Mark 10:17-31 (ESV)
17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
THE CALL TO FOLLOW
THE CONSTRAINTS FROM FOLLOWING
FOLLOWING HE WHO GOES FIRST
YOU CAN PRAY WITH US …
1 - Faith is a miracle of God! Praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for their miraculous work to give you eyes to see and ears to hear. Worship them for their kindness to make themselves known to you and for giving you faith.
2 - What is earthy that are you gripping as your source of goodness? Repent of your idols and how they have hindered the call of joy Jesus has for your life in following Him. Ask the Holy Spirit for help to mimic Jesus in holding nothing back.
3 - Give thanks to Jesus for going first. No one has given up more than Jesus. No one has been humiliated lower. Give thanks that it was His great joy to do the work of His Father in going to earth to teach us to love and redeem us from sin so that we may be adopted as children of God forever.
4 - Who do you know that is rejecting the invitation to go and follow Jesus? Pray for them and pray that the Spirit would crack open their heart to behold Jesus as the greatest good they could know and follow.
5 - Ask the Holy Spirit for His wisdom and creativity to be someone who holds nothing back as you follow Jesus with your money, possessions, time, influence, and friendship. Pray for ideas on how to be a radical blessing to the people in your community.