After posting last night about the need be more intentional about listening to God, I wanted to pass along something that I read yesterday on J.D. Greear’s blog that I need to be reminded of again and again and again! He shared three things that he prays each morning to “center” on the Gospel. Wow, these are good!!

• “God, because I am in Christ I know there is nothing I can do today that would make You love me any more than You do right now, and there’s nothing I have done that makes You love me any less.” As Martin Luther noted, the human heart is hardwired to default into works-righteousness (my acceptance and worth is based on how well I perform). This sentence helps me grasp the free, complete grace I have in Christ. According to John 17, God loves me now as much as He loves Jesus. Wow. The idea that I can add to or take away from His love, then, is absurd.

• “God, Your presence and approval is all I need to have joy today.” This sentence helps war against my natural proclivity to idolatry. As John Calvin said, the human heart is an idol factory. We turn almost everything good into an idol, looking to it for happiness rather than God Himself. This sentence helps me remember that I don’t need worldly praise, monetary blessing, success, or even “happiness” to have joy.

• “God, everything the Gospel tells me about Your intentions for my life is TRUE.” In the Gospel, God shows me that His intentions for me are blessing not cursing, hope not despair, resurrection not death. This completely charges me up to into the day. I realize that God’s intentions for me, my family, and my ministry are good beyond even my wildest imaginations. The sky is literally the limit (Psalm 103) on the power and salvation He wants to work in and through me.