Threefold Awesomeness

July 18, 2020 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Threefold Awesomeness SCOTTY SMITH May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13      Heavenly Father, what a great verse for focusing, fueling, and filling our hearts this Saturday in July. We’ll take all the joy, peace, and hope you’ll give us. So… Fill us with your joy. The joy of knowing you are with us and for us; working in all things for our good, ruling over everything for your glory. The joy of knowing you love us as much as you love Jesus, delight in us more than all your angels, and sing to us nonstop. The joy of experiencing your presence in our storms, your grace in our weakness, and your mercy in our messes. Fill us with your peace. The peace of knowing you are engaged in the lives of our children, the politics of the nations, and the madness of this aggravating virus. The peace of knowing you’ll send Jesus back right on time, and until then, you’ll give us all the grace we need. The peace of knowing none of us is the 4th member of the Trinity. We can relax, and trust you to do more than we can ask or imagine. Lastly, Father, we want to “abound in hope,” as your Spirit works in our hearts. If we could see, taste, and smell the future you’ve secured for us by Jesus, we would: Live more by faith than fear. Worship more than we worry. Love our neighbors more than we vex for ourselves. May it be, Father. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ triumphant and tender name.     Wish you had roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2020 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Disturbed, Yet Delighting

July 17, 2020 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Disturbed, Yet Delighting SCOTTY SMITH Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Ps. 43:5 Heavenly Father, it the midst of feeling kind of “funky” this morning, it feels so good to be certain of your glad welcome, heart of encouragement, and perpetual kindness. Unlike us, you’re never down or weary. You never mutter, “Whatever,” or “Meh.” But I do, and that’s the attitude I woke up with on this Friday. Taking on David’s questions, why am I downcast and a bit disturbed? The best I can tell, it’s coming from the backwash and backlash of the past few months. So much has changed. So many things are different than I planned for the summer of 2020. And then there’s the experience of driving around Nashville yesterday on a common errand. It’s hard to wrap my head around seeing so many people going about their business mask-less, carefree, and neighbor-indifferent. Father, I don’t believe in “mask-wearing-righteousness.” The only thing I’m wearing that makes me righteous is Jesus’ righteousness. But you tell us to steward our freedom for loving well—not for flaunting our rights or defending our turf (Gal. 5:13). Personal politics is one thing, but sensible politeness is a Gospel-reality. My hope isn’t in a post-COVID world; but in you, Father, and Jesus’ kingdom. You’re at work in ways we’ll only understand later. I confess my bad attitude, but even more passionately, I confess and delight in Jesus—the author and perfecter of our faith; the Lamb of God, and Lord of lords; our reigning King and returning Bridegroom. So very Amen, period.     Wish you had roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2020 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Heart Treasure and Word Flow

July 16, 2020 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Heart Treasure and Word Flow SCOTTY SMITH A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. And an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 The tongue has the power of life and death. Prov. 18:21 Lord Jesus, thank you for treasuring us, and only speaking life to us. And as this Scripture makes clear, the main issue in our lives is to treasure you right back. For whatever we treasure in our hearts will be reflected in the flow of our thinking and words—a critical issue in this day of malice, meanness, and madness. It’s why we must preach the Gospel to ourselves every day, and during the entire day. So self, listen up. You are standing in God’s grace, and rooted in his love. You’re the object of your Father’s affection, and the target of his delight. Jesus is your righteousness, peace, and hope. Don’t look for any of this blessed triad anywhere else. Listen to the Spirit today, because he will tell you more about Jesus, and who you are in Jesus—which is more wonderful than you have yet to understand. Jesus, we’d love to become fluent in this kind of heavenly tongues—blessing rather than cursing; building up, rather than tearing down. Teach us, Lord. May even our body-language speak copious mercy and healing grace. There’s always a redemptive way to confront, conflict, and correct. So very Amen we pray, in your kind and powerful name.   Wish you had roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2020 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Seeing, Grieving, and Fleeing Our People Worship

