Jesus you care about several “firsts” for us. Thank you!
So we ask you to ...
· Refire our first love for you (Rev.2:4)
· Restore our first joy from you (Ps.51:12)
· Renew our first freedom by you (Gal.5:1)
· Reignite our first loving obedience to you (Jn.14:15)
Whatever else is going on in our hearts today, I pray the Holy Spirit will make Jesus irresistibly beautiful to each of us, the Gospel of God’s grace more true and precious than ever, and the lavish love of our heavenly Father palpable, healing, and freeing to us. Hallelujah!
In the “all things through Christ” category, let’s…
· Enjoy the Lord and glorify him on this June Tuesday
· Trust Jesus with our health, finances, and relationships
· Listen to the Spirit tell us of our belovedness (Rm.8:16)
· Look for ways to encourage/serve those around us
Make sure to cut down on red meat, ease up on hot water use, and remember not to keep the thermostat too low.
AOC warned us in 2019 that the world would end in 12 years if we didn’t stop climate change.
There’s only 5 years left, folks. https://t.co/bF6rxDW7qt
In the GTZ—Gospel Time Zone, Jesus is the primary reference point. We don’t ask, “Where is the sun in the sky?” but “Where is the Son in all things?” Life between Jesus’ resurrection and return shapes how we think about our lives, world, values, priorities—really, everything.
Here’s To A Week Of …
· Remembering the stunning array of blessings we have in Christ
· Not remembering people’s worst moments and sins against them
· Copious encouraging and planned and random acts of grace
· Keeping our gaze on Jesus and hearts fixed on things above
Democrats thought the race card would work forever
They rammed through a disastrously unqualified Kamala Harris
They shoved Whites & Asians out of elite colleges w/ affirmative action
They crammed DEI hires everywhere
They thought wrong. We’re not buying the race card anymore
“When you feel angry, don’t sin.” (Eph.4:26-27). Jesus, help us be angry at the right time for the right reasons in the right way. You turn our mourning into happy dancing; surely you can turn our anger into foot-washing humility. Help us call down grace, not fire.
What does “faith expressing itself in love” (Gal.5:6) look like? Having a bigger heart and thicker skin. Less grudge nursing and more kindness giving. Wisdom from above and grace on the ground. Getting to Jesus quicker and slower to irritation.
Jesus, I SO look forward to the Day when I will no longer sing this merely by faith, conviction, and aspiration, but with every cell of my glorified being: “Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise; Thou mine inheritance, now and always; Thou and Thou only, first in my heart.”
Let’s Live Palms-Up All Weekend
· Hands raised in praise and adoration of Jesus
· Hands relaxed—releasing grudges and burdens
· Hands engaged in serving those around us
· Hands extended to receive grace upon grace
“The Joy of the Lord is our strength” (Neh.8:10) primarily refers to the joy God has within himself and the joy he has in being our Abba, then it refers to the joy he gives us. Both are “gospelicious” but the first is where the deepest joy is grounded and cultivated. That God delights in us IS our joy.
Ever want to be sovereign for about 15 minutes? Me too. Perish the thot. Clay presuming to be the Potter never works well. We’d turn a Rembrandt into a rat’s nest in the blink of an eye. Wrestle with it, but never stop resting in Abba’s ways, sovereignty, and timing.