Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7–12)

This passage is a favorite of preachers of the so-called “prosperity gospel.” Commenting on this passage, pastor Creflo Dollar says, “God loves us and wants the very best in life for us—this is His will.” And that “best life,” is often interpreted materially. Dollar says, “God wants us to live abundant, prosperous lives, including in our finances.”

Yeah, not so much.  

Jesus didn’t hav...

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)

My daughter Kate is the boldest evangelist I know…but she’s 9, so she’s not always the wisest or most emotionally intelligent. :)

Case-in-point: Last school year, Kate was sharing the gospel with a friend at school I’ll call Addison. After a few days of faithfully sharing Jesus’s good news, Addison abruptly said, “Kate! I’m tired of talking about Jesus. Can we please talk about something else?”

Sweet Kate came home discouraged, unsure of what to do next. That’s when I pointed her to today’s passage.

On the surface, Jesus’s words in Matthew 7:6 sound a bit…bizarre. I can imagine his original audience thinking Dogs, pearls, and pigs? What in the world are we talking about, Jesus?

Here’s how one group of theologians summarizes the most common interpretation of this text: “Jesus uses dogs and pigs as representative of thos...

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Conflict is ever-present at work. In today’s passage, Jesus calls us to prioritize introspection of our own shortcomings before we think about inspection of someone else’s. 

Why? Because as pastor Tony Merida explains, “Our assessment of the other person [in a conflict] is wrong…because something is blurring or blocking our vision. And it’s not a speck—it’s a 2 x 4!”

So how do we clear our vision in conflict—especially since Jesus implies that we’re...

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, an...

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:19-24)

Today’s passage shows us three important truths as we follow the way of The Way at work.

#1: Chasing temporary treasure isn’t just wrong—it’s foolish.

As we saw last week, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” is a command, not a suggestion....

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:16-20)

Jesus mentions eternal rewards more than ten times in the Sermon on the Mount, making it one of the most common themes in his manifesto of the Kingdom of God. A few of those mentions are in today’s passage which point us to two important truths.

#1: Jesus commands you and I to chase after eternal rewards. 

And he...

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not for...

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)

After The Screwtape Letters and The Chronicles of Narnia were published, C.S. Lewis began to experience a huge financial windfall. Because of his apprenticeship to Jesus, Lewis was resolute about giving more than two-thirds of his book royalties away to orphans, widows, and the poor. 

But he went to great lengths to ensure his giving was done in secret. He set up a charitable trust called the Agape Fund, which he used fo...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

At the height of his fame, Fred Rogers was expected for dinner at the home of a TV executive. On the limo ride there, he struck up a conversation with his driver, Billy, and surprised everyone by inviting Billy to dinner. After the meal, Fred accepted an invitation to visit Billy’s place, where Fred played piano as neighbors gathered to listen.

That’s a beautiful example of Jesus’s command in today’s passag...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42)

On March 12, 1911, Booker T. Washington—then the most famous Black man in America—was standing in a hotel lobby when a white woman mistook him for a servant. She asked Washington for a glass of water. And instead of correcting her, he quietly obliged, returned with the water, and asked, “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

That’s a beautiful example of the type of “second mile service” Jesus is calling us to show in today’s passage.

In Jesus’s day, Roman law stated that a soldier could ask any Jew to carry his gear up to one mile—which th...