July 15, 2020 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Seeing, Grieving, and Fleeing Our People Worship SCOTTY SMITH Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21 Heavenly Father, we long for the Day when we’ll no longer be temptable, deceivable, or capable of worshiping anything but you. No one redeems, loves, cares, understands, or satisfies our hearts like you—period, end of conversation. In Jesus, you’ve already given us a new heart, and have placed your Spirit inside us. You’ve turned our hard hearts into living hearts—hearts that know and love you. (Ezek. 36:25–27; Jer. 24:7). Indeed, Father, you’ve already given us perfectly forgiven hearts—yet far from perfected hearts. The battle for our heart’s attention and affection continues daily, and relentlessly. Thus, John’s warning to keep ourselves from idols is not going away, till Jesus comes back (Ezek. 14:4). There are some idols we run from like COVID; but others we don’t even recognize as idols. No idolatry is more insidious, and destructive, than our people worship. Forgive us for making romance, a spouse’s attention, our kids’ affection, a parent’s approval, “inner-circle” acceptance, club-belonging, org-chart position… and the list goes on… more ultimate, defining, and powerful than you. When we make people big, you get smaller and smaller. Help us see, grieve, and flee this. Father, we are so thankful we’re already your “beloved children”—in whom you delight, to whom you sing, for whom you gave Jesus. You cannot love us more; you’ll never love us less. But we want to love you so much more. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and magnificent name. Wish you had roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2020 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Those Who Need Grace Make the Best Dancers

July 14, 2020 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Those Who Need Grace Make the Best Dancers SCOTTY SMITH You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Ps. 30:11–12 Lord Jesus, King David, the author of this Psalm, once danced with all his might and very little modesty, so great was his joy. (2 Sam. 6:14). Perhaps his joy was so great before God, because his sin was so real, and his despair so deep. Those same dancing feet took him into adultery with Bathsheba; and running from the murderous plots of King Saul, and his own son, Absalom. Great need, great grace, and great joy go hand in hand. Jesus, you are the true Lord of the Dance—the one who turns our wailing into dancing (metaphorically and literally). How can we not sing and make music to you in our hearts? How can we possibly remain silent and still in response to who you are and everything you’ve done for us? Even if we’ve never acted out like David, cause us to hear the Father speaking to us today: “Son (or daughter), you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). Forgive us when, like the elder brother, we remain smugly off the dance floor, in our self-righteousness, chilled affection for you, and Gospel-amnesia (Luke 15:25). We have SO much to be, and stay, grateful for. One Day, Jesus, we too will give you thanks with all our might. May that coming Day have much greater impact on this day. Teach us to dance, even in this pandemic—even in this election year. So very Amen we pray, in your grace-full and gladsome name.   Wish you had roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2020 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Wholly His

July 13, 2020 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Wholly His SCOTTY SMITH Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:23 Gracious Father, it’s a source of incredible comfort to know you’re tenaciously at work making us like Jesus. You’ve promised to bring to completion the good work you began in us (Phil. 1:6). “Whew…” we let out a big redemptive, “Whew!” We’d despair if this weren’t the case; for the disparity between Jesus’ beauty and wholeness is immense. The thoughts we think, the things we feel, the choices we make demonstrate how much we need the Gospel every hour or every day. As the God of peace (not irritation, disappointment, or impatience), you’re making us wholly holy—wholly healthy, free, and Christlike. You’re “sanctifying” every part of our being—spirit, soul, and body. A gazillion times, thank you. We will be blameless and shameless at Jesus’ second coming, because of the perfection of his fist coming. Even now, our lives are hidden safely in Jesus—who you’ve made our “righteousness, holiness, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:31; Col. 3:4). Father, as this gift of a new week unfolds, free us to rest in your love, and surrender to your Spirit. There’s so much going on in our world and hearts. We want to live wholly yours—in thought, word, and deed. Grant us quick repentances, Gospel-joy, and as much of your peace as we can possibly contain So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ kind and powerful name. Wish you had roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2020 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe