My Small Heart ......

A Prayer about “Formerly Useless People” and My Small Heart - Accordingly, although I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) Philemon 8-11Dear Lord Jesus, what great stories these few verses tell—how one man’s “useless” slave became another man’s beloved son; an imprisoned apostle loves as the freest of all men; redemption trumps anger; failure gives way to faith. Stories like this make the gospel beautiful and believable. I see myself as both Onesimus and Philemon, and I want to love more like Paul.Jesus, I’m a lot like Onesimus. I’m a rebel. I’m a runner. I want freedom on my terms. I thank you for not giving up on me—for coming after me when I was running away from you as fast as I could, just like Onesimus ran from Philemon.Overtly and covertly, I did everything I could to avoid you and ignore you. But you came after me; you found me; you bound me to your heart through the cords of the gospel, and slowly but surely, you’re changing me. The journey from slavery to sonship hasn’t always been easy. Sometimes I feel like it’s three steps forward and two steps backwards.Jesus, I also know what it’s like to be Philemon. I’ve been failed and I’ve been hurt. I’ve been betrayed and suffered loss. I’ve been used and played for a fool. But forgive me for labeling anyone as useless. There is simply no such thing as a worthless, useless image bearer of God. Help me forgive those who have harmed me, intentionally or otherwise. May your beauty trump my bitterness—your redemption rout my resentment.Jesus, I want to love like Paul. Paul saw something in Onesimus that Philemon didn’t see. Jesus, you saw something in me that no one else saw. Please give me your gospel eyes to see what you see in others—especially in people who disappoint me or bail on me.Who have I branded “useless,” with either my actual words or unspoken words? Who have I written off? Who have I renamed “failure,” “worthless,” “you’ll never amount to anything,” “you’re never to be trusted again”? Whose failure stories do I love to retell as a way of paying them back? Have mercy on me, Lord.I know you’re calling me to be wise, but I also know you’re calling me to love others as you love me. Many times and certain people, I simply do not want to love with gospel love. Forgive me and free me. For none of us is beyond the need of your grace and none of us is beyond the reach of your grace. Jesus, give me a much bigger heart. So very Amen I pray, in your chain-breaking slave-freeing name. -- Scotty Smith

So Here's the Scoop!

Overlooking sin, covering it up and denial are very different: #1 is born of grace, #2 is born of pride, #3 is born of fear! --Scotty Smith


Only those who deeply understand their sin will deeply appreciate grace. Those who've been forgiven much, love much! -- Tullian Tchividjian

A Safe Place

Jesus, there's no safer place to be than in Your heart and hand, even if everything else fuels fear and brings pain! --Scotty Smith

Small Heart?

Remember the Grinch? He's the mean green creation of Dr. Seuss whose heart is several sizes too small. He tries to steal Christmas from all the Whos down in Whoville and is totally bummed when he discovers that just taking their stuff - Christmas presents and decorations and food for the Christmas feast - didn't take away Christmas at all! He stands in the snow and cold high on his mountain on Christmas morning just waiting for the BOO-HOOs to start. And, hark! What does he fear? Not sobbing but singing! The Whos are all gathered in the center of town in a huge circle all holding hands singing Christmas songs of joy!
That's when Grinch begins to discover that the problem all along has been inside his own heart - too small! The Grinch returns all the "loot" he stole and joins in the Whos' Christmas celebration and feast. Dr. Seuss concludes that the Grinch's small heart grew two sizes that day!
Wanna keep a small heart? Never be the first one to humble yourself and apologize!
(Scotty Smith)
Well, what goes for Grinchs also goes for you and me!

Heart Gifts

A sign you're growing in grace: You'd rather give & receive costly heart-gifts than expensive stuff-gifts! --Scotty Smith

Make Room in My Heart!

The humility of the cross is the only answer for the hubris in my heart!
--Scotty Smith

O, come to my heart, Lord Jesus! Make room in my heart for Thee!

A New Heart or A Vain Heart?

Believing the gospel is harder than trying to obey the law.
The first requires a new heart, the second a vain heart
-- Scotty Smith

Some Good Heart Advice for Preachers!

"Preach to broken hearts, for they sit in every pew" (or row of chairs!) CH Spurgeon via tweet by Scotty Smith

Hope you get to hear that kind of sermon today! Have a blessed day and spend some of it worshipping the One who loves you more than you will ever know. He cares about every pain and sorrow that has broken your heart!

Heart Trouble

Your sadness may not be a sign of weak faith, but growing faith. People who love well, in time, will hurt in the heart.
--Scotty Smith

Every time I swear I will guard my heart next time. But I can't help myself ... God calls me to love well and gives me the strength for Him to love a lonely, hurting world through my hands and feet. He gives strength when I am weak! He is the Balm of Gilead for my own hurting heart!
Once long ago when I was about three years old I sat at the dinner table at my grandmother's house. The adults were discussing my grandmother's recent diagnosis of "heart trouble." I listened intently and finally piped up, "Grandmother, don't you know the Bible says, 'Don't let your heart be troubled?' "
In the simplicity of my 3-year-old mind it seemed so simple and IT IS! "Don't let your heart be troubled! You believe in God; believe also in Me." (John 14:1)

A Being Restored Heart Learns to Listen!

A sign you're growing in grace: You talk slower & interrupt people less, because U're not as important to U as U used 2B !
--Scotty Smith, Twitter

A Dancing Heart!

