A Final Post and Prayer for 2013

Love this! A Prayer for New Year's Eve by Scotty Smith:

Dear Heavenly Father, it’s the last day of 2013, and I’m feeling a degree of redemptive conflicted-ness, as both laughter and lament dance around my heart. It’s a good tension—one created by, not in spite of, the presence of your grace.

Looking back over the past twelve months, I can easily say with the psalmist, “Be praised, adored and worshiped, O God, for your steadfast love and great faithfulness!” Abba, Father, you loved us all year long, with a relentless, non-wavering, fully engaged affection—irrespective of anything we did or didn’t do.

You loved me as much as you love your Son, Jesus, for you’ve hidden my life in his. Thank you for the fresh mercies that arrived with each new day—when I was aware of them and when I wasn’t. You remained faithful to everything you’ve promised us in Jesus. You did everything that pleases you, and what pleases you is always for my good and your glory. That makes me very glad.

But Father, it’s because of your love for us in Jesus that I can also own my sadness. I lament the times, this past year, when the gospel wasn’t functionally enough for me; when your love didn’t seem “better than life”; when grace didn’t seem sufficient. That’s when I took my thirst and hunger, disappointments and longings to my voiceless, sightless, senseless, powerless idols. I grieve my foolishness.

But here’s where the gladness trumps the sadness: I won’t always be a man “in two minds” with a divided heart beating in my breast. Father, you will complete the good gospel work you’ve begun in us. One Day I’ll no longer even be tempted to worship, love or serve, anything or anyone but you. Hasten that glad and glorious Day.

On the eve of 2014, prepare each of us, your children, for twelve new months of groaning and growing in grace. In the New Year, may Jesus be more beautiful and precious to us than ever; your love more compelling and your grace more transforming; your presence more real and your kingdom more treasured; your name more exalted and your glory more sought. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty name.

I think this is a great way to end this blog for 2013. I wish all my readers a blessed 2014 filled with the grace of God and the joy of the Lord.

Book Worm for Jesus?

“It cannot be that the people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading. A reading people will always be a knowing people. ”   
        ― John Wesley

“Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge.”
        ― John Wesley

Wesley was a good preacher for balance!    "...'knowledge' puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Cor. 8:1)

Gateway vs. Pathway

Interesting - The Gateway Gospel vs. the Pathway Gospel:

The Gateway Gospel forgives our past sins and sets us on a new road of doing more and more for Jesus.
The Pathway Gospel forgives our past, present, and future sins and sets us on a new road of enjoying more and more what Jesus has done for us—igniting real doing on our part.
The Gateway Gospel gains our doctrinal allegiance yesterday.
The Pathway Gospel feeds our hungry heart today.
The Gateway Gospel gives us a burst of energy for a season.
The Pathway Gospel gives us a dear friend for the whole journey.
The Gateway Gospel leaves us exhausted, frustrated, and bitter.
The Pathway Gospel leaves us relaxed, liberated, and gentle.
The Gateway Gospel saves us from our sins.
The Pathway Gospel saves us not only from our sins but also from all our other saviors.
The Gateway Gospel draws us to the idea of forgiveness.
The Pathway Gospel draws us to the person of Jesus.
The Gateway Gospel is Jesus in black-and-white.
The Pathway Gospel is Jesus in 3D.
The Gateway Gospel tells us to march.
The Pathway Gospel invites us to dance.
The Gateway Gospel is, ultimately, a lecture.
The Pathway Gospel is a song.

Never Get Past the Gospel

Why is it that we always seem to think that the Gospel message is just the beginning of Christianity, and that we need to grow on beyond it? Good words from The Cripplegate:

In our minds, our lives progress beyond the simple message of the Gospel. Like getting past the need for training wheels, as we get better at life the assistance it provided is no longer necessary. It becomes a reference point for progress. Like rings within a tree. “See how far we’ve come.” In some strange way, getting beyond the “basics” of the Gospel is a sign of personal improvement.

