Friendship As Partnership in the Gospel

August 27, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Friendship As Partnership in the Gospel SCOTTY SMITH “I thank my God every time I remember you… I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will complete it.” Phil. 1:3-6   Dear Jesus, as the last week of August 2022 winds down, thank you for a diverse tapestry of friends who share one common passion and delight. And that is, as Paul calls it, “partnership in the gospel.” Not partnership, as in being owners-and-voters of a corporation. But partnership as in belonging to you, being clothed in your righteousness and engaged in your commitment to “make all things new.” Indeed, it’s wonderful to have friends who believe taking “us-ies” is far better than taking “selfies”—friends who really believe listening is better than telling, giving grace is better than getting even, and that being weak together is sweeter than trying to impress each other. Thank you for writing us into your story of redeeming grace and transforming love. Thank you for rescuing us from Gospel-less religion and grace-less spirituality. Thank you for freeing us from dreams that don’t include you, or at best, treat you like an “add on.’ Thank you for rescuing us from a lifestyle that makes you important and respect-worthy, but not essential, supreme, and worship-worthy. Jesus stoke the flames of our passion for your now-and-coming-Kingdom. One day we’ll bury each other, but today is a day for making much of you, laughing the laughter of grace, and serving you with palpable joy and hope. May the Gospel increasingly be central to our thinking, feeling, and choosing. 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

The “Good” of Romans 8:28 Is “Good-er” Than My Fantasies

August 26, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH The "Good" of Romans 8:28 Is "Good-er" Than My Fantasies SCOTTY SMITH “We know God works for the good in all things, for those who love him—those called according to his purpose…  to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Rom. 8:28-29   Heavenly Father, this oft-quoted, most-beloved Scripture underscores the disparity between what we want a verse to promise and what you actually intend to give us. As a young believer, I thought (fantasized?) it to mean, if I love you enough, a steady stream of “goodness” would flow into my life. “Good” included minimal pain, maximum delight, financial success, stellar health, and you saying “Yes!” to my prayers. Though copious creature comforts and all blessings flow (not trickle) from you, Romans 8:28 is promising better than our comfort. First of all, I am so glad your generosity isn’t determined by how much we love you, but how much you love us—which is 110%. You actually love us as much as you love Jesus—heart-astonishing, indeed. Secondly, thank you for not “dumbing-down “good” to be a synonym for “goodies” of the American dream. There is no greater goodness than Christlikeness. Nothing will be “good-er” than the Day you finish your work in us (Phil. 1:6), and we become as loving and lovely as Jesus. Father, thank you for always working in all things all the time to make us like Jesus. Our suffering isn’t meaningless. When it seems like you’re not hearing or answering our prayers, you are at work. When you “bless us out the wazoo,” you are at work. When life is too hard, too confusing, too often, you are making us like Jesus. This doesn’t call for bucking-up and stoicism, but adoration and trust. Free us, 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

Drop ’Em When You Can’t Cast ’Em

August 25, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Drop 'Em When You Can't Cast 'Em SCOTTY SMITH Casting all your anxieties on him (our loving Father), because he cares for you. 1 Pet. 5:7   Heavenly Father, the best part of this verse is the last four words, “he cares for you.” When anything you ask of us starts with this affirmation of your compassion and kindness, it’s all the motivation and means we need for following through—when it’s easy and when it’s really hard. For instance… “Your Father cares for you, so bring your aching, wounded heart to him.” “You have a Father who cares for you. Stop running, stop hiding… come home. The lights are on.” “You’re not an orphan, Abba is your loving, powerful Father. You can trust him with your faith-allergic kids, the transition you didn’t see coming, the loneliness you feel in your marriage, the overwhelming sense of vulnerability you woke up with today… and etcetera.” Father, whatever our need, you care for us. Thank you. On this August Thursday, you are calling us to cast our anxieties on you. By faith, I envision myself standing on a very high cliff, and below me is an ocean of your grace. From this high place I seek to drop my dread-baggage into your welcome and supply. Sometimes I don’t have the energy to “cast.” Dropping is easier, and the higher the cliff, the less I’m able to grab back what I’ve given to you. (Friends, pause, and “drop” some of your anxieties into Abba’s grace-ocean.) Father, you’ve numbered our hairs, sorrows, and days. You know our fears, and bottle our tears. No one cares for us like you. The Gospel is the clearest, loudest, boldest, kindest proof this is true. Thank you, 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

