Drinking from a Bottomless Tankard of Grace

May 29, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Drinking from a Bottomless Tankard of Grace SCOTTY SMITH    I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land are my true heroes! … Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. Psalm 16:2-5 Lord Jesus, our response to David’s affirmation is quick and simple. “Yea, Verily, and Amen!” You are our Master and Redeemer, Creator and Re-Creator, Bridegroom and Inheritance. You are the fountain of lasting pleasures, the wellspring of eternal joy, the One from whom all blessings flow. You love lavishly, not reservedly; You redeem fully, not partially. You are actively making all things new and beautiful, and are working in all things for our good. Compared to you, all other “riches” are “fool’s gold,” a-bad-night-in-Vegas, rotting rubbish, sure-to-fail cryptocurrencies. The “excellency of knowing you” changed the price tags in our lives (Phil. 3:8). Life is now You, and death has become gain (Phil. 1:21). Boasting in weakness is freedom, posing and pretending are slavery. Humility is the way up, and pride is the way down (2 Cor. 12:8-10). You are our quintessential, eternal Hero; and our earthly heroes are those who love you more than anything, and serve you with adoration without reservation. Our “cup of blessing” is a bottomless tankard of mercy, grace, and love, because you drank the bitter cup of your cross for us. We are heart-palpitating grateful. So very Amen we pray, Lord Jesus, in your tender and trustworthy 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 Servant-Warrior Who Ends All Wars

May 28, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH The Servant-Warrior Who Ends All Wars SCOTTY SMITH A Prayer for “Memorial Day” Weekend “He (the Messiah—Jesus) shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isa 2:4 Lord Jesus, on “Memorial Day” we honor the courageous men and women who sacrificed their lives serving our country. Their sacrifice reminds us of you—the quintessential Serviceman—the Warrior who ends all wars. No one paid a greater price to bring final and full peace—to our hearts and the entire cosmos. You are the Prince of Peace because you were the Lamb of God.    Jesus, you defeated evil on the cross, and it will be eradicated at your return.    Because of your finished work, we live in anticipation of the Day when all swords and spears will become garden tools. Nations won’t fight each other, but will dance with each other and serve one another. Our “forever-curriculum” won’t be about learning war, but learning love—as we discover more and more of your glory and grace. All malevolence, meanness, and madness will be gone. The consummate peace of your Kingdom will replace all petulance, pettifoggery, and peevishness. Harming, hating, and being hated will never happen again. Hasten that Day, Lord Jesus. Until then, may we live as active peacemakers, not passive conflict-avoiders. So very Amen we pray, in your triumphant and exalted 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

On Bullying, Dementia, and Burden-Bearing Love

May 27, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH On Bullying, Dementia, and Burden-Bearing Love SCOTTY SMITH Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2 Lord Jesus, you fulfilled the Law of Moses for us by your life of perfect obedience, and your judgment-exhausting death upon the cross. Thank you, and a major, “Hallelujah!” We’ll never exhaust the riches of the Gospel, and the wonders of your love. Now—in gratitude and calling, we fulfill your “law” by a life of burden-bearing love. Grant us wisdom, kindness, and strength; for some of the burden’s our friends are shouldering are truly overwhelming, even crushing. How do we pray? How do we offer your presence? How do we show up and shoulder-up? We pray for children being targeted for bullying, shaming, and ridicule—by peers, coaches, and parents. Few expressions of evil are “eviller” than harming vulnerable children. Though we’re inclined to “call down fire” (Luke 9:54) on the perpetrators, we’ll use our energy to call down your Spirit and grace. We pray for families and friends early (or late) in the journey of memory-loss diseases. Remembering the season when my father no longer knew my face or name, I pray with compassion for those called to love well in this story. We pray for families and friends suffering the multi-layered impact of addiction. Few forms of brokenness deplete our emotional tank, bank accounts, and mental reserves like addiction. Whether the issue is chemical, sexual, or idol-fueled, show us how to love well. So very Amen we pray, Lord Jesus, in your strong and loving 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

