In Matthew 7:7-11 Jesus teaches us to engage in prayer first, often, and with faith because we’re communicating with our Father who loves to give good gifts to his children.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to have moral discernment rather than an attitude of judgmentalism. He emphasizes self-reflection first before reaching out to point out the sin in the lives of other believers.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us that worry has no place in his kingdom. Worry is worthless, harmful and a sin. Jesus shows us how we can replace worry with trust in God, peace in our identity, and in seeking his kingdom first each day.

In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus teaches us that our investments reveal and reinforce what is in our heart. In his kingdom, internal transformation is the driving force for every external action.

God invites us to be part of his story through our giving. In 2 Corinthians 9 we learn about the expectation, practice and blessing of living a generous life.

God’s story always involves gathering us to himself, placing us in growing communities of faith, and sending us out to gather more people into His kingdom.

God’s story of grace is passed down from generation to generation. Each generation celebrates what God has done and takes their place in what He is doing today.

In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus teaches us that fasting is an important part of following him. He encourages us to monitor our motivations when practicing this important spiritual discipline.

The Lord’s Prayer is a powerful model for prayer that Jesus taught us. When we intentionally follow this model, it helps us to grow in our relationship with Jesus.

Before Jesus teaches us to pray, he gives us a couple very specific examples of how not to pray. We do not pray for attention, and we do not pray to try to control or manipulate God. Instead, we approach God as a Father, with confidence and hope.