Open It
Here is an icebreaker question for your family to open the discussion.
Go around the table, asking each person to complete this sentence: If I just had __________, then I’d be set!  Without [judging] anyone else’s answer, discuss how your response points either toward reliance upon God or reliance upon the things of this world.


Read It
Mark 10:17-30
Have everyone in the family contribute to reading this out loud.  Maybe divide up the characters in the account: narrator; Jesus; the man; Peter; the Disciples.


Unpack It
As you think about the story of this man, what would you say were some of the things that were keeping him from having a deeper relationship with Jesus?  Is there something that really stands out?

What is one thing money has provided for you that would be difficult to give up if Jesus were to say to you, “Sell it. Give the money to the poor and follow me”?

We learn that this young man was sad when he walked away from Jesus.  What do you think made him so sad?

Almost everyday in America, we are presented with a similar choice.  How do you see the conflict between God’s deepest desire for our lives versus the human longing for wealth and power playing itself out in our culture?  How do you see this struggle playing out in your own life?

In verse 21, it says that Jesus felt genuine love for this man even though Jesus already knew that he was struggling with some deep issues.  Throughout the rest of the story, how did Jesus’ love for him change, if at all?  How can Jesus’ love encourage us to keep trying, even during the most difficult times?


Apply It
Finances are a tough issue, especially in today’s economy.  But we also have to realize the “heart problems” that are driving us toward wanting more and more.  How can we go about, not just balancing our budgets, but balancing our hearts so that we can experience lives full of contentment and reliance upon God?


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