is a longer one, but it’s a section of the Sermon on the Mount that is very well-known: The Lord’s Prayer.

It’s found in Matthew 6:9-13.

I can remember standing and reciting this as a class prayer before lunch every day in Mrs. Moyel’s class when I was in third grade…. in a public school.

It’s a prayer that many people have learned by heart as children. And, as a result, it’s become almost too familiar, and we glance over it without really reading it or paying attention to it.

My challenge to you this week is to really think about what Jesus is saying here. Dwell on it. Pray over it. And then pray more like him…

Did you memorize this passage as a child? Or is this a new one for you? Let me know in the comments.

Last week, we saw the first example of how not to pray that Jesus gave before he gave the model prayer.

In this week’s passage, he gives us another bad example.

Take a look at this passage in Matthew 6:7-8.

It seem like our pride, and our desire to hear our own voices can be a deterrent to effective prayer.

In this week’s passage, Jesus informs us that God already know what we need, even before we ask him. That should keep us from being too wordy.

Do you ever find yourself being too wordy in your prayers? What do you do to combat this? Let me know in the comments.

Prayer.

Out of all the instructions that Jesus gave, this is perhaps one of the most important.

The model prayer that Jesus taught us appears in Matthew 6, and this weeks passage introduces that entire section. You can find it at Matthew 6:5-6.

Before Jesus gives us a model prayer, he gives us a couple of examples of what not to do.

One of those we see this week; next week we look at another.

Jesus viewed prayer as a crucial part of his life and ministry. And it seems as if he views it as important for us as well.

What do you do to maintain humility in prayer? Let me know in the comments.