Wish I had written this but I'm glad I follow Scotty on Twitter so I got to read this:

About Scotty Smith
Scotty Smith is Founding Pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN and a Council member with The Gospel Coalition. More… Scotty Smith5:01 am CT

A Prayer for a Dancing Heart, and Feet

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Ps. 30:11-12

Lord Jesus, was there ever a king more into dancing than King David? His victory over Goliath was the inspiration for singing and dancing by many in Israel (1 Sam. 21:11). When the ark was returned to Jerusalem, he danced before the Lord with all his might, and very little modesty (2 Sam. 6:14). It’s obvious he wrote this psalm as a dancer for other dancers, whose joy at the dedication of the temple was simply uncontainable.

But Jesus, you’re the real Lord of the Dance. Though King David didn’t realize it, his work and joy point to yours. You’re the only monarch who can turn the wails of our sin and brokenness into the dance of hope and joy. You’re the only ruler merciful and mighty enough to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. By your cross, you’ve removed the filthy garments of unrighteousness that we might be clothed us with the white robe of your own righteousness. Astounding . . . astonishing . . . and so very true.

How can we not sing and make music to you in our hearts? How can we possibly remain silent and still, in response to who you are and everything you’ve done for us, Jesus? Forgive us when we, like the elder brother, remain smugly on the outside of the house of redemption—off the dance floor of your reconciling love (Luke 15:25).Cause us to hear the Father speaking to us right now: “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31).

Indeed, Lord, forgive us for confusing reverence with rigor mortis. Forgive us for giving you ardor-less order when we worship you. Forgive us for living more by our temperament tests, Myers-Briggs profiles, and personality types than by the lyric, music, and dance of the gospel. Free us from giving you a measured response to a measureless gospel.

One day, King Jesus, we will give thanks to you with all our might. All personal inhibitions, cultural limitations, and ecclesiastical prohibitions will be gone. May that great day of liberation have much greater impact on this day’s celebration. So very Amen we pray in your grace-filled and gladsome name.

Gospel Heart-Deep Hurt - A Good Thing?!!!

God's grace is not a desensitizing anesthetic. As the Gospel penetrates our hearts, we will hurt deeply but redemptively!
-- Scotty Smith

Is this what the world calls "masochistic" thinking? Maybe but the truth is NO WAY! NO HOW! Knowing God's grace, experiencing God's grace deeply into the crevices of my heart is a good kind of heart hurt. As the Gospel changes me, it also compels me to live out the Gospel to the watching world one life at a time and sometimes that brings unimaginable hurt. The key is that hurt is redemptive both for me and for the person I love with "Gospel love"! Only eternity will reveal all of what that means so - for now - it may prove painful to the max! BUT it's worth it to have the Gospel penetrate my heart!

Stephen Curtis Chapman and His Cinderella Gone

My heart hurts for Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and their children - Emily, Will, Caleb, Shaoey and Stevey Joy. Their daughter and sister Maria went to live in heaven yesterday, and their hearts are raw and bleeding!

About a year ago I discovered the wonderful book Steven Curtis Chapman wrote with his friend Scotty Smith, Restoring Broken Things. I read it with my heart and was blessed more than I can say by their honesty and real faith to believe that restoration is possible for all of us who are broken (and that includes all of creation and all people everywhere)! My own brokenness drives me to Jesus and their book helps me along that path!

The scary thing about writing a book or a blog or teaching a Bible class or preaching a sermon or writing Christian songs is that sometimes God pushes us and stretches us beyond what we know by circumstances of life. God challenges us to do more than write or say truth - to really, really live truth even in the most broken times!

I'm sure the Chapman family is reeling from the same challenge today. God is calling them to really, really live truth in this most broken time! Yesterday one of the Chapman teenage sons accidently drove their SUV over his little sister Maria. Her broken body gave up its fight and she went to heaven to be with Jesus forever. That's great for Maria, but it's pretty crappy for a lot of other people who loved her who are still stuck "in restoration mode"!

Another reason my heart hurts for the Chapman family is that I came very close to living what they are living today. In September 1978 I ran over my six-year-old son. It was an accident, too. In my case God chose to leave David with us. His body, too, was broken from the Chevy Caprice that literally stopped on top of him. God was so, so good to protect our David so that this (the story of my running over him) is only one story in a long line of "adventures" he has lived and lived through! God could have chosen another ending to our story like He did for Maria yesterday.

The truth is that in both cases God is good and still the King! It's the only truth we can live in and make sense out of all the brokenness that surrounds us in this very broken world filled with very broken people!

On the cover of Restoring Broken Things, there is a picture of a broken pot and the words of Jesus: "Behold, I make ALL THINGS NEW." (Rev. 21:5) For Maria Chapman that's exactly what she is experiencing today. She is brand-spanking new in heaven with Jesus! That's pretty awesome! She is no longer broken in any way!

But for her family there is a huge hole in their hearts. I doubt Steven Curtis Chapman dreamed when he wrote the song, "Cinderella," how prophetic the lyrics would prove to be:

So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms ...
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella. I don't want to miss even one song.
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight and she'll be gone ...
And she'll be gone. She will be gone!

BUT the best news of all and the ONLY hope for the Chapman family and for all of us who are living in the midst of brokenness is that Jesus is in the business of restoration - some of it happens now and all of restoration happens someday! It's His promise to His children, and we can count on it! He promises to restore broken things forever! AND HE WILL! And, for Christians, death doesn't separate - it just delays the grand reunion someday! And that's also God's sure promise for all who love His Son Jesus!