In verses 4, 6, and 18, Jesus repeats the same phrase – “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Why does this mean? What kind of rewards does God give us?
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 ESV
Verse 1-4: What is Jesus giving a warning about in verse 1-4? What is the harm in letting others know what good works you are doing? Isn’t it good when we acknowledge when we’ve done something good?
Verse 5-8: What is the purpose of prayer?
If the Father knows what you need before you ask, why pray at all?
In what ways might we pray incorrectly?
Verse 9-13: What are some key aspects of how Jesus teaches us to pray in the Lord’s prayer? What are some things that we might pray for that are left out of this prayer?
Verse 14-15: Why would Jesus put a condition on forgiveness? If I’m good with God, why does it matter if I forgive others or not?
Verse 16-18: Why would depriving yourself of something (like food during a fast) be an important part of spiritual development? Won’t I be able to concentrate better and be more prepared to do God’s work if I’ve taken care of all my physical needs first?
Verse 19-21: Is Jesus a horrible financial planner? What does he mean “do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth”? What does it mean to treasure something?
Verse 22-24: How can we end up serving money? Doesn’t money serve us? What does serving money look like?
Verse 25-34: Why would Jesus say “seek first the kingdom of God”? Doesn’t he understand Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? What is Jesus’ point? Most people would think food, water, and clothing are pretty critical. Is he only saying this because he had enough food to eat, water to drink, and clothes to wear?
Can you really command someone not to be anxious? What if it’s a medical condition? If God really knew what I was going through, wouldn’t he understand that I have a lot to be anxious about? How does any of this help me where the rubber meets the road?