Prayers for Preaching the Gospel to Our Hearts #3

March 6, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Prayers for Preaching the Gospel to Our Hearts #3 SCOTTY SMITH Friends, let’s root these glorious Gospel truths deep in our hearts. God has already declared us legally and perfectly righteous in Christ “He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 5:21 (NASB) Most glorious and grace-full Jesus, what wondrous love is this, indeed! As my Substitute in life, you lived a perfect life of obedience, thus fulfilling every demand of the law for me. And as my Substitute in death on the cross, you completely exhausted God’s judgment against my sin. I am totally forgiven, perfectly righteous, and eternally free in you. Hallelujah, many times over! Take me deeper and deeper into the reality of this good news, Jesus. By the work of the whole Trinity, we are washed, sanctified and justified “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV) Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—glorious Trinity, this one verse reminds me how the entire Godhead has secured my irrevocable, magnificent salvation. How astonishing, comforting, and humbling. Father, you washed and justified me, by the finished work of Jesus. And by the Holy Spirit, you set me apart for yourself, and my sanctification (my Christlikeness) is so certain, it can be spoken of in the past tense. I am undone with joy, filled with gratitude, and set free to love and serve you. “Thank you” seems such a trifling response.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.   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

Prayers for Preaching the Gospel to Our Hearts #2

March 5, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Prayers for Preaching the Gospel to Our Hearts #2 SCOTTY SMITH Dear Friends, blast your hearts with this Good News. God will never use our sins against us “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Heb. 10:17 Almighty and loving Father, I know you don’t really have amnesia about my sins, but you have promised me something far better. You will never ever remember my sins against me, because you have remembered them against Jesus on the cross. He took the judgment I deserve that you might give me the grace I could never earn. Hallelujah, what a Savior! Hallelujah, what a salvation! We are washed clean and guilt free “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 Gracious God, as hard as it is to imagine, and despite everything my discouraged heart tells me, you have washed me clean through the blood of Jesus. In your sight, I cannot be more guiltless, heart-clean, and pure. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I believe this is true; help my unbelief. The riches of your grace continue to astound me. Our Judgment Day has already taken place “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 8:1 Lord Jesus, through the gospel, my permanent address is now “in Christ,” and my eternal song is “no condemnation.” I praise, bless, and adore you for this astonishing and liberating news. I will never be held guilty for my sins again, for you took my guilt on the cross. There is now NO condemnation hanging over me—not a scintilla, even for a nanosecond—none, nil, zip, zilch. Make this good news more real to me than ever. 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

Prayers for Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves #1

March 4, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Prayers for Preaching the Gospel to Ourselves #1 SCOTTY SMITH Jack Miller, my spiritual father of twenty-one years, modeled and taught me the discipline of “preaching the Gospel to yourself.” We are always talking to ourselves, so why not fill the conversation with the life-giving, heart-transforming truth of the gospel? For the next several days, I will offer 2 or 3 short Gospel-to-my-heart prayers, to help us develop this daily discipline. This isn’t “mind over matter,” or merely the power of positive thinking. It’s the Gospel for the whole of life. We are image bearers of God—wonderfully made “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” – Psalm 139:14 Gracious Father, before I was broken, I was beautiful—made by your hands and for your glory. Thank you for creating me in your image, and now, for renewing me to become like Jesus. Help me to reject all the old tapes, messages, and voices that convinced me I was worthless and useless. The Gospel has always been your Plan A for my life. By your grace, continue to heal, change, and free me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. We are completely and exhaustively forgiven In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Eph. 1:7 (NIV) Heavenly Father, thank you for forgiving all of my sins, all of them. Sins I’ve committed in my thinking, with my words, and by my choices. Sins in the past, sins of today, and the sins I have yet to commit. Such forgiveness is almost too good to be true; and it would be, if you hadn’t sent Jesus to be our perfect Savior. The riches of your grace have proven to be more than sufficient for the bankruptcy of my sin. I praise and bless you. Help me extend the miracle of your forgiveness to others today. In Jesus’ name, I pray.     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

Coming More Alive to What Is Already Ours

March 3, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Coming More Alive to What Is Already Ours SCOTTY SMITH Ephesians 1:17 –  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  Heavenly Father, what a glorious prayer Paul prayed, reminding us of our need to coming more fully alive to what you have already give us in Jesus. We make it our own today. May the Holy Spirit do his renewing, relationship-deepening work in our hearts too. We want to know you better and better and better, for to know you and Jesus is eternal life (John 17:3). Vs.1:18a –“ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you…” – Open the eyes of our hearts, to see and experience more of the incomparable hope to which you have called us in Jesus. “Christ in us” is our sure and only hope of glory. “Us in Christ” is the guarantee of our acceptance with you. “Christ for us” is our peace—for he is our reigning King and merciful High Priest. Vs. 1:18b – “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people…”  – Father, free us from our unbelief. Convince our dull hearts that we, your wayward-yet-beloved-people, truly are your inheritance, “portion,” and treasure. Vs. 1:19 “and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” – Lastly, Father, keep releasing the power of Jesus’ resurrection in and through our lives. There’s no other way we will become like Jesus, and no other way we will love like Jesus. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ exalted and worship-worthy 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

Gospel Fullness and Shame Amnesia

March 2, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Gospel Fullness and Shame Amnesia SCOTTY SMITH “Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth…” Isa. 54:5 (NLT) Heavenly Father, this portion of your Word makes non-dancers want to imitate King David’s moves (2 Sam.6:14-22), non-shouters yell praises (Psalm 98:4-9), and non-hand-raisers reach for the heavens (1 Tim. 2:8-10). Your heart-healing kindness for us is overwhelming. In Isaiah’s words, you intend us to live in grace, not disgrace—to celebrate with joy, not hide in shame; to live with hope, not be paralyzed with fear. You know everything about us and love us completely. There’s nothing in us to discover, shock, or disappoint you. Your name is Redeemer, and our name is Beloved. By the riches of the Gospel… You completely forgave us Declared us righteousness in Jesus Adopted us as your daughters and sons Sealed, and now indwell us by your Holy Spirit Have secured a future for us beyond our greatest hopes      Until that blessed Day, make the Gospel more palpably real to us—truer, sweeter, and more powerful. What a blessing to realize you’re not ashamed of us, Father. You love us as much as you love Jesus—as hard as that is to believe. May our union with Christ define us more than the approval of people, the comparisons we make, and the wounds we still carry. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty 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

The Blessed “Sameness” of Jesus

March 1, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH The Blessed "Sameness" of Jesus SCOTTY SMITH Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb. 13:8 Lord Jesus, until the Day of all things new and beautiful, we live in a world of all things breakable and changeable. Except (hallelujah) for you. You never change, atrophy, or morph into something better. That doesn’t make you predictable. Even less so, it doesn’t make you manageable. But it does mean that we can trust you and rest in your love, no matter what is going on in our hearts, circumstances, and world. Likewise, your love and rule neither peak nor dive, wax or wane, have a high tide or low tide. Lord Jesus, you are the one and only constant in our lives—not static, but gloriously dynamic. Disruption and change don’t have sovereignty; only you do. Nothing is random in this world. Nothing catches you off guard. The scary becomes the sacred when we’re wearing the lens of the Gospel. Hard providences become the theatre of mercy and grace, the better we know you. Lord Jesus, help each of us accept disruption and change as parts of a better story than we could/would write for ourselves. As Author and Perfecter of our faith, you write with a loving hand and Gospel-ink. Until heaven, may we love you with abandon and serve you with gladness. So very Amen we pray, in your merciful and matchless 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