Matthew 6:14-23

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!”

Comments

How you present yourself to others and how you let the world present itself to you, those are the topics of this part of the Great Sermon. Trying to give off a holy, ‘suffering for the Lord’ vibe is not a good idea. You can fast and pray and still act and look normal. So comb your hair and wash your face.

Forgiving, treasure, and having a good eye all go together. What are you looking at? What are you focused on? All the ways someone wronged you? Forgive them and stop focusing on that. Earthly treasures? Those are fleeting you know. What’s more focusing on those things, hurts and worldly success will darken your vision, will darken your whole being. You only have so many waking hours in a day. What you choose to focus on while your eyes are open will determine how much light and how much darkness fills your being. Focus on what brings light in.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.