Matthew 6:14-21

One verse in the Lord’s Prayer tells us to ask the Lord to “And forgive us our debts [GR debts, offenses, faults, or sins], as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

Jesus goes on to teach that, to be forgiven, we must forgive others. If we fail to forgive, we will not obtain forgiveness. “He who can thus pray with full intent and unmixed purpose merits forgiveness … [W]e are taught to expect only as we deserve. The selfish and sinful would rejoice in exemption from their lawful debts, but being selfish and sinful would exact the last farthing from those who owe them. Forgiveness is too precious a pearl to be cast at the feet of the unforgiving; and, without the sincerity that springs from a contrite heart, no man may justly claim mercy. If others owe us, either in actual money or goods as suggested by debts and debtors, or through some infringement upon our rights included under the broader designation as a trespass, our mode of dealing with them will be taken into righteous account in the judgment of our own offenses.”[1]

“We can all receive unspeakable peace and partnering with our Savior as we learn to freely forgive those who have trespassed against us. This partnering brings the Savior’s power into our lives in an unmistakable and never-to-be-forgotten way.”[2]

Jesus told us when we fast, we should not be like the hypocrites. The hypocrites make sure all know they are fasting. “[T]hey disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast” (Matthew 6:16).

When we fast, we should “appear not unto men to fast” (Matthew 6:18). We should fast in secret. God knows we are fasting as well as why we are fasting. “[T]hy Father , which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:18).

Jesus taught us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). Earthly treasures can become corrupted and stolen. Our treasures in heaven will never be corrupted and thieves cannot steal them.

“If we are not careful, we will begin to chase after the temporal more than the spiritual. Our pursuit for the spiritual and eternal will then take a backseat, instead of the other way around. Sadly, there appears to be a strong inclination to acquire more and more and to own the latest and the most sophisticated.”[3]

What we value in life will show us the person we have become. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

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[1] Jesus the Christ, Elder James E. Talmage, Chapter 17.

[2] Even as Christ Forgives You, So Also Do Ye, Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk, April 2018 General Conference.

[3] Where Your Treasure Is, Elder Michael John U. Teh, April 2014 General Conference.