“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matthew 6:5).

Is it show and tell? Or is it talking with the Lord?  When you pray, to whom will you pay attention? Just as it is rude to ignore someone next to you that is trying to talk with you, so it is extremely rude to pray for the sake of being seen and not to truly pray.  Come to the Lord and talk with Him and listen as He answers your prayers Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Lord, help me.  You know the state of my heart and where I try to show off versus truly coming to You in prayer.  Whether it is the folding of my hands in church, pretending to pray while thinking of something else, or anywhere else, lead me to know that it is You, the Lord of all who knows all things to whom I am directing myself.  Guide me to be honest, true, and faithful in my prayers.

Lord Jesus, You have taught us to pray, and You are preparing us to be righteous.  Take these words and plant them deep in my soul that I may humbly come before You in prayer.  When I am seen by others, let me pray in such a way that they do not look at me when I am in conversation with You, but see my devotion to You.  You know what I need, so I lift this prayer with the hope of always being in Your hands, for You know all that I need.  Amen.

“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4).

It sure seems that sometimes people give for all the wrong reasons.  When you give, seek to be sure it is a good place to which you are giving and then let it go.  Do not be one who meddles in the outcome, but one who gives grace in the same way you have received it.  Our Lord has been overly generous to you.  Be overly generous with others in the same way.  Be guided by what the Lord is saying.

Lord, there is so much conditionality in this world.  People seem to act with an understanding that if they do one thing, they should do another.  Guide me, Lord, in the way of life I need to live so that I do what is right in Your sight.  Even if my neighbor does not know why I am doing what I am doing, let me do it anyway.  Guide me now and always in the way of righteousness as You direct.

Lord Jesus, lead me.  You know where I am and the things I do.  You know where I am manipulative and where I am honest.  Lead me to be humble and honest always.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to daily work on the faith You have given me.  As I practice the righteousness into which You are leading me, teach me to be generous to all as You have been generous to all.  Amen.

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2).

When you do what you do to receive the approval of men, you will get what you are after.  This is temporary and fleeting.  The Lord desires for you to do what you do not just for His approval, but because it will make you to become like Christ.  The Lord created you to live a certain way.  When you live that way, you will find the joy that comes in right living and no longer look to others for approval.

Lord, I do look for approval from others.  Help me to humbly do what is right.  Take what I want on the outside and bring it to the inside so that I look to You in and for all things.  Lead me to practice those things I know are right, but do not do. Show me the way You would have me go and grant me the willingness to do these things for no other reason than it is the right thing to do.

Lord Jesus, You promised to give me a new heart.  Grant that I would have a heart that seeks to please the Father always.  Guide me in the way of righteousness so that I am more interested in what is right than in what others think about what I am doing.  I know I will need Your grace to do this Lord, so lead me by grace to continue practicing righteousness for the sake of others, knowing that this will please You.  Amen.

“Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).

Too often, sinful humans play show and tell.  I’ll let you see what I want you to see and believe what I want you to believe.  Jesus is interested in the heart of the matter.  You should do what you do because it is right.  You should do what you do because it is pleasing to the Lord.  Look to the Lord, be led by Him, and walk in His royal law.  In Him is all the goodness and the fulfilment you need.

Lord, You have made it clear for me.  You will lead me in the way of righteousness.  What others think of me is what they will think of me.  Let me be more concerned with what You think.  Guide me today in the way of goodness and mercy so that I may humbly walk in Your sight.  Lead me always in practicing righteousness before You.  Help me to do all that I do for the right reasons.

Lord Jesus, thank You for the grace I need when You say, “practice these things.”  I need all the help I can get.  I need You to guide and direct me in the way of righteousness.  Lead me, O Lord, so that I look to You, and not to my neighbor, for approval.  I will do things with others’ approval but let me not be concerned with that.  Instead, let my practice be before You, seeking to do on earth as it is done in heaven.  Amen.

“And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same?  Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:47).

The Lord God Almighty is complete in Himself.  He will give us His integrity also.  We are called out of ourselves to live as we have been created to live.  We begin with selfishness, by the example of Christ, He will lead us also to be selfless.  All whom you meet were created in God’s image and have the same potential to be sons and daughters of the Lord.  Treat all others you do not know as sisters and brothers you have not met.

Lord, You have called us through the grace of Christ Jesus our Savior.  Pride was the downfall of the devil.  We are born and the pride in us grows.  You slay that pride in our salvation so that we may become like Christ.  Help all Your faithful to treat strangers as long-lost friends.  Keep us mindful to treat others as we wish to be treated.  Encourage us to do the ‘more’ that Jesus is talking about.

Lord Jesus, You have given the words of eternal life.  You have called me through my baptism to be one with others as You are one with the Father.  Grant that I would be willing to have You go to work on my heart so that I embark on the journey of living the words You have given me.  Help me see that there are no strangers, only those whom I have not yet met.  Lead me so that I may be completed as You are complete.  Amen.

