The Gospel in Real Life

This morning Tim Challies twittered an on-line prayer that he had read, written by pastor Scotty Smith. I took a look at it and ended up staying a long time! These prayers are really encouraging and if you haven’t seen them yet, I recommend them. The one below is from his site and is a prayer about grace that I enjoyed reading.

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For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14

Dear Lord Jesus, if there’s one teacher I want to excel under, if there’s one curriculum I need to master, if there’s one school I want to do well in, it’s the academy of grace. In the past, I have either taken education too seriously, turning grades into idols; or I have not taken learning very seriously at all, only doing enough to get by. Please help me to become a student of grace, to your glory and for my transformation.

Your grace first appeared to me like a longed for sunrise after the bleakest night of darkness. Quite literally, bringing salvation to me—for I could never find it on my own, earn it through my efforts, or even desire it, left to my own sin and foolishness.

And this is the grace of your gospel, Lord Jesus: you gave yourself for me on the cross… to redeem me from sin… to purify me for yourself… to make me eager to do good. Anything less is not the gospel. Anything more is not the gospel. Anything other is not the gospel. If I’m not being challenged and changed by the power of your grace, then how can I say I have ever been sought and saved by the riches of your grace?

So as one under the pedagogy of your grace, Lord Jesus, help me learn to say an emphatic “NO!” to everything that robs you of your glory, and an enthusiastic “YES!” to everything that promotes your honor and reveals your beauty.

May my repentances be more notorious than my sins. May the blessed hope of your future return motivate me towards a greater obedience in the present moment. Jesus, continue to teach me the difference between an uptight life of rigidity and an upright life of holiness. Continue to free me from unrighteousness and self-righteousness, through a life of gospel-righteousness and for a life of grace-godliness. So very Amen, I pray, in your loving name.

Visit Scotty’s Blog to see more.