“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who asks of you, and if anyone takes away what is yours, do not ask for it back again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” —Luke 6:27-31

“Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. And…enable us to die as those who go forth to live, so that living or dying, our life may be in you… Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.” —United Methodist Book of Worship

What We Have Learned So Far about Resilience:

We want to be ready for God to use us to

resistance and despair into hope.

To be ready takes a clear

to ground us and a strong resistance to

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us.

“With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

We want God to make us

and strong.

“Resilience is not about becoming smarter or tougher; it’s about becoming stronger and more flexible. It’s about becoming tempered.” —Dr. Tod Bolsinger

Hardship + Relationship = Resilience

Never do ministry

.

“To lead alone is reckless and arrogant; it is foolish and dangerous to both self and others.” —Tod Bolsinger

We need teammates,

, and coworkers who share the responsibility and struggle with us.

We need

, mentors, and coaches who help us see and grow.

We need friends and family members who care more about

we are than

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we do.

If we want to be resilient in moments of stress, we have to

ahead of time.

“At the moment of crisis, you don’t rise to the occasion, you default to your training.” —A Navy SEAL

We can be “ruthlessly realistic” and create a

that helps us train to follow Jesus resiliently.

This Week: We are called to be “ruthlessly realistic” about the

of discipleship. (Luke 6:27-30)

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” — Martyred Missionary Jim Elliott while trying to share Christ with the Huaorani tribe of Ecuador, October 28, 1949

The Problem: What we want is a pain-free solution, ease of life,

, and security.

What we need is meaningful work, community, and faith that God will take care of us in the

.

We want

people to change.

“So long as there is conflict within us, there will be a conflict around us. We have to resolve the tension in ourselves before we can do so for others.” —Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Our calling cannot be born out of a desire to lead, but out of a call to

in light of the brutal facts of the world.

How do we survive the

necessary to bring about the transformation of the world?

God’s Answer: Love

and show it by doing to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31-36)

Transformation flows not from a desire to achieve, succeed, or accomplish, but to serve at the point of a real

.

Change takes

than we like and includes working with others we

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always like. (Luke 6:37-38)

“Stay calm, stay connected, and stay the course.” —Lombard Mennonite Peace Center

When you work too hard and you rest too little, you get

.

“Servants think about their work, not what others are doing.” —Rick Warren

The important, good work that God has for us to do will take more than one

to do.

Action Steps:

1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of

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   .

2. Remember always that we seek justice and reconciliation – not

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   .

3. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is

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   .

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   daily to be used by God in order that all people might be free.

5. Reveal Answer
   personal wishes in order that all people might be free.

6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of

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   .

7. Seek to perform regular

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   for others and for the world.

8. Refrain from the

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   of fist, tongue, or heart.

9. Strive to be in good spiritual

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   bodily health.

10. Follow the direction of the

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    as confirmed by scripture, wise counsel, and the church body.

My additional notes:

.