series artseries art

Counting on Change

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For 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.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:18-30 ESV

Count the cost of not changing

For most people, the pain of staying the same must be greater than the pain of changing.

Count the benefits of changing

And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:28-30 ESV

Let Jesus show you what’s holding you back

“One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Luke 18:22-24 ESV

You can never find the right solution if you start with the wrong problem

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life. Psalm 139:23-24 MSG

Stop talking and start changing

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18 ESV

Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Ecclesiastes 5:7 NLT

Talking about change is always easier than actually changing 

Let Jesus help you

Come, follow me.  Luke 18:22 NLT

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a place where you can be quiet and distraction-free. Slowly read through Psalm 139. Invite God into the reading, asking him to reveal your heart and his. Pay attention to what surfaces; what areas of change have you been resisting? Visualize holding these before God, contrasting these “change-areas” with his goodness and immense kindness toward you. Release them to God, asking him for the motivation and strength to change from the inside. Thank him for searching your heart and revealing these growth areas to you. Invite him into the change process regularly throughout your week, and find someone to share what surfaced during your time with God.

Discussion Questions

  1. What have you been learning about yourself, God or others in your personal Bible reading time? What stood out to you this week?
  2. What specific changes have this season of COVID forced onto your life (for better or for worse), and have those changes made you more or less likely to seek out other life changes?
  3. Read Psalm 139:23-24. As you think about your current situation in life, what specific things are holding you back, and what change (or changes) do you think Jesus is calling you to make?
  4. Read Luke 18:18-23. If you don’t make the change Jesus is calling you to make, what will it cost you to stay the same?
  5. Read Luke 18:28-30. What blessings or awesome experiences are waiting for you on the other side of your change? 
  6. Read Ecclesiastes 5:7. Since talking about change is always easier than actually changing, what practical steps of accountability do you need to set up to make the change stick?