Restless, Ready, Reachng

November 15, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Restless, Ready, Reachng SCOTTY SMITH “We wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own.” Titus 2:13-14   Lord Jesus, even though the season of Advent doesn’t “officially” begin till Nov. 27, it’s alive and well in my heart. And yes, I’m already marinating in the music of your Advent(s). Life between your two comings is filled with magnificent tension. Magnificent: because it’s bracketed by you—the most glorious of bookends, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. Tension: because the contrast between “everything broken” and “all things new” is getting more and more distinct. Soi, “come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free. From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.” Indeed, Jesus, you are the “Hope of all the earth” … the “Desire of every nation,” and the “Joy of every longing heart.” (from Charles Wesley’s “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”) We rest in the good news of your first coming, but we are restless, ready, reaching for your second. Truly, you are the “hope of all the earth,” and the “Desire of every nation”—though they don’t realize it. But we realize and unabashedly affirm, you are the Joy of our longing-to-be-with-you, aching-to-be-like-you hearts. No lover, currency, acclaim, accomplishment… nothing and no one can take your place, Jesus. “By Thine all sufficient merit,” (for we have none of our own), “raise us to Thy glorious throne.” Until that Day, Jesus, “rule in our hearts alone.” So Very Amen we pray, in your tender and triumphant name. 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

No Matter the Temp, Humidity, and Forecast

November 14, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH No Matter the Temp, Humidity, and Forecast SCOTTY SMITH “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Col. 3:12.   Heavenly Father, these prayers go to many time zones, climates, seasons, and weather fronts. Here in Franklin, TN, a few days ago it was 79, and this morning it’s 29. What to wear in middle Tennessee is an ever-changing constant. Fortunately, you’ve made our heart-garment choices easy—no matter the temp, humidity, and forecast. As your set-apart and dearly loved children, there are five articles we’re to wear all the time. Compassion + Kindness + Humility + Gentleness + Patience    Like Birkenstocks, they’re never out of style. This “inner-wear” is better than Gore-Tex when it’s raining unkindness, meanness, and unfairness. Breathable, yet giving protection when a gust of irritating people, or storm-clouds of difficult circumstances suddenly appear. Father, we know this is serious stuff. How we love matters, for you have told us “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6), and without love we are nothing, nada, zip—a “zero-without-the-rim” (1 Cor. 13:2). Therefore, one downpour we actually crave is a fresh outpouring of your Holy Spirit. Precisely because we are your chosen, set-apart, extravagantly loved children, we will seek to think, speak, react, and act to your glory. May we out-honor, out-love, out-kind one another—today, this week, and all the way into 2023. So Very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ tender and triumphant name.       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 Shapes and Forms of God’s Variegated Grace

November 13, 2022 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH The Shapes and Forms of God's Variegated Grace SCOTTY SMITH “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16). “Grace in all its forms…” (1 Pet. 4:10). “There is no more disgrace for you” (Isa. 54:4).   Lord Jesus, it seems too good to be true, too lofty to be ours, too outside of our life-lanes. We’re no longer subject to disgrace, faux-grace, non-grace, or anti-grace. There’s just grace—everything you’ve done for us—not just as helpless ones, but also as ill-deserving ones. Lest we forget… Saving Grace: From beginning to end, our salvation is by you, Jesus, and for your glory. We only brought our need to the “salvation table,” but you covered the table with the gifts of your “righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” (1Cor. 1:30). Sane-ing Grace: Every day is a return to Gospel-sanity—remembering who you are, Jesus, and who we are in you… regaining the perspective of eternity and the values of heaven. Sustaining Grace: Not just grace to “get by,” but the resources to live and love to your glory, Jesus. The grace of knowing you will hold us fast, for our “grasp” is slow and weak. Sanctifying Grace: Your grace won’t just get us into heaven one day, Jesus, The riches of grace are also getting more of you into us—making us more like each and every day. Sufficient Grace: And for those episodic crises, the out-of-nowhere tragedies, seasons of despair and stretches of pain, you give us sufficient grace—not mere “get-by” grace, but grace perfectly shaped for the stuff we’d probably not choose to write into our own stories. Jesus, thank you. You can be trusted. You are worthy of our love. 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