Then Jesus said to the disciples, "And so I tell you not to worry about the food you need to stay alive or about the clothes you need for your body.

"So don't be all upset, always concerned about what you will eat and drink.

A teacher of the Law came up and tried to trap Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to receive eternal life?"

The servant said to himself, 'My master is going to dismiss me from my job. What shall I do? I am not strong enough to dig ditches, and I am ashamed to beg.

When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, "What shall we do, brothers?"

Then he led them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them.

He answered, "Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it."

But give what is in your cups and plates to the poor, and everything will be ritually clean for you.

When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;

and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death."

And Jesus went on to say, "And so I tell you: make friends for yourselves with worldly wealth, so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home.

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one more thing you need to do. Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me."

'Well done,' he said; 'you are a good servant! Since you were faithful in small matters, I will put you in charge of ten cities.'

Put your investments in several places---many places even---because you never know what kind of bad luck you are going to have in this world.

Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something, lend it to him.

Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.

Remember that the person who plants few seeds will have a small crop; the one who plants many seeds will have a large crop.

And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause.

And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity.

For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God.

And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you.

Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.

This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others!