Guarding Against ALL Kinds of Greed

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Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Guarding Against ALL Kinds of Greed SCOTTY SMITH "Jesus said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.'" (Lk.12:15). "A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched." (Prov.28:25).   Jesus, the Scriptures are filled with warnings about craving, loving, and trusting in money—which is usually what we think about when we hear the word "greed." But you "upped the ante" when you expanded the warning to include ALL kinds of greed. There are as many "currencies" for which we can be greedy as there are vacuums and holes in our hearts, things for which we want to be known, and enticements the world and devil throw at us. Have mercy, Lord. Help us. Free us. When you, alone, are "not enough" for me Jesus, I get greedy just to be left alone, with no agendas, expectations, or disappointments from anybody—and no surprises or unplanned for interruptions. Other times I can get greedy to have the flexibility of a yoga master, the firm, smooth, flawless skin of my dermatologist, and the hairline of Matthew McConaughey. Still other times I daydream about the "gold" of a great memory, the balance of a high-wire artist, and the eyesight and finger dexterity to tie very small flies onto the leader of my fly-fishing line. Jesus, these "envies" can be just as destructive as craving tons of money, a lot of power, endless sex, or celebrity status for something. I am a mess, Jesus, but I am a mess that belongs to you. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I want you always to be my greatest treasure, deepest satisfaction, and most profound joy. Jesus, to have you is to have everything. To be yours, loved and delighted in by you, is to have everything on Gospel-steroids. So Very Amen. Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! The Gospel Coalition  PO Box #1637    Columbia  MO  65205    You received this email because you are subscribed to Scotty Smith's Blog: Heavenward from The Gospel Coalition. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Unsubscribe from all future emails.

“Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?” Chicago, 1969

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Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?" Chicago, 1969 SCOTTY SMITH    "I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hand" (Ps.31:14). "At just the right time, God sent his Son" (Gal.4:7). "This is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth" (Eph.1:10).   Lord Jesus, "What time is it?" is a question we'll ask, or be asked, several times today—and for good reason. I'll never forget the day I spoke with missionaries from yesterday and from tomorrow on the same day here in Franklin, TN. Inhabiting different time zones makes that possible. But whatever our GPS location—longitude and latitude on the earth's surface—age and stage of life, free all of us to live the rest of our lives primarily in the GTZ—The Gospel Time Zone. What would that mean? Calendar-wise, it would mean our primary time frame in life would be you, Jesus, not us. Most of us grew up with BC (Before Christ) and AD (In the Year of Our Lord), as a time marker. But the GTZ ups the ante a bit—calling us to think of everything in light of your resurrection and return—the already-and-not-yet of your Kingdom. History is exactly that, Jesus—His Story, your story as Creator and Redeemer—Ruling King and Returning Bridegroom. You're not an add-on Jesus, or just "really important," or even "most important." This very moment angels are rejoicing and demons are trembling; and before long, every knee will bow and all things will be new (Phil.2:5-11; Rev.21:1-5). Until the Day everything is "summed up in you," Jesus (Eph.1:10)—show us how to live at the pace of grace with the values of eternity. We don't merely want you to be 1st in our lives; we want, like Paul, to think of you as our life (Phil.1:21). In the GTZ everything happens right on time, and since "our times are in your hand" (Ps.31:14), fill our days, dreams, and plans with yourself, Jesus. So Very Amen. Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! The Gospel Coalition  PO Box #1637    Columbia  MO  65205    You received this email because you are subscribed to Scotty Smith's Blog: Heavenward from The Gospel Coalition. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Unsubscribe from all future emails.

Receiving Jesus’ Promise of Rest, Refreshment, and Peace

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Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Receiving Jesus' Promise of Rest, Refreshment, and Peace SCOTTY SMITH  "I will give you rest" (Matt.11:28). "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (Jer. 31:25). "I give you my peace" (Jn.14:27).   Dear Jesus, thank you for greeting us as a loving Savior, as a disappointed coach or flustered parent. You welcome us with the Gospel not with a scorecard, with grace not with the law—with a towel to wash our feet, not with a cattle prod to get us going. Thank you. What does weariness look like in us? It varies from heart to heart, friend to friend, marriage to marriage, family to family. Some of us are weary from a lack of really good sleep—a gift we used to take for granted. Whether our struggle is with apnea, chronic pain, more worries than REM—help us sleep deep, Jesus. Some of us have a bright orange light on our heart's dashboard indicating we're dangerously close to running out of … well, everything. We've been leaking the oil kindness and patience for months. Our joy and hope tank is close to fumes-level. Our "tires" are thread bare from too much busyness, at too fast of a pace, too long between rest stops. Jesus, slow us down before you have us break us down. Some of us can only smell 90% stench of life in our fallen world, and a mere 10% of the aroma of our coming life in new heaven and new earth. Change the equation, Jesus. Please make it at least 50-50. Some of us are "weary in well doing" (Gal.6:9-10). Some are in a bad way because we've been, (literally), nursing more grudges than drinking living water. Some of us have no clue about the backlog, backpacks, and backwash of trauma we've been toting for years. Jesus, MAKE US lie down in green pastures of your mercy, grace, and your healing presence. Thank you, and So Very Amen.   Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! The Gospel Coalition  PO Box #1637    Columbia  MO  65205    You received this email because you are subscribed to Scotty Smith's Blog: Heavenward from The Gospel Coalition. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Unsubscribe from all future emails.

