Rich Young Man
Mark 10:21,22
Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. “You lack only one thing.” he told him, “Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasures in Heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this, the man’s face fell and he went sadly away because he had many possessions. Mark 10:21,22 NLT
Jesus has genuine love for each of us. And just like he knew what would keep this young man from following him, He also knows what challenges us. He knows what prevents each of us from completely following him at times. The encouraging thing is he has a great love for us and knows, understands and encourages us to lay those things down and follow him.
Reflection
So, what does this mean to you? Write down examples of things Jesus may want you to lay down or something you have already given up to follow Jesus.
What does your prayer need to be? Maybe you want to thank Jesus for how well he knows each of us, no matter how unique we may be. Maybe you want to pray a prayer asking Jesus to help you give up certain things so you can follow him better. Write down a simple prayer.
Going Deeper
For an extra challenge and additional family time: read Mark 10:17-31. Spend time as a family discussing those things we know have the potential to prevent us from following Jesus better. Discuss how or why certain things are hard to give up. For example…why do we spend more time playing video games or being on Facebook than reading God’s words? Just like the things the rich man had weren’t themselves evil, so are the things and hobbies, etc. that we may do. But look at their potential to be used by the devil to keep us far from God and reading the Bible. Just talk about the dangers and strategies for victory!
