“May I never forget the good things Abba does for me in and through Jesus.” (pp Ps.103:1-4). “I’ve learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Phil.4:12). “Love and trust God with everything you have and are” (Matt.22:37)
Heavenly Father, along with our Gospel-saturated friendships, gratitude, contentment, and worship are the best traveling companions we can have as we journey Home.
Gratitude: In our most “gospel-sane” moments, we know the things for which we should be grateful easily outnumber our whine-worthy items 100 to 1. But we have grace-allergies and Gospel-amnesia, so you command us not to forget even one of the blessings you lavish on us in Jesus.
Such as 1. Complete forgiveness, 2. The gift of Jesus’ righteousness, 3. Adoption as your beloved children, 4. Citizenship in heaven, 5. The sealing and indwelling of your Spirit, 6. Jesus as reigning, returning King, and 7. Being co-heirs with Jesus of the new heaven and new earth. Father, if we just stay alive to just these 7, surely we can trust you in the whirlwind, mysteries, and heartaches of life all the way Home.
Contentment: How do we drift or jump into discontentment? When we indulge comparison, envy, resentment, and ingratitude we’re simply giving the keys to the front door of our heart to joy-assassins and peace-pillagers. The “secret” of contentment starts with hitching our “joy-cart” to Jesus and every good thing we have in him.
Worship: You sent a band of worshippers into battle against Israel’s vicious enemies (2 Chron. 20). Why? Because only you are worthy of our 24/7 attention, affection, and adoration. When life’s wind and waves get more of our attention than Jesus, we start to sink (Mt.14:30). When “giants in the land” (Num.13:33) seem bigger than the occupied throne of heaven, we wilt and worry more than we worship and trust.