“Capture the Heart” Isn’t a Game

August 24, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH "Capture the Heart" Isn't a Game SCOTTY SMITH   “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” 1 John 5:21   Heavenly Father, outside and inside forces are waging a fierce war. It’s not a children’s game of “capture the flag.” It’s a life and death battle called “capture the heart.” Whoever, or whatever, becomes our heart’s preoccupation, treasure, or trust, that is our functional-god—no matter how religious or ill-religious we may be. Indeed, we, your “dear children,” are quite capable of “honoring you with our lips” while our hearts grow farther and are farther from you (Matt. 15:8). What can take your place in our hearts? How many cereals can we choose from at Publix, Kroger, Albertsons or Trader Joes? Sometimes people’s approval or affection (or our quest for it), defines us more than the love you’ve lavished on us in Jesus. Though we don’t treasure our fears and anxieties, they can take on whole-life defining power. Naming a few… the fear of not being enough or having enough. The fears of not mattering, being left out, or traded in. Aging out of relevancy and edging closer to death can seize the 18 hours we’re awake, and explain why we sleep so poorly the other 6. We don’t light candles and sing praise songs to our anger, unforgiveness, resentments, shame, and regrets—but they can become our heart’s fixation. Loving Father, during this last week of August 2022, and in the coming weeks, renew our love for you, and our delight in you. Restore us to our first love for Jesus, our first trust in your faithfulness, our first joy in being your beloved, “dear children.” 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

And Can It Be?

August 23, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH And Can It Be? SCOTTY SMITH Jesus speaking to us, his bride: “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you” (Song of Songs 4:7). Our response: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…” (Rev. 1:5). Jesus calling to us: ‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past…’” (Song of Songs 2:10).   Lord Jesus, this tapestry of affection makes some of us blush and squirm with wonder. Others among us are more comfortable relegating it to poetry, hyperbole, and human sentimentality. And some of us—jaded by love and hurt by the risks of intimacy, have a hard time imagining that this is the love we were always looking for—the love of which all other loves are a tantalizing taste, an eternal echo, and a most gracious pointer. We believe… help our unbelief, Jesus. By your work, Word, grace, and Spirit, you do say to us in this very moment, “You are altogether beautiful, my love.” And one Day, we will be “flawless”—for we will see you as you are and we will be made like you (1 John 3:1-3). But you don’t love us today to the degree we are like you, but in you, and that is 100%. Hallelujah, you have already freed us from our sins by the sacrifice of your life on the cross. Hallelujah, you are calling to us today in the Gospel, “Arise my love, my beautiful one, come away.” You love to spend time with us, Jesus. And major Hallelujah, “winter” in broken and will soon be “past.” Indeed, to you, Jesus, who loves us… 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

Who Or What Is Discipling Us?

August 22, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Who Or What Is Discipling Us? SCOTTY SMITH  “Capture every thought to make it obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). “Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5).   Lord Jesus, nothing is more daily, automatic, important, liberating (or enslaving) than our thinking processes. Paul’s graphic expression, “capture every thought for obedience to Christ” made me think of walking around the North Carolina State Fair as a kid. Every game booth worker, food stand cook, and ride operator worked hard to get my attention, engagement, and pocket full of quarters. Jesus, that’s kind of what it feels like in 2022. We live in a big State Fair with carnival barkers, sideshow operators, snake oil salesmen, and illusionists clamoring, not just for our “pocket of quarters,” but for our everything. Quite honestly, it’s discipleship—whole life formation. They don’t wear clown outfits, for that would be too obvious. They come to us camouflaged as network broadcasters, social media voices, and our most trendy, envied peers. But they also live inside us, as our loudest fears, deepest insecurities, and most treasured idols of the heart. Help us Jesus, rescue us. You alone deserve our attention, allegiance, affection, and adoration. Jesus, by the work of the Holy Spirit, may your beauty, truth, and love be the most compelling and transforming realities in our lives. You aren’t an add-on, App, or operating system. Jesus, you are our Creator, Redeemer, and King—our righteousness, peace, and hope… and so much more. Hallelujah! 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