Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Have you ever been the recipient of a pay-it-forward moment? Maybe you pulled up at a fast food window to pay for your order only to be told that the car in front of you had taken care of it? Have you ever received a nice gift or had a need met in secret? How sweet is the moment when you realize that someone cared enough to do something for you without wanting any acknowledgment whatsoever for the deed! In Matthew 6 we are instructed on how God calls us to give, to fast, and to pray. God instructs us that when we do either of these things with the intent to serve another in His name or for His glory, those acts should be done in secret.

In any of these cases, God says what is done in front of man for acknowledgment of man… that is your reward; however, that which is done silently for His glory, that He, Himself, will reward you openly.

Reflection:

• Find a way this week to have a pay-it-forward moment. Engage your kids or family in the act as well. Allow them to experience the soul-refreshing feeling of doing something for another for God’s glory.
• Prayer: Dear God, what a precious thing it is to show Your love to others! Please always give us eyes to see a need and hands to do the work for Your glory and honor. Thank You, also, for the opportunity to bring every need to You in prayer. Amen.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Matthew 6

Author: Anna Overstreet

Matthew 6 is where our reading picks up today. It is jam-packed with detailed instructions on how believers should give their time and money, how to pray, how to fast, and how to deal with anxiety and worry. You are going to want to read and discuss each section of this awesome chapter with your family.

Verses 9-13 is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.” These verses are some of the most memorized scriptures in all of history. If you haven’t memorized this very important prayer, then today is the day to start learning! Jesus gave this prayer as an example of how we should pray to Him.

Memorizing scripture is a great way to keep God’s Word in your heart. Scripture memorization is powerful and praying is powerful, but combining the two equals an atomic boom! There is no better way to talk to God than by praying the scriptures back to Him, especially when you don’t know what to say because you may be too sad or scared to know what to say to God. I know memorizing anything can be challenging, so I am going to list some ways to help make it easier.

• YouTube! With the help of a parent or trusted adult, search YouTube or the internet to find songs that put the Lord’s Prayer and other scriptures to music.
• The Echo Game- One person will say a section of the prayer, and the other person will “echo” it back to them. Keep adding more and more parts of the prayer until you have memorized the entire thing!
• Scrambled Word Eggs- Write each word or section of the prayer on yellow paper. Cut out the words in a squiggly circle to resemble scrambled eggs. “Scramble” the eggs on the table and see how quickly you can put them back in order. For each round, take away an “egg” and see how well you can repeat the verses with the pieces of “eggs” until there are no “scrambled eggs” left!

These are just a few suggestions of the countless ways to learn God’s Word. Pick a way that works best for you that can be fun. The Lord’s Prayer was the first set of verses my sweet mama taught me as a child. I have never forgotten it, and have prayed it hundreds of times since. It would definitely make the “Hall of Fame” list if there was one on being some of the most important scriptures to keep memorized! You won’t regret learning this important prayer that you can call on for the rest of your life!

Take the rest of this week to study what each section of the prayer meant as you are memorizing the verses. Understanding what each part of the prayer means will help you to memorize it even better. Knowing what it means is just as important as memorizing the prayer itself. Have fun learning it. I can’t wait to hear your voices confidently recite this prayer from memory the next time we pray it as a church!

• Prayer: Read “The Lord’s Prayer” out loud with your family.