2026
Ready to Receive
Passage: Luke 18:15-30
REFLECTION QUOTE
“Lord, because you have made me, I owe you the whole of my love; because you have redeemed me, I owe you the whole of myself; because you have promised so much, I owe you my whole being. I pray you, Lord, to make me taste by love what I taste by knowledge; let me know by love what I know by understanding. I owe you more than my whole self, but I have no more, and by myself I cannot render the whole of it to you. Draw me to you, Lord, in the fullness of your love. I am wholly yours by creation; make me all yours, too, in love. Amen.” – Anselm
WORDS TO LISTEN TO
Where Your Treasure Is by Jon Guerra
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
In the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo helps her readers declutter by holding each item and asking if it sparks joy, meaning is it useful or does it make you happy? If not, then get rid of it! In matters of household items, this is one way of deciding something’s worth. What helps you decide something’s worth – whether it’s a household item, a career, a relationship, or another matter of life. How do notice yourself or others around you deciding something is “worth it”?
Read Luke 18:15-30. What does this passage show you about God’s character and about being his follower? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in this passage? Is there someone in this text that you identify with?
Babies are born entrusting themselves to help from someone else. They are unapologetically dependent. They live by crying out for help and receiving the provision and care they desperately need. Jesus says in verse 16 the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. In what ways is this a challenge and an encouragement for us to see an infant’s neediness as a picture for us of how to receive God’s saving work in our lives?
The ruler who is a rich young man we meet in verse 18, won’t let go of his wealth. The problem lies in his misplaced dependency on his wealth rather than Jesus. When you consider the treasures of your life (good things!) and your desire to follow Jesus, where has it been a struggle to see Jesus is worth more than anything or anyone else in our lives (including our own lives!)?
Peter spoke up on behalf of the disciples in verse 28, saying they were fully committed to following Jesus but also looking for assurance that Jesus is worth it. This is made clear in Jesus’s response; not a rebuke, but a wonderful promise of assurance and reward in this life and the life to come. In what ways, have you experience this same desire to hear from Jesus again that it is worth it to follow him? What promises of God have encouraged you in continuing to follow Jesus with assurance that he is worth it and the joy of knowing you are worth it to him?
PRAYER
Share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).