Don’t Dumb This Down or Despair in Your Lovelessness

November 17, 2023 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Don't Dumb This Down or Despair in Your Lovelessness SCOTTY SMITH “Do everything in love.” (1Cor.16:14)   Dear Jesus, “Do everything in love” … the only reason we’re not laughing this off, dumbing it down to make it “do-able,” or despairing of our lovelessness is because you first loved us. Though we won’t love perfectly till heaven, we are already perfectly loved. Hallelujah! This is all the reason, motivation, and fuel we need to love others by grace, faith, and your Spirit. Help us, Jesus. Stun us afresh with how wide, long, high, and deep your love for us really us—the only love better than life, the only love that will never let go of us, the only love that will enable us to love others when…   When we’re tired, frustrated, and grace-empty. When our kindness isn’t reciprocated and our goodness is exploited. When old wounds, broken trust, and feelings of “unfairness” are ignited.   Jesus, keep our hearts alive to your tenacious, wild, lavish, joyful, transforming love. This will make all the difference in the world… literally, in the world where you’ve called us to live, work, and play. On the cusp of Thanksgiving, and with the nearness of Christmas, grant us repentance, renewal, and real joy in loving others as you love us Jesus. All for your glory… So Very Amen.     Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2023 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Be a “10%-er” with 100% Gratitude for What Jesus Has Done

November 16, 2023 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Be a "10%-er" with 100% Gratitude for What Jesus Has Done SCOTTY SMITH As Jesus was going into a village, 10 men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were healed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all 10 cleansed? Where are the other 9? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:12-19   Jesus, we’re all in this story, but if we could choose our part, it’d be the role of the healed, grateful, loud-praising Samaritan who returned to give you thanks. Like the other 9, you saw this man, and healed him from the most debilitating, disintegrating of all diseases. Why the other 9 didn’t come back leaping, shouting and worshiping, we don’t know and won’t waste time speculating. But as for us, one week away from Thanksgiving Day, we gladly identify as a “10%-er” with 100% gratitude for everything you have already done for us Jesus, and will bring to a glorious fullness. Jesus, with all the gladness and loudness we can muster, we thank you today for healing us of the greatest malady imaginable. We didn’t just have some form of physical leprosy, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. “But God”—who is rich in mercy… that is you, Jesus. You saw us (and you still see us), loved us, and raised us from death to new life in yourself. Hallelujah!!! We are already as forgiven as we’ll ever be, are robed in your perfect righteousness, and loved by our heavenly Father and you just as much as you love each other. Stunning, overwhelming, staggering, and gloriously TRUE. On top of it all, we will be healed of everything else one Day—the day you return for us. We are destined for an eternity of wiped tears, redeemed pain, new bodies, all things new and beautiful, perfect relationships, a perfect world, no more brokenness, only glory. Jesus—no matter our temperament, DISC profile, Enneagram number and wing, 4-letters of Myers Briggs…. whether we’re introvert, extrovert, or hybrid of the two… fill us with your Holy Spirit, stun us afresh with what it means to be seen, known, and loved by you. Set us free and make us glad, this very holiday season. So Very Amen.   Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2023 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Grace That Is Greater

November 15, 2023 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Grace That Is Greater SCOTTY SMITH “Grace in all its forms…” (1 Pet. 4:10).  “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16).   Lord Jesus, coming to know you was never by our muscle, merit, or our anything. The same is true for having your ongoing favor, smile, and provision. The Gospel put an end to all earning—not all effort—but it certainly blew up any notion of a “blessing-earning” relationship with you. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow… our relationship with you is all by grace—by your doing, and our receiving. You don’t just give us “grace for the moment,” but also grace for every situation. Saving Grace: We only brought our great need for salvation, and you provided 1000 greater provision. For you are our “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 union with you. Making our thoughts captive to you, we regain the perspective of eternity, realize afresh our place in your Story, and reconnect with the hope of heaven.  Sustaining Grace: Not just grace to “get by,” but the resources we need to live and love to your glory—not merely holding on, but being held. Sanctifying Grace: Jesus, our only hope of becoming like you is utter dependence on your work in us. It’s often a painful process because you are so lovely and loving, and we are so unlike you. But the process is free to us, and will be completed (Phil.1:6). 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 an anesthetic, but the freedom to lament, trust, suffer to your glory, and love our fellow sufferers. Jesus, thank you… really, thank you. So Very Amen.   Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2023 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Three “First’s” and an Ask

