Non-Stop Prayer and Not Losing Heart

July 16, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Non-Stop Prayer and Not Losing Heart SCOTTY SMITH “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1-8 – “The Parable of the Perfect Judge”)   Jesus, right out of the prayer-shoot this Saturday morning, thank you. Thank you that you don’t want us to “lose heart.” It’s easier than ever for me to lose stuff—keys, phone, my parked car, names of old friends, to name a few. But losing heart is different. When we “lose heart” we find anxiety, fear, anger, self-pity, other-blaming, and, eventually, despair. So, what’s the relationship between ongoing-prayer and heart-peace? Jesus, like most Scriptures, I used to have a me-centered, performance-laden understanding of the parable of the “persistent widow” (Luke 18:1-8). I thought the more I prayed, the more likely I’d be to get what I want  Prayer was a means of earning, not a gift for resting—a way to grow calluses on my knees, not necessarily get a bigger heart for you. How silly, how sad, how seductive. Seductive, because we love control and formulas. But Jesus (hallelujah), that parable isn’t about the widow who never gives up, but about you, the Judge who always does everything right—on your schedule, by your grace, for our good. Does prayer change things? Absolutely… it changes me, it changes us. First and foremost, prayer is a means of getting more of you, Jesus—coming more fully alive to who you are, and every good thing we have in you. Jesus, there are things we really want you do to, really “need,” really believe will honor you. Give us peace as we trust you, joy as we spend time with you, and hope as we see more of your heart—the best way for us not to lose heart. So Very Amen.   Wish you had a 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

Having Gospel-Friends and Being One

July 15, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Having Gospel-Friends and Being One SCOTTY SMITH “Dear friends, build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and keep yourself in the love of God—as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life.” Jude 20-21  Lord Jesus, I am more convinced than ever of the need to walk with a Gospel-posse—with friends committed to: (1) Build each other up in the riches of the Gospel. (2) Quick to pray for each other, by the prompting of the Spirit and the practice of love. (3) Friends who know marinating in the wonders of your love is just as necessary as breathing in the gift of clean air. (4) Grace-mates thrilled with the world to come and, therefore, are engaged in serving you today.  We all need friends who smell like grace, love mercy, are done with pretending, and ache for your return. Jesus, you call us to love each other well, no matter the scenario or season—whether life is messy, melodic, mercurial, or magnificent.  Jesus, this is our hope, peace, and assurance. You will take us all the way Home. You will finish making all things new. You are coming back for us as a most passionate Bridegroom. We will stand (and dance) before you with boundless joy, in your perfect righteousness (Jude 24-24). Thank you, seems so trite in response to such wonder, but thank you, Lord Jesus So Very Amen.     Wish you had a 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

All That Matters

July 14, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH All That Matters SCOTTY SMITH “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor. 13:13  Lord Jesus, this life-defining verse reminds me of an image that show my age. On the same stage I watched The Beatles perform live in 1964, plate-spinning artists would perform. It was the Ed Sullivan Show—a standard for our family. I know John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but not any “plate-spinner’s” name. But my own version of plate-spinning began to define my life, eventually to the point of burnout.  10,000 thanks for slowing me down and centering my heart. I don’t want to spend any more time in the drivenness of “muchness and many-ness.” Rather, I want to invest the rest of my days in these three abiding realities: Faith, Hope, and Love.  Faith isn’t the size of our spiritual muscle; it’s a life knowing you, our Father, and the Holy Spirit, through the riches of grace. The more intimately we know, love, and trust you, the less we’ll be tempted to define life by how busy we are, what people think of us, how much we own, how well we perform… and the list goes on.  Hope is having our hearts increasingly filled with every good thing you’ve won for us, Jesus. It’s being so certain (and enthralled) about our coming life in the new heaven and new earth that we’ll invest the rest of our days loving mercy, working for justice, and walking humbly with you (Micah 6:8).  Love is defined and measured by your love for us, Jesus—which is, quite honestly, unmeasurable and unparalleled. Loving others as you love us marks us as your disciples more than anything else (John 13:34-35). It’s that simple, profound, and daily. Constantly astonish, humble, and free us by your love. The heck with plate-spinning. So Very Amen.     Wish you had a 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