When, Not If, You Get River-Wet

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Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH When, Not If, You Get River-Wet SCOTTY SMITH "Do not give into fear. For I have redeemed you and called you by name. I see you and know you. You are mine. When you pass through threatening waters, (hard stories, major loses, heart-hurts, and hope-shrinking seasons), I will be with you and for you. I will never leave or forsake you. No matter how the rivers get, they don't get the last word. I do." (Paraphrase of Isaiah 43:1-2; Heb.13:5)   Heavenly Father, thank you for parenting, loving, and "showing up" for us through the Scriptures. You don't give us "verses to claim," you reveal yourself as a Father to know, love, and trust. Thank you for being "the Father of mercies and God of all comfort" (2Cor.1:3), for we need copious amounts of each. Today, in particular, thank you for validating our sufferings, heartaches, and hard-to-weather seasons. Abba, there's no name you call us more precious to us than, "You are Mine." We are grateful to be yours, Father, and we relish everything that comes with belonging to you. You don't say to us "if" we pass through deep waters and rushing rivers, but "when" we do, you'll be with us. In this fallen world, there's no such thing as a pain-free life. But because we belong to you through the Gospel, there's also no such thing as an Abba-absent day or hour. Some of us are beginning this week with fresh, hard news. Others are knee deep in the "rising rivers" of several-week-old disappointments. Before this week is over, all of us will have our ache for heaven and the Day of all-things-new" intensified. Father, this is why two of our favorite words in Isa.42:1-2 are "pass through." We're going somewhere. You're keeping us and taking us where we really want to be more than anywhere else. Wiped tears, redeemed pain, no more death, and perfect everything define our forever. Thank you, Abba. So Very Amen.     Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! The Gospel Coalition  PO Box #1637    Columbia  MO  65205    You received this email because you are subscribed to Scotty Smith's Blog: Heavenward from The Gospel Coalition. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Unsubscribe from all future emails.

On “Mother’s Day” 2025

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Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH On "Mother's Day" 2025 SCOTTY SMITH "Israel's prophets offer superficial treatments and lite-healing for my people's mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace." (Jer.6:14). "Jesus is near the brokenhearted and saves those with crushed spirits" (Ps.34:18).   Dear Jesus, more an American cultural event than a part of church history and liturgy, nonetheless, Mother's Day indelibly marked me for decades. For the most part, I dreaded it—then denied the day itself, and went to church less and less. Being without a mom since age eleven meant I had to wear a "white rose" on Mother's Day, not a red one. I didn't need the intention, nor did I want the reminder. Seven years later, when I was a senior in high school, you revealed yourself to me, Jesus. Hallelujah and thank you. Though I had stopped going to church, I finally came to you. Everything changed but not everything got healed—especially the wounds and Grand Canyon left in my heart by mom's sudden death, and dad's inability to care for my heart. I became like a bad Israeli prophet, "healing my own wound lightly"—pretending to be at peace when I had none (Jer.6:14). Jesus, thank you for being a healer, not an illusionist. Healing is less about getting over pain, and more about seeing it, owning it, and growing through it. Finally, almost 40 years later in 2000, I made my first trip back to mom's grave. She's not there, gratefully, she's with you, Jesus. That was 25 years ago, and I'm still healing, but no longer stuck. I miss Martha Ward Smith—"mom"—fiercely, and I so look forward to being with her in eternity. Darlene, my kids, and grandkids never saw here striking brown eyes and beautiful brunet hair, felt her kind touch or heard her infectious laugh. Gratefully, that will change one Day. The heart-void mom left is still real, and that's where you still meet me, Jesus. Thank you, and So Very Amen.   Wish you had a roundup of our best content? Subscribe to our weekly Update. SIGN ME UP! The Gospel Coalition  PO Box #1637    Columbia  MO  65205    You received this email because you are subscribed to Scotty Smith's Blog: Heavenward from The Gospel Coalition. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Unsubscribe from all future emails.