Scripture: Mark 1:35-38 (Voice)

Early in the morning, Jesus got up, left the house while it was still dark outside, and went to a deserted place to pray. 36 Simon and the others traveling with Jesus looked for Him. 37 They finally tracked Him down.

People: Everybody wants to know where You are!

Jesus: 38 It’s time we went somewhere else—the next village, maybe—so I can tell more people the good news about the kingdom of God. After all, that’s the reason I’m here.

The Gist:

What is Holy Indifference? It's being present with/for someone without trying to "save" them or be "God" for them. It isn't indifference or apathy, it's loving someone without being consumed.

Jesus was a great example of Holy indifference. He cared deeply, but never let the urgency of others and their demands override His calling and God's plan.

Loving without being consumed requires a deep trust in God. When we practice Holy indifference, we are essentially handing people back to God again and again. We don't stop loving them, we stop holding what isn't ours to hold.

It's a heart that is: tender, not entangled, present, not pressured, and responsive, not reactive.

It's learning to listen instead of solving, care without chasing outcomes or solutions, and love without trying to manage someone else's emotions.

Digging Deeper:

If God asked me to release this particular attachment, what emotions arise in me?

When I imagine letting go of control, what part of my ego resists the most?

What would it look like to trust God without demanding guarantees?

How might holy indifference deepen my capacity to love others without needing them to be a certain way?

As promised, a fun break from the hard heart work! Take these questions to your next girls' night out or dinner party.

If your friendship were a cocktail, what would it be called and what would be in it?

If angels gave "Yelp" reviews, what would they say about you?

Which gospel personality would you invite to dinner?

If you had a podcast, what would you name it?

When do you feel most like your true self?

What's something you wish people understood about your personality?

What's your most unnecessary talent?

If we saw your Google search history, what would surprise us?

What's a habit that you have that drives your family nuts?

What's your favorite new app on your phone?

What's a Bible verse that has always struck a chord with you?

Scripture - Mark 10:17-22

When He had traveled on, a young man came and knelt in the dust of the road in front of Jesus.

Young Man: Good Teacher! What must I do to gain life in the world to come?

Jesus: 18 You are calling Me good? Don’t you know that God and God alone is good? 19 Anyway, why ask Me that question? You know the Commandments of Moses: “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not slander, do not defraud, and honor your father and mother.”[a]

Young Man: 20 Yes, Teacher, I have done all these since I was a child.

21 Then Jesus, looking at the young man, saw that he was sincere and responded out of His love for him.

Jesus: Son, there is still one thing you have not done. Go now. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor so that you will have treasure in heaven. After that, come, follow Me.

22 The young man went away sick at heart at these words because he was very wealthy,

The Gist

The young man in these verses is the only person in the Gospels (outside the disciples) Jesus personally invited to follow him. He is also the only one in the Gospels to walk away from Jesus's invitation.

Today, we discuss what we can learn from the young man and how we are actually very similar to him. This story illustrates the difference between following commandments and following Jesus.

The tragedy of the story wasn't that the young man had wealth, but that his wealth had him! The only thing worse than being far from God. . . is being close enough to hear His voice, feel His love, and still choose something else over Him.

Digging Deeper

What part of my identity would I struggle to live without?

Is there anything I've quietly decided is "off limits" to God?

Where am I slowly walking away from God, not outright, just not stepping fully toward Him?

Three GREAT Small Group Questions to answer regularly:

1) Where have I said "yes" to God? 2) Where have I said "no" to God? 3) Where have I seen God at work in my life?