November 14, 2023 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Three "First's" and an Ask SCOTTY SMITH “Diotrephes, who loves to be first…” (3 John 9). “We love because he first loved us” 1 Jn.4:19). “You have abandoned your first love” (Rev. 2:4).   Lord Jesus, these passages present a most striking contrast, and tell an important story. Diotrephes “loved to be first”—perhaps the first in line in whatever queue was forming, first to choose the best seat, first to demand to be noticed and appreciated. But the Gospel tells a radically different story. Jesus, you “loved us first”—you chose the lowest place imaginable. You didn’t consider your equality with God something to be held onto for personal gain.. Rather, you emptied yourself as the quintessential Servant—serving us by your life, death, and resurrection (Phil.2:1-11). Now, you ever live to serve us as our Advocate, Intercessor, and King. Even when you return, you will serve us (Luke 12:37; Rev. 7:17). Nothing is more astonishing, beautiful, and transforming. How then shall we respond? We certainly own the ways, like Diotrephes, we also love to be first—whether it’s in our marriages, in the office, playing golf with friends, sharing insider-gossip, or choosing a bedroom on a group trip. What do we need, and what do we want, Jesus? Gracious Lord, please restore us to our first love for you—our first humility, first joy, first freedom from “me-first-ness.” Heading into both Thanksgiving and Christmas, grant us a fresh experience of Gospel-renewal—Holy Spirit generated conviction, repentance, and childlike wonder and love for you, Jesus. 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 ©2023 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

At the Speed of Our Father’s Kindness

November 13, 2023 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH At the Speed of Our Father's Kindness SCOTTY SMITH At the Speed of Our Father’s Kindness     “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10).   Heavenly Father, thank you for your heart-encouraging, perspective-giving voice in the Bible—especially this “word” from Peter about suffering. Many friends are experiencing losses, “crosses,” broken bodies, and overwhelmed hearts. Nothing brings us more peace than knowing you as “the God of all grace”—our “Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor 1:3). In the matrix of mercy, all suffering is just for a “little while.” We are grateful there is a perfect timetable in heaven. Free us grace to accept it, and trust you more. When we’d gladly settle for temporal relief, remind us you’ve called us to “eternal glory in Christ.” Make that real and precious to us, not just a religious cliché or slogan. The Day of no more “death, mourning, crying, or pain” is barreling towards us at the speed of your kindness (Rev.21:4). Until then, free us to ache to your glory, bear each other’s burdens, and encourage one another daily (Heb.3:13). Grace frees us from “hoarding our heartaches,” or ignoring our friends’ “too-much-ness.” Shared weakness releases the aroma of your nearness and tenderness. Father, “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” us, just as you have promised. May your daily mercies define us 7 times more than out fleeting misery. That you see us, know us, care and are in control is sweetness beyond measure. So Very Amen. Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2023 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe

Rushing to Jesus Quicker Than We Rush to Judgment

November 12, 2023 Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Rushing to Jesus Quicker Than We Rush to Judgment SCOTTY SMITH   “Don’t judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you’ll be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matt. 7:1–2   Lord Jesus, thank you for the timing of these timeless words. Of late, my quick to irritation-and-criticism fuse has gotten shorter. Rushing to judgment has been easier than rushing to you. My cry is for you to give me mercy, not cut me some “slack.” I’m not asking you to understand my circumstances, but for you to forgive and free my heart. Jesus, I don’t want you to judge me as I often judge others. In fact, hallelujah, you haven’t. You exhausted my judgment on the cross. The Gospel quid pro quo is revolutionary, glorious, and final. You exchanged the “this” of your perfect life for the “that” of my sin, rebellion, and unrighteousness. Thank you Lord Jesus, thank you. The greatest contradiction of the Gospel—the most offensive non sequitur to the riches of your grace is harshness of spirit and a condemning attitude. Nursing our grudges rather than drinking in living water. Rehearsing what offends us about others, more than we relish what astonishes us about you, Jesus. Have mercy, indeed. You’re not calling us to be blind to real issues, but generous with your loving kindness. By your heart and hand, continue to take the “ceiling beam” out of our eyes. You do call us to rescue and restore each other—but with gentleness (Gal. 6:1; Jude 20-23). Your kindness first led us to repentance, and Jesus, it’s doing the same today. Thank you. So Very Amen. Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! About Us    |     Council    |     Donate ©2023 The Gospel Coalition, All Rights Reserved. P.O. Box 170346 — Austin, TX 78717 Update Email  |  Unsubscribe