Scripture is in red, Comments in black.
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
“ do your alms” means giving offerings or tithes or to charity etc. Giving tithes and offerings in a manner that displays your “generosity” to the world shows you want praise from man and the offering may not be truly from the heart. God knows your heart and knows what your heart wants to give. Doing anything for honor or praise from man will get you nowhere with God.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Don’t toot your own horn; do not proclaim your “greatness”. Receiving glory in this life may be your only reward; you may not receive any rewards from God.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Giving secretly is when you give truly from the heart cheerfully and without ulterior motives. God loves a cheerful giver.
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. This follows the teachings in the previous verses.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. You prayers are between you and God. Prayers are not to be used to show how “faithful” you are.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Ask a thing of God once. His memory is fine. He even knows beforehand what you are going to ask. Loud repetitive praying gets notice from man but will God pay more attention to it? Probably not, so pray simply and humbly.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Verses 9 through 13 are examples of how to pray, not what to pray. First acknowledge that God is Holy and pure and righteous. No matter what you pray for acknowledge that God’s will is above all else because He is just and true and knows more about what you need than you and His decision is always best. Third ask God to fulfill your needs. Ask God to forgive your sins not forgetting to forgive sins or wrongs done to you by others. If you do not forgive you cannot be forgiven. Ask God to remove you from temptation and if you are tempted to sin ask for the strength and will power to resist. I always end by asking in the sweet name of Christ Jesus, Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Remember this the next time someone wrongs you. Forgive and FORGET.
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; If you fast for the Lord make sure you look good in public so as not to appear that you are fasting. You and God alone should know such things. This is the same as the alms in verse 1.
18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
18 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Nothing on earth will last. If you trust in things of the world you are going to be disappointed because you will not be able to hold onto anything of the world, it all will be eventually lost. Place your trust completely in God because He will provide for your needs on earth and your spiritual needs. It is said; “a wise man willingly gives up that which he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose.” Give up the things of this world for eternal life with God. Keep your heart on God and not the world.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Darkness is of evil and here the eye looks only at evil. If your soul is evil you are following Satan and all you may see of this world is evil and darkness. True darkness holds no light at all. A person cannot find his way or escape darkness without some light and that light is Jesus. He will provide the truth and the light to guide you.
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon here is possessions. If you love the things of this earth above the love of God then you are serving possessions, they are your gods. The big problem here is that possessions cannot save you from destruction; they cannot be saved from destruction because all will pass away. What good will things of earth do you when God calls you to the judgment seat?
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Life should be more than things of the flesh. To survive spiritually you need the nourishment of the word of God.
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? God provides everything the animals of the field need. Worry will not make a problem go away, it will only shorten your life. Trust totally in God for He is in total control. Worry shows your trust is not in God. If you worry too much you may not have time to think on God, your spiritual needs may suffer. Don’t worry about your physical body; think about your spiritual body. The physical body will perish and return to dust. Your spiritual body could be immortal if you allow God to nourish it.
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Will worry add length to your life? No, so do not worry, lay your problems at the feet of Jesus and forget them. There are two old country sayings that go: “The worst trouble never shows up” and “Don’t trouble trouble ‘till trouble troubles you”. Why be concerned of a possible future problem when it may never arrive? If you have faith and trust in God trouble usually doesn’t arrive. Don’t go stirring up trouble because you might bring it on yourself. God is in control and we can do nothing without Him anyway. No one knows or is in charge of their future.
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Mankind is much more important to God than the grasses and flowers that are here for a short time. God will take better care of you than the natural things of this world.
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. In this time period the Gentiles think not of God (Gentiles have yet to be introduced to God) but of nourishing their flesh bodies. God knows what his children need and He will provide.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Instead of worrying about eating or dressing or problems, keep your mind on God. If your body perishes tomorrow food, drink and clothing will be of no help to you. Drink at the fountain of God and nourish your spirit so that you may live forever. Those without faith will find it difficult to enter into Heaven. All the worry in the world will not help you understand God and is therefore of no use to you.
34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Think not on the future because every day has enough evil. A Christian will have enough problems dodging evil in the day you are living. Don’t compound your problems thinking on the evil of tomorrow. Trust in God and leave the future to Him.
