Giving to the Needy
Don't give to the needy to be seen by other people. Do it in secret and be rewarded in heaven.
While it is nice to not make a spectacle of your good deeds, this does seem to go against the whole "let your light shine" thing.
The Lord's Prayer
Don't pray in the open to be seen by others, but instead pray in secret and the Father will reward you.
Again, I don't see how anyone could reconcile this with "let your light shine"
Fasting
When you fast try to give the appearance that you are not fasting. If you are seen fasting by others you have already gotten your reward
Same as above
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
Don't focus on treasures on Earth, but rather focus on treasures in heaven. You cannot serve God and money, it has to be one or the other.
A general anti-greed message. Sounds good to me.
Do Not Be Anxious
Don't worry about tomorrow. Don't worry about what you will eat, drink or wear. God will provide as he provides for various wildlife.
I understand telling people to not be overly stressed out, but it sounds like it is saying to not plan at all. This seems like horribly irresponsible advise. I wonder what he would say to anyone who has ever gone hungry.
I really like the "giving to the needy in secret" part. When someone does that, its more like they are giving to be generous and not just to look good in front of other people.
ReplyDeleteWhile an unconditionally unloving God in 14 would probably still forgive you, I think it's a fair thing that he doesn't forgive those that can't forgive others.
Toward the end, he does talk about not preparing for tomorrow. I read somewhere that when Jesus later said "I'll be back before everybody on earth is dead" people sold all their stuff and he never came, essentially screwing themselves.
"I read somewhere that when Jesus later said "I'll be back before everybody on earth is dead" people sold all their stuff and he never came, essentially screwing themselves."
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised. This happens over and over again too. Most recently with Harold Camping.
There are a lot of places in the bible where Jesus says that he'll be back within his contemporaries' lifetimes. I don't understand why people try to fool themselves into thinking otherwise, like he was saying it for the person reading it and not the people he was talking too.
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