New Morning Mercies

Among the first things I do most mornings is look for the gospel trifecta of tweets from Paul Tripp. There is not much twitter activity to the former pastor, author, counselor, marriage seminar guru, but each day there are three quick reminders of the goodness of grace that is Jesus.

Tripp has gone beyond the tweets and provided a wonderful devotional resource in his latest book New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional. Crossway offered a free copy to give it a test drive so I gladly took it. It has probably been a few months now that I have been opening the day with Tