What Does Abba Think About Each of His Kids Today?

Heavenward. Read the latest from Scotty Smith's blog.

Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH What Does Abba Think About Each of His Kids Today? SCOTTY SMITH    The guilt-ridden, shamed, foolishness-exhausted son "got up, and started towards his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him. He ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him." Luke 15:20    Heavenly Father, hallelujah… we praise, bless, and adore you! If we are in doubt about what you think about your less-than-perfect children, this passage has the power to remove all doubts. Five verbs in this one verse summarize how you relate to each of your daughters and sons in this minute and every moment: Saw. Felt. Ran. Embraced. Kissed.    You see us—whether we are currently a mess, melancholic, marvelous, or madder than we have ever been. No matter if we're living foolishly like the runaway "younger brother," or have entered the cold-hearted deep-freeze of the self-righteousness "elder brother" (Luke 15:25-32). Either way and everyplace in between, you feel compassion for us, not contempt. You meet us where we are and take us where your grace alone can take us.    And you always run towards us in the Gospel as a welcoming Father. You embrace us so tightly, so kindly, so gladly… and you will never let go of us. You " kiss" us—for we are now "in Christ," your beloved Son. Wonder of wonders, you have made his "belovedness" ours.    Father, whatever our emotional condition is right now—whatever our spiritual temperature, mental state, or physical location you desire us, are pursuing us, and are committed to giving us grace upon grace (John 1:16).    Thank you. Thank you, 10,000 times thank you. Free us from under-believing the Gospel and semi-trusting you. Forgive us for arrogantly thinking we're an exception to your outrageous, measureless, irrepressible grace. Let us hear the loud music of your kind welcome this very day. 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 Jesus Care? ONLY Jesus Cares.

Heavenward. Read the latest from Scotty Smith's blog.

Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Does Jesus Care? ONLY Jesus Cares. SCOTTY SMITH     "A furious wind suddenly blew across the sea of Galilee. Waves broke over the disciples' boat and it nearly swamped and sank. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping  on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care?'" Mark 4:37-38    Lord Jesus, weather patterns can be wild and wooly, and the Weather Channel can't always get it right. Just a few weeks ago, I encountered an August hailstorm on a friend's ranch in Montana. Some storms happen in the environment—others in our hearts, culture, global affairs and everyday relationships.    Indeed, relational storms can be everything from an afternoon popup storm to an unexpected cold snap with damaging freeze, to a typhoon resulting in a monsoon of hurt and disconnect. Until you finish making all things new, our relationships will be the devil's main target, and the place our brokenness and grace-neediness is most clearly revealed. Jesus may your truth, goodness, and beauty of the Gospel to shape, re-center, and heal our relationships.    Thank you for being prior, present, and after every storm we experience in life. That you can "sleep" in a storm should comfort us more than alarm us. It doesn't mean you're indifferent, but in control. Every storm knows your name.    The most rhetorical question we will ever ask is " Teacher, don't you care?" No one cares about us more than you do. For you aren't "merely" our teacher; you are our gracious Savior, perfect Righteousness, reigning King, and returning Bridegroom.    You always give us what we need, even when it doesn't line up with our specific ask, druthers, or timetable. We will never experience a Jesus-absent, distant-Father, or Spirit-void day. You never leave us, are always at work for our good, and will finish what you've begun. A BIG Hallelujah, 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.

Back to School: Is Your Church Ready?

Load Up with Big Discounts on Church Curriculum and Bible Study Resources

View in browser The back-to-school season at church is full of excitement for me. I get energized seeing all the other families returning from their vacations, heading into the fall season with a sense of expectancy and excitement for what the Lord will do.  As church leaders we're always looking for quality resources to help our congregations re-engage and apply the gospel to life. That's why we're delighted to offer deep discounts on curriculum and Bible study resources.  BROWSE THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SALE BULK DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE YEAR-ROUND Because we want to see the church strengthened, we're offering big discounts on case quantities of our TGC publications. You won't find these prices on Amazon or any other site.  Here's a sample of some of the deals running permanently in our store: 100 copies of Make It Your Ambition for $7.50 each 40 copies of The Secular Creed for $5.60 each 64 copies of Jesus Through the Eyes of Women for $5.25 each 65 copies of Remember Your Joy for $5.60 each 72 copies of Identity Theft for $5.60 each 40 copies of Before You Lose Your Faith for $5.95 each . . . and many more! I hope these resources bless you and your church, no matter where and how God is leading you to grow. EXPLORE THE DISCOUNTS Collin Hansen Vice President of Content and Editor in Chief The Gospel Coalition PO Box #1637, Columbia, MO, 65205 Unsubscribe

Neither As Flame Throwers or “Kiss Up’s”

Heavenward. Read the latest from Scotty Smith's blog.

Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Neither As Flame Throwers or "Kiss Up's" SCOTTY SMITH     "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. Declare the glory and grace of your kind and generous Abba who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (Para.1Pet.2:9). "Live such good lives among the pagans (and the self-righteous, the Left, and the Right) that, though they deride you, they'll see your good deeds and glorify God on the Day he visits us" (1Pet.2:12). "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (1Pet. 2:17)    King Jesus, nothing but the Gospel can explain the change in Peter's life reflected in these verses. He went from being an angry separatist to living as an engaged citizen in your now and coming Kingdom. Faith sabotaged his fear, hope supplanted his hysteria, and love replaced his spirit of "us versus them."    When political forces tried to arrest you (Matt.26:53), you could've dispatched "twelve legions of angels" to rescue you. But, Jesus, you've never needed rescuing. That would be us. The same angels you could've dispatched then remain at your beckoning call now.    But on this August 2025 Wednesday, you "control the course of world events—sitting down and setting up kings at your discretion (Dan.2:21). Hallelujah! Forgive us for ignoring, minimizing, or under-believing this bodacious declaration. Very practically, show us how to "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."    How was it possible for Peter and his friends to "honor" Nero—a true narcissist and tyrant? By praying for him, and serving you as their present, true, and eternal King. Do the same in and for us, Jesus. Fill us afresh with the Holy Spirit. Until you return and finish making all things new, show us how to live as salt and light—not as flame throwers or "kiss ups." 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.

Such a Waste, Boring, and So Unnecessary

Heavenward. Read the latest from Scotty Smith's blog.

Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Such a Waste, Boring, and So Unnecessary SCOTTY SMITH  " We love Jesus because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). " Your love is better than life"  (Psalm 63:3). " Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Cor 16:14). " Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). " Love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:8).    Dear Jesus, I woke up today remembering one of the many things my spiritual dad, Jack Miller stressed—a grace-infused "one-liner" filled with aged wisdom. "When you feel you're being unfairly criticized, ignored, or sinned against—instead of getting defensive and attacking back, try this. Repay harshness with kindness, criticism with humility, and wrath with gentleness. Mount a love offensive. Pull the pin on a grace-grenade and lob it into the fray. Carpet bomb the situation with God's mercies, gentle answers, and kindness."    How revolutionary, counterintuitive, Gospel-like, and unlike me. Jesus, help me (and us) big time. May your incomparable, unwavering, inexhaustible, never-failing love drive out our fears. May your joy and delight in us drive us deeper into the riches of the Gospel and intimacy with yourself. May we love others as you love us, Jesus, period. No one and nothing has to change for us to grow and share the fruit of your Spirit.    Once again, may we experience your love as better than life—better, sweeter, more satisfying, and compelling. We love only because your first loved and still love us, Jesus. Today, on this August Monday (and for the rest of the week), may we prove the wonders of your love, the strength of your joy, and the reach of your grace. Life is too short to be easily offended, hyper-sensitive, and hair-trigger defensive. That would be such a waste, boring, and so unnecessary. 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.

Seeing from Heaven’s Perspective with a Heart of Grace

Heavenward. Read the latest from Scotty Smith's blog.

Heavenward SCOTTY SMITH Seeing from Heaven's Perspective with a Heart of Grace SCOTTY SMITH    " The Lord looks at the things people can't see, and he sees in ways we cannot. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Sam.16:7)    Loving Father, I've worn prescription glasses since high school—moving from regular to progressive focus lenses over the course of years; and cataract surgery is on the horizon. But there's an ophthalmological corrective only you can perform on the eyes of my heart. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, so that I may see Jesus—and as I begin seeing Jesus more clearly, help me see everything else from the perspective of eternity with eyes of grace and hope.    Help me see people with Gospel-eyes. When I only look at people with the aberrations of my fallen, unglorified heart, I draw the wrong conclusions. Help me to see what you see in my spouse . . . in my kids and grandkids . . . in my friends . . . in people who "push my buttons" or trigger my trauma. Everybody is carrying wounds, dignity, brokenness, beauty, and "stories" hidden from me.    Help me see creation with Gospel-eyes. Father don't let me look at the ocean, mountains, stars, sunrises and sunsets, flora and fauna, or even weather patterns merely in terms of my plans or a "selfie opt."  As you open and heal the eyes of my heart, enable me to live more as a worshipful steward of your creation and less as a selfish consumer of your creation.    Help me see pain, threat, and "crazy" with Gospel-eyes. Sometimes looking at all the crucibles, crises, craziness, and cruel stories of life makes me want to run, hide, fix, deny—or even doubt that you care. Because of the Gospel, I certainly know that's not true. So, help me and my friends to see with Jesus's eyes when great need, various threats, and things we don't understand and can't control are staring us down. 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.