But you never move beyond the Gospel to a more sophisticated or timely wisdom. There is no more intricate or relevant wisdom than the cross. God has nothing more to offer. Its simplicity, which we take for granted, is also its complexity. It is not moved beyond. You don’t get over it. You wade into it its vastness. What should astound us is its ever-deepening and infinitely unfolding depth of wisdom. It is the marvel of the infinite mind of God. It is the greatest thought the God of the universe is capable of thinking

Paul described himself as a steward of its immeasurable mysteries. He never got over it or moved past a dependence on it. He grew more basic in the sense that he was constantly coming to an awareness of the depth of those “basic” realities. His ever-growing need for it corresponded to his ever-increasing awareness of its enormity. He saw it. It consumed him. It was like digging through silos of unending grain. The deeper he dug the deeper he dug. As he turned it over, it grew more glorious, not less. With each examination it grew more substantial, not less. It becomes more relevant, not less. If you see it, you bow before it. You do not scoot around it. Its circumference is infinite.

In the light of the Gospel, we can see the truth in what had previously made no sense at all. As someone once said, grace slips in and changes all the price tags in the display window. Everything is new. And it is all free. We see life through the lens of eternity and the Savior’s love.

More Signs You Are Growing in Grace

Here's another installment from the series Signs You Are Growing in Grace, from Timmy Brister quoting Scotty Smith:

A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t park your car half-way into another slot just to protect against dings.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your conversation and attitude don’t convey as much “us versus them” arrogance & phobia.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You want people to hold you accountable for believing the gospel more than anything else.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You no longer confuse self-examination with self-flagellation. Freedom trumped bondage.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You no longer “should” all over yourself. Jesus’ performance matters most to you.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t clear your throat to get soft or low talkers to speak louder.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your increased use of the word “gospel” is surpassed by evidences of grace in your life.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’ve learning to enjoy all of God’s good gifts without guilt or dependence on them.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You spend more time wrestling with God in private than whining about people in public.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You no longer suffer from delusions of adequacy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You waste less energy turning legitimate desires into consuming needs.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Nobody is more grieved by your demanding and controlling ways than you. Grace is at work.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t start talking faster and louder when you’re in persuasion mode.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’re better at catching yourself importing old unrelated pain into a current story.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t “fish around” trying to find what someone WANTS you to say before speaking.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When commenting on you kid’s music, u no longer say, “How can you listen to that junk?”
A sign you’re growing in grace: You look to build bridges between you & your kids, not throw grenades on the bridge.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t pompously ask, “Who ate the last piece of cake?”, when you already know.
A sign you’re growing in grace:You’re learning to steward your anger, as opposed to dumping or stuffing it.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When someone gossips about you, you don’t immediately gossip about their gossip to others.

More Signs You Are Growing in Grace

Signs You Are Growing in Grace- the 22nd installment in a great series by Timmy Brister at Provocations & Pantings, quoting Scotty Smith. Just excellent points!

A sign you’re growing in grace: Though you’d like to put a sock in some people’s mouth, you don’t.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Given the choice, you’d rather God use you anonymously than friends celebrate you publicly.
A sign you’re growing in grace: People with chronic pain don’t feel pressure from you to change, suck up or be happy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You consider the gift of sufficient grace just as precious as an instantaneous healing.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You let GOD define words like “blessing”, “prosperity” & “success”.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You now treat the whole Bible as a “red letter edition,” because it’s all about Jesus.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When you get cut off while driving, you don’t wrongly expand your children’s vocabulary.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t assume you can drive 7% above the speed limit before you’re breaking the law.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your spouse doesn’t experience you as being as picky or defensive as you used to be.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Quicker than ever, you’re able to apologize to your children and ask forgiveness.
A sign you’re growing in grace: It doesn’t take you nearly as long to go from being condescendingly perturbed to loving.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You hate & grieve bad theology, but you’re not hateful & cynical to bad theologians.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your family doesn’t have to wonder what kind of attitude or mood you’ll bring home.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When greatly disappointed by someone, you long for heaven more than you look to get even.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When not copied on a group email or invited into Google+, you don’t smell a conspiracy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When a friend/spouse makes you run late, you don’t punish them by driving like a maniac.
A sign you’re growing in grace: If you’re known for getting lost, you love your family well by using your GPS a lot.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You know there’s no idol with greater power over your heart than people idolatry.
A sign you”re growing in grace: You know the difference between singing worship songs and engaging with God.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You can even find something in stinking hot humid weather for which to give God praise.

I recommend you go read every installment. I do!