God’s Grace, Not “Tit-for-Tat” Karma

July 13, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH God's Grace, Not "Tit-for-Tat" Karma SCOTTY SMITH “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph. 4:32   Heavenly Father, one of my best friends has his 3 initials monogrammed on each of his shirts. I’d love to have KTF indelibly “monogrammed” on my heart—shorthand for “kind, tenderhearted, forgiving.” No matter the circumstances, story, or details, your grace, not “tit-for-tat karma,” is to fuel and shape our relational style. As you relate to us in Jesus, so we are to seek to relate to others—when it’s “easy-breezy,” and when it’s really hard to do so. Help us, and forgive us, Father. Forgive us for the moments, hours—even days when we settle into repaying indifference for indifference, stubbornness for stubbornness, coolness for coolness, snarky for snarky and petty for petty. That’s nothing more than childish karma. We SO look forward to the Day when we will be “made perfect in love”—the eternal Day when we will finally, fully, and forever love perfectly (1 John 3:1-1). Until that Day, grant us … Quicker repentances when we get triggered, annoyed, and prickly. Softer, kinder hearts when we feel prevailed upon, “missed,” or used. Gospel-responses, instead of defensive reactions, when our buttons get pushed. Father—by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep us SO aware of your kindness towards us, our union with Jesus, and the riches of grace that it’ll be difficult to stay aggravated or resentful very long. KTF and So Very Amen.   Wish you had a 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

Bridge-Builders or Wall-Erectors?

July 12, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Bridge-Builders or Wall-Erectors? SCOTTY SMITH Romans 12:9-10 – “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them… Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other… 16 Live in harmony with each other… 18 Do all you can to live in peace with everyone.”   Lord Jesus, over the past three years, more people I know have passed away than in any previous three-year period of my 72-year-old life. The irony is, most of them have been younger than me. Cancer, COVID, car wrecks, “natural causes,” freakish accidents—the way Home has varied. I am so thankful you determine our days, and no one can snatch us from your hand. What hurts was not getting to offer that last hug, share that last laugh, offer the overdue apology, and mend that old riff. Today’s passage, thought familiar to me, couldn’t be more timely. “Do all you can to live in peace with everyone.” Jesus, when did bridge-building—a normal, healthy, Gospel-practice, atrophy/morph into wall-building? Granted, reconciliation takes two, but each of us can/must seek to be at peace with others—no matter their response. I can’t imagine standing over another grave saying, “I’m so glad I nursed that grudge, fertilized that root of bitterness, and kept adding bricks and barbed wire to the wall between us.” Jesus, it was while (not after) we were sinners, you died for us (Romans 5:8). Grace isn’t a wage we earn, but a gift we freely receive—and then freely give. You aren’t calling us to pretend, denial, or dishonesty. You are calling us to yourself. To love as you love us, and forgive as you have forgiven us. Help us Jesus, while it is still today. So Very Amen. Wish you had a 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

Putting on Christ, Not Putting on a Show

July 11, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Putting on Christ, Not Putting on a Show SCOTTY SMITH “You’re no longer a slave” (to a whole laundry list of peace, freedom, and joy robbing thieves), “you are God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. Gal. 4:4-7   Lord Jesus, what could be more important on this July Monday than to blast our hearts with the riches of your grace and the truths of the Gospel? When we default to Gospel-amnesia, instead of exuding the life-giving aroma of grace we start smelling like odiferous unbelief. People, news-bites, and a slew of irritants become functionally bigger than you. We over-react and under-love. We start taking slights more personally than we take your beauty, goodness, and sovereignty to heart. So, we come to you preemptively on this July Monday. Before circumstances “grease the track” into the downward cycle of navel-gazing and other-blaming, we choose a power-breakfast (lunch and dinner) of the riches of your grace. Jesus, you are Lord and we are not. Better to live with palms-up in praise and surrender, than white-knuckling our way through irritants and “what-if’s.” You are our comprehensive forgiveness and perfect righteousness. This week won’t be about “do more, try harder,” but resting in you and loving our neighbors. You are working in all things for our good—no exceptions. Everything broken, ugly, and evil has an expiration date. Nothing can separate us from your love, lessen your delight in us, or delay your return for us. Here’s to a week of putting on you (Rom. 13:14), and not putting on a show for anyone. So Very Amen.   Wish you had a 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