Mercy Commons Podcast

Proverbs 1:1-9 // Our pursuit of wisdom isn’t the pursuit of a concept. It is truly the pursuit of a Person – of a relationship with Jesus, the One who is wise.

Matthew 4:18-23, Matthew 5:13-16 // The greatest thing that will help us to be resilient disciples of Jesus is to understand that we are here for a purpose. We are the salt of the earth, we are the light of the world, and we are called to be fishers of men. God, where in my life am I able to include people in what I already do so that I can be salt and light to them? And then maybe I will also be able to be a fisherman.

Ephesians 1:3-7, Galatians 4:4-7 // We are adopted by God, our Heavenly Father because of what the Son has done. And it is the Spirit inside us that enables us to cry, "Abba Father." None of this we can do on our own, but there are some things that we can do that will kind of activate that deposit. One of the ways that we can respond is to forgive. Maybe we need to forgive our earthly fathers. One of the gifts that God has given you, as someone that is walking with Jesus, is the ability to offer forgiveness to someone else that you cannot do alone. The Father is enabling you to do so through the Spirit because of the sacrifice of the Son.

Philippians 4:1-9 // We choose joy through pursuit, prayer, and praise. Prayer is us choosing to enter the garrison where Jesus is present and where I know that the peace of God comes by going to God. There are always things happening in our lives that will try to steal our joy. Joy is an emotion that is comfortable being in the presence of other emotions. And just because we are fearful or just because there's a sense of anxiety doesn't mean joy cannot be present. Happiness can't be present in that. But joy has room for those emotions. We can experience joy even in times of difficulty.

Ephesians 4:1-6 // Community builds resilience through shared experiences, shared resources, and shared convictions.

Mark 6:30–38 // The goal of both self-care and self-denial is that others would taste and see that the Lord is good and they can only taste and see that the Lord is good if we are living in a way that shows people the Lord is good. Only Jesus has the capacity, ability, and desire to care for you the way you deserve to be cared for because only Jesus died and rose again for you.

Ephesians 4:1-16 // Christians come together, not because they form a natural collocation, but because they have been saved by Jesus Christ and owe Him a common allegiance. In the light of this common allegiance, in light of the fact that they have all been loved by Jesus Himself, they commit themselves to doing what He says—and He commands them to love one another. In this light, they are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake. ~ DA Carson

Revelation 21:2-4 // Heaven. Our true home. Why is a view of heaven important for our lives on earth? What is absent from heaven? What will we experience in heaven?

Hebrews 4:15 // True resilience is a beautiful and it's a wonderful characteristic. It's something that God himself will shape in us as we continue to turn to Him little by little as best we can. Learn to abide in Christ, to connect to Him. Jesus is the source of our resilience. He is our strength. He is the one who gives us a different reality to stand on. When we do that, we find that the resilience that God shapes in us doesn't leave part of our humanity behind. It's not cruel to our emotions and it doesn't mean that you have to deny hurts or pretend that everything is fine so that you can just muscle up and carry on in the same way. As we continue to turn to God, we find that there is an ability to move forward. Not only do we have Christ, but we also have the body of Christ - His church. He sent us himself in human form with a nervous system and full emotions. Jesus came in the flesh. He then gave us His spirit and gave us one another to embody Him and be His hands and His feet through our care and love for each other.

1 Peter 4:12-13, James 1:2-5 // Only a re-imagining of suffering can lead to rejoicing, and only an understanding that something precious is being shaped in me can give me a sense of Spirit-empowered resilience. I can have a sense of joy in the context of suffering because there is a deeper intimacy that I experience with Jesus when I've gone through a time of suffering.