(5-10 minutes)
Students will consider specific ways Christ calls them to not only leave sin but to surrender every area of their life.
(10 minutes)
Provide printed worksheets or paper and a pen for each student.
Instruct students to fold their paper in thirds, making three equal columns labeled Good, Bad, and Worthy. Have students fill the Good column with hopes they have for their own future, expectations other people may have for them, and any other likes and interests that shape their identities (favorite food, hobbies, relationships, anything). Next have students write down any specific objection or obstacle getting in the way of following Christ wholeheartedly (sin, doubt, relationship, worry). Clarify that they can use initials or key words if they are not comfortable writing something down but assure them that this is for their own private and personal benefit. Allow a few minutes, then say: Being a Christian doesn’t just mean leaving ‘bad things’ behind; we must follow Christ even if it means leaving good things behind because God is even greater.
Lead a brief discussion by asking: How different would your life be if you truly gave everything to Him? How would other people respond if your love for Christ radically changed your life? Challenge students to ask themselves if they can really trust that a life with Jesus is better than every obstacle in their Bad column. Have students circle the single greatest obstacle in following Christ and draw a line through it before crossing out anything else on their Bad list.
Next, have them circle the one Good thing that would honestly be the hardest to surrender if God’s plan for their life didn’t always include it. Remind them that God is good and loving and only wants what is best, but that is not always what we expect. Challenge them to cross of everything in the Good list, just as they did with the Bad. Wrap up and transition to prayer by saying: Notice that nothing remains. This is what Christ expects – that you give Him a blank check to spend your life however He sees best. To live worthy of Christ means to let Him choose what fills your life, where you’ll go, what you’ll do, and who you’ll be. You hold nothing back and get everything in return.