Rend Your Heart

The Lord’s Answer

²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,^(A) as though God were making his appeal through us.^(B) We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.^{(C) 21} God made him who had no sin^(D) to be sin^[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.^(E)

6 As God’s co-workers^(F) we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.^{(G) 2} For he says,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.^(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² “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. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.^(B)

Prayer^(C)

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing^(D) in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,^(E) who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting

¹⁶ “When you fast,^(A) do not look somber^(B) 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. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ 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.^(C)