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same?” (Matthew 5:46)

It is not so much that we must be different for our own sake, but that when we learn to love all of our neighbors, we begin to see the world as the Lord does.  Unbelieving sinners, evil men, and most humans love their families and friends.  We are called to be willing to give grace to those who do not deserve it.  Has not the Lord done the same for us?  The reward of giving grace is that you receive grace. As we sow we shall also reap.

Lord God, teach me how to practice this grace that You give.  You have come so that we may have life and have it abundantly.  You have given us grace upon grace.  We do not deserve it, but You give it anyway.  Help me, Lord, so that I may be gracious to others with the same grace I have received.  We look at each other from tainted eyes that pretend we are righteous, but You know that we all need comes only from You.

Lord and Savior Jesus, guide me in the way of grace.  I think too often in terms of how I feel about something.  I also think in terms of deserving things.  Strip that from me so that I display by Your leading what is right and true.  Guide me in the way You know I need to go and help me to put into practice these things that You are teaching me.  Lead me in the way of the love You give so that I may share that love with others.  Amen.

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:44-45).

Jesus is not telling us that we must have fond affections for others That is the stuff of Hollywood.  We are to see in others that they too are loved by our Lord.  God gives common grace to all impartially.  Sure, bad things happen.  There is evil in the world.  Our Lord was crucified.  Every situation is a test in which we can learn how to love in a world filled with hate.  In every circumstance, we can learn to be thankful.

The world is constantly chasing from one thing to another.  The world is filled with strife because there is so much hatred.  It should not be so with you.  Yes, even in the church, there is hatred.  Learn how to love others as the Lord does.  That does not mean you have to tolerate evils, or do wrong things, but it does mean having a heart for others as the Lord has a heart for all whom He has created.

Lord Jesus, You loved the whole world enough to die for us all so that some might be saved.  Lead me so that I learn how to care for others as You have cared for me.  Grant that I would not love them conditionally, but impartially as You love us.  No matter where someone is, they too need to hear the Gospel.  Guide me, Lord, in the Gospel way today, sharing with all the Good News of Your grace.  Amen.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy’” (Matthew 5:43).

Does the world not operate this way?  Hate is often the order of the day.  Sure, we love our families, but we are fed all day long on the rivalries of this world.  Schools have rivals.  Politics have rivals.  We are asked to have loyalty for store chains, brands, and all kinds of other things.  That is the worldly practice.  Jesus introduced us to living differently and not living with hate as something that motivates us.

Lord, You know where and when my heart instantly hates.  You know those places where, despite what You have said, I am riddled with bigotry and prejudice.  Lift me up, Lord, so that I see, as I look into anyone’s eyes, a precious one for whom You died.  That does not mean we have to have fond affection for everyone.  We don’t and we won’t.  But it does mean recognizing the humanity and reality of all of us being created in our Lord’s image.

Lord Jesus, all humans have been created in Your image.  You are going to make of all who believe, those conformed to You, something new.  Where I encounter hatred, lead me to learn how to have charity.  Where I have poison in me from this world, remove it and help me to live into the life of love for which You have called me.  Guide me this day, my Savior, in all that I do so that I may walk humbly with You in all things.  Amen. 

“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42).

We are not being instructed to give everything away, but we are to have an attitude of stewardship that holds on loosely to the things of this world.  You have been given gifts and abilities.  Do you use them to help others.  In helping others, it is not about you, but about what the Lord is going to do through you.  He will partner with You to literally make you like Christ.  Look outward and not inward.

Lord, I am self-centered.  I do look at myself first.  I do not believe You are asking me to be all things for all people, but You are asking me to do what is good and right always.  The first charity is what You have given me.  You want me to give some of what You have given me to others, reflecting Your grace and kindness.  Many do not, but what about You?  Will you trust the Lord for all things?

Holy Trinity, for You and from You are all things.  You have called me into Your ministry.  In the mystery of faith You have given me, create in me a new and clean heart that welcomes the opportunity to live the way You created us all to live.  You are the provider and only in You is there true hope and life.  Guide me by Your grace to live this day in the way that is pleasing to You.  Amen.

“And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matthew 5:40-41).

There are wars and rumors of wars because people know how to hate.  Division and hatred rule in this age.  Jesus knows this.  He came to set us free from this sinful way of thinking and acting.  Learn how to shed the reactionary way of thinking that you are in control that you may learn what Jesus is teaching.  Love is the action of doing what is right for the soul and well-being of the other.

Holy Spirit, stir my heart to understand these things and put them into practice.  I understand what I should not do quite well because these are the things I do.  The fruits You will grow in me are the kinds of things Jesus is talking about.  Help me to live them, grow in them, and dwell in Your presence as You teach me.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and the like are the fruits of my new creation in You.

Lord and Savior, I hear these things with my ears, but I know they are far from my heart.  I need You to save me here too.  When I become selfish and self-serving, lift me out of myself.  When I am weary and unwilling, nudge me to walk with others anyway.  Lord, You know all that is needed.  I am asking You to continue to lead me as I need to be led no matter whether I understand it or not.  You are the potter, and I am the clay.  Shape me, Lord.  Amen.