Mark Reading Plan – W10D3
Week 10 | Day 3 | Mark 10:17-31
Check out all the previous readings here.
Pray
As you come to the reading today, write down all the things that are troubling you, giving them to God. Then ask God to open your eyes and your ears to his Word
Bible Reading (read these verses three times slowly)
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Reflection & Questions
The story of the rich young ruler is as sad as it is shocking. Here is a young man, who knows there is a God, a heaven and a hell, eternal life, and even knows that Jesus has the answer. However, he has an idol in his heart: money. Jesus sees it and tells him, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (10:22).
In comparison to eternal life, his riches were nothing. But the young man couldn’t do it. He walked away from eternal life; he walked sadly, but intentionally.
That is exactly how idolatry works. You could substitute any idol into this story: money, sex, power, work, comfort. How terrible that someone might miss heaven for the sake of _____________ (you fill in the blank). We’d rather hold onto our idols than rejoice in the true and living God. The disciples saw how difficult this was to do and asked Jesus, “Who can be saved”? The answer: “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (vs27). God can change hearts. God can remove the idols of lives.
- What did Jesus promise to those who follow him? (10:28-31)
- Are there areas in your heart you are not allowing God to touch?
Pray
Talk to God about the reading today and ask Him to search your heart. Listen to Him.
Worship Song
In response to today’s reading, you could use this song to worship Jesus:
Bible Reading
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Reflection and Questions
The story of the rich young ruler is sad AND shocking. Here is a young man, who knows there is a God, a heaven, eternal life, and even knows that Jesus has the answer to it all. But he has something in his heart that he thinks matters more: money. Something that he cares about more than God! Jesus sees it and tells him “sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (10:22).
Now when you compare his money against living forever in heaven with Jesus, his money was nothing, right?? But the young man couldn’t do it. He walked away from it all; he couldn’t get rid of his money.
That is exactly how idolatry works, which is treating something as more important than God. We’d rather hold onto our things than love God with everything that we have! The disciples saw how difficult this was to do and asked Jesus “who can be saved”? The answer: “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (vs27). God can change hearts. God can remove idols in our life, and help us remember that nothing is more important than God. Is there anything in this world that is more important than loving God? I’ll just go ahead and let you know – there isn’t.
- Is there anything in your life that you wouldn’t give away if God asked you to?
Prayer
Pray to God about helping you to love Him more than anything else.
Bible Reading
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Devo Focus
“One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Vs. 21
Devo
Think of a thing that you own that is very important to you. You spend a lot of time with it, you work on it to make it better, everyone knows it’s valuable to you. Maybe it’s your car or your computer…or your phone. The story of the rich young ruler is as sad as it is shocking. Here is a young man, who knows there is a God, a heaven and a hell, eternal life, and even knows that Jesus has the answer. However, he has an idol in his heart: money. Jesus sees it and tells him “sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (10:22). In comparison to eternal life, his riches were nothing. But the young man couldn’t do it. He walked away from eternal life; he walked sadly, but intentionally. That is exactly how idolatry works. We’d rather hold onto our “worthless” things than rejoice in the true and living God. The disciples saw how difficult this was to do and asked Jesus “who can be saved”? The answer: “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (vs27). God can change hearts. God can remove the idols of lives. You could substitute any idol into this story: money, sex, power, work, comfort. How terrible that someone might miss heaven for the sake of _____________ (you fill in the blank).
- What did Jesus promise to those who follow him? (10:28-31)
- Are there areas in your heart you are not allowing God to touch?
Prayer
Talk to God about the reading today and ask Him to search your heart. Listen to Him.
