BIBLE BYTES -- The Bible is the GOAT! Verses and values from the Old and New Testaments!
What Jesus Said - The Sermon on the Mount
To forgive is to stop being angry or resentful toward another. God does this all the time for you! There is always reaction to an action - in law and in relationships - so accountability WILL occur. Forgiving means you give the resolution of your feelings to God.
Matthew 6:14-15 (TLB) 14-15 Your heavenly Father will forgive you if you forgive those who sin against you; but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.
11/30/2025
This prayer opens with a honoring statement of fact: God is Father of all. His ways are above humans, so you ask to know his ways. He promises to meet your basic needs. He protects you from the enemy as you ask him to. He forgives you and places a caveat: You must forgive others also.
Matthew 6:9-13 (TLB) 9 “Pray along these lines: ‘Our Father in heaven, we honor your holy name. 10 We ask that your kingdom will come now. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. 11 Give us our food again today, as usual, 12 and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. 13 Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One. Amen.’
Private prayer is between you and God. Jesus cautions against repetitive prayers, for good reason. Some are comforting and this is good, but separate those from talking simply and honestly to God every day. He knows your heart better than you do.
Matthew 6:5-8 (TLB) 5 “And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who pretend piety by praying publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. Truly, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone, and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly, and your Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you. 7-8 “Don’t recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, who think prayers are answered only by repeating them again and again. Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Jesus did good deeds as a matter of course and quietly. His emphasis was on doing them. Character and generosity are their own reward. God rewards you for your kindness and good deeds. Look for God’s approval, not “the public” or friends (who can turn on you in a second)!
Matthew 6:1-4 (TLB) 1 “Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, for then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give a gift to a beggar, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you in all earnestness, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you do a kindness to someone, do it secretly—don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. 4 And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.
11/9/2025
In today’s use of the word, to be perfect is to never make a mistake. In Greek, (the language of the New Testament), it means to align yourself with God’s deep love, holiness, forgiveness and grace. Learn what these things are and do your best to make it part of your character.
Matthew 5:48 (TLB) 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
11/2/2025