A Prayer for Y’all Who Pray with Me Each Day

May 26, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH A Prayer for Y'all Who Pray with Me Each Day SCOTTY SMITH I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. Phil. 1:3 Heavenly Father, thank you for this amazing community of Jesus-loving women and men, with whom I get to begin each day. They represent different time zones, life-joys, and heart-challenges. This side of Jesus’ second coming, we’re not going to cross every theological “t” or dot every ideological “i” the same way. But I do ask you give each of us a greater understanding of the Gospel, 20/15 vision of Jesus’ beauty, and an unshakable peace, born from your Fatherly sovereignty over all things. May your grace be the most encouraging, freeing, and transforming power in our lives. May we rest deeper in your love, marinate longer in your peace, and grow “greener” with contentment and gratitude. Continue to free us from old “tapes” and heavy “baggage”—the un-Biblical, grace-less thoughts we have about you; the guilt of sins you’ve already forgiven, and lingering shame that can cripple us. Father, you know our struggles and heartaches, longings and fears. With palms up, we praise and trust you. The Day of all things new and beautiful is closer than ever. Supersize our hope and joy, as we seek to live and love to your glory. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ exalted and loving 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

“Ripped” with Thankfulness Muscles

May 25, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH "Ripped" with Thankfulness Muscles SCOTTY SMITH Praise the Lord, my soul, and don’t forget a single one of his benefits to you. Ps. 103:2 Heavenly Father, age doesn’t just atrophy muscle mass, but gratitude-mass as well. But I’d far rather finish this life “ripped” with thankfulness than sporting “6-pack abs,” so here goes. (Friends, here’s my list. “Amen!” what’s yours, and tell Abba other things for which you’re grateful/hopeful) Thank you for an over-the-top glorious salvation in Jesus. By your sovereign goodness, you revealed the depth of my need, then lavished the riches of the grace on me. I’m hidden in Christ, standing in grace, and rooted in your love—an object of your constant affection, and a subject in your unshakeable Kingdom. I live as a target of Jesus’ prayers, and as a son in whom your Spirit dwells. With a roof over my head and heaven as my home, a family to love and your Story to live, why would I ever whine? I have friends who invite me to play, pray, and ponder the glories of the Gospel. I can still taste dark chocolate, see your majesty in creation, and hear your voice in the Scriptures. Father, thank you for making me more comfortable mystery, and less needful of control. Regrets and shame has less crippling power, and laughter and lingering come easier. Father, I love you. Thank you for being astonishingly generous, tenacious, and patient with me. So very Amen, I pray, in Jesus’ wonderful and merciful 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

Continually Be Being Filled with the Holy Spirit – Eph. 5:18

May 24, 2021 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Continually Be Being Filled with the Holy Spirit – Eph. 5:18 SCOTTY SMITH Lord Jesus, yesterday, Christians around the world celebrated Pentecost—the day the promised Holy Spirit was poured out on the young church in Jerusalem (Acts 2). Thankfully, the Spirit’s work continues, and how we need him. By your Spirit, we discovered our great need, your incomparable glory, and the Gospel’s total sufficiency to save us. The Spirit is the “down-payment” and firstfruits of our final redemption (Eph. 1:14-16)—the unbreakable guarantee one Day we will be completely like you (1 John 3:1-3). By the Spirit, you sealed us as your beloved, never-to-be-rejected Bride. He is the “engagement ring” wrapped around our hearts—the sign and security of our marriage to you. A Wedding Feast, not Judgment Day, awaits us. Hallelujah! The Holy Spirit permanently indwells us, constantly tells us we are Abba’s guiltless, condemnation-free, unwaveringly loved children. Turn the volume of his voice up real loud! He prays inside of us what we’d pray for ourselves if we knew the Father the way he does (Rom. 8:26-27). What peace this gives us. Speaking of peace, it’s the Spirit’s delight to grow this bit of fruit, and all the others, inside of us and among us (Gal. 5:22-23). Lord Jesus, fill us to overflowing with God the Holy Spirit. May a fresh passion for your glory and Kingdom, and a love for our neighbors and the nations, seize us and shape how we live until you return. So very Amen we pray, in your exalted and loving 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