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“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. – Matthew 6:1-18
In today’s teaching, we begin a three-session walkthrough of the three pillars of Jesus’ faith:righteousness, prayer, and fasting. Marc places this teaching in the context of Jesus’ day to show us that “righteousness” is walked out in how we relate to others and how we care for their needs.
Jesus clearly defined righteousness when He said to the righteous, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you cared for me.” When we care for others’ needs—regardless of what that need is—we are practicing the righteousness of Jesus.
Question: Review the list you made at the beginning of today’s teaching. What actions do you need to make this week to bring your three pillars into better alignment with Jesus?
Family Chat: Who is someone you can serve and expect nothing in return for it? (remember this will be hard to not expect something from them)
Prayer Starter: Jesus, please give me Your eyes to see those around me the way You see them. Empower me with compassion through Your Holy Spirit to care for them, love them, and provide for their needs without expecting anything in return.
Take Action: Do something for someone else in need this week. You can can join Serve Saturday, in person or virtually. Sign up by texting SERVESATURDAY to 88000 and mark your calendar for the next one in your community!
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Scripture
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:20
Marc reminds us of Jesus’ hard teaching in Matthew 5, that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus also challenges us to give and serve in secret, so that our reward is in Heaven, not on Earth.
Marc encourages us to choose gratitude in our own circumstances and look for opportunities to come alongside someone and help them out.
Question: Is there any part of you that gives or serves out of guilt, fear, compulsion, or a desire to feel better about yourself? Take your motives to Jesus and ask Him what He wants you to do about that.
Family Chat: Is there something that you are going through that is hard? How can you show Jesus thankfulness in the middle of this hard situation?
Take Action: Find an opportunity today to share tangibly and physically with someone in need.
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“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21
Today, Matt shared a passage where Jesus again encourages us to not just keep our faith to ourselves but let it overflow from within us to everyone around us.
He emphasizes how Jesus reminds us to guard our hearts—especially when it comes to our stuff, especially when we don’t even own “our stuff,” but are borrowing it from our Creator for the time being! Instead, we are challenged to treasure the things that bring real value to our lives.
Question: Do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you? When has this been a challenge for you? How have you noticed God helping you deal with this important issue?
Family Chat: Do you have any “stuff” that you need to be willing to share or give away to someone else? Maybe a sibling or friend? Remember God wants us to share our stuff not just “have more stuff”.
Take Action: Invite your spouse, a close friend, or a family member to give you their honest take about where you stand with your stuff.
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Scripture
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” – Mark 10:17-26
Today we follow the story of Jesus calling a rich young ruler to be his disciple. Sadly, this young man, who declared that he had kept all the laws, could not do one thing: let go of his possessions.
His stuff—which would eventually rust, tear up, and break down—is what stood in the way of him being a fully devoted follower of Jesus. We will never know his name because of the choice he made that day.
Question: Is there one thing that is standing in the way of you truly following Jesus? Will you be known as one who follows Jesus wholeheartedly, or will you risk becoming unknown because you couldn’t let go?
Family Chat: Do you have more thoughts thinking about what others think of you or what Jesus thinks of you? He has lots of things that he says about you in the bible. Find a verse and talk about it as a family that talks about who you are in Christ.
Take Action: Let go of that one thing—whatever it takes to follow Jesus wholeheartedly!
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As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. – Luke 8:15
Today Marc challenges us to ask ourselves what kind of soil we will be. Will we be good soil as described by Jesus? Doing so brings about things in our lives keeping with the heart of Christ.
Question: How have the words of Jesus produced life and fruit in your heart lately?
Family Chat: What kind of “soil” or heart do you have? Are you sharing with people who are in need around you?
Take Action: Find a way to demonstrate the generous heart produced by being good soil. Reach out to someone in need today.
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Scripture
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” – Matthew 25:34-36
In today’s teaching, Pastor James tells the story of the sheep and the goats; six specific mercies separate the righteous (the sheep) from the unrighteous (the goats). These mercies are: feeding the hungry, water for the thirsty, hospitality to strangers, clothing the naked, giving nursing care, and visiting those in confinement (specifically, Jesus talks about prisoners).
James challenges us because both the sheep and the goats called Jesus “Lord.” However, there’s a big difference between knowing spiritual things and still turning a blind eye to those in need, versus allowing the relationship that you have with Jesus overflow and produce ministry with those people.
James warns and encourages us with the truth that the heart Jesus seeks is one that understands that, if you have a relationship with Jesus, you will never turn a blind eye and refuse to show love and mercy. You will always do for the one person what you would want to do for the many.
Question: In what area of your life has Jesus’ love for you made the most significant difference, and how can you extend that mercy forward?
Family Chat: Have you prayed and made Jesus the boss of your life? Let each family member talk about the day they did that. If you haven’t and want to, today is a great day to make that decision!
Take Action: Don’t just gather up knowledge! Unleash love on the people in your everyday world today.
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