3. The Achiever

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, 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!”
The disciples were astounded.
“Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” MARK 10:17-27 NLT

3: The Achiever

Reflects God’s Hope

Motivation: Success
Need: To achieve
Avoids: Failure
Focuses On: Goals
Core sin: Lying/deceit
Fear: Being worthless
Underlying Emotion: Shame

How the 3 Needs to be Real:

With Self

Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions. PSALM 119:29 NLT
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” JOHN 8:31-32 NLT

With Others

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. JAMES 5:16 NLT

With God

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 SAMUEL 16:7 NLT

How to Love a 3

Encourage them to celebrate success
Be real with them
Accept that they are a little nuts
Encourage them to connect with how they are feeling
Thank them specifically

Prayer for the Three

God help me to find success in you. Help me to strive for obedience as I strive for success.
May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you. PSALM 25:21 NLT

Community Group Discussion Guide

  1. On a scale from 1-10, how would you rate your personal drive to be successful and how does that tend to manifest in your life?
  2. What is it that makes lying, bending the truth, omitting negative details or exaggerating positive ones so appealing?
  3. Read Psalm 119:29. What makes lying to yourself so dangerous?
  4. Read John 8:32. When has the truth set you free? What happened?
  5. Read James 5:16. What are some things that help you to confess your sin?
  6. What is one practical thing you can do this week to uniquely care for or encourage the achievers in your life?

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a place where you can be alone with God. Take a few minutes to settle your body, mind and soul. When you’re ready, begin a conversation with God about the achiever in you. Ask him some questions like, “God, to what degree am I striving to achieve? To what extent am I overachieving or underachieving? What has my focus that’s driving me in either direction? God, on what would you have me focus instead? What is getting in the way of me aligning my focus with your focus?” When you’re ready, bring your time with God to a close. Thank him for your time together. Share with someone in your life about this conversation with God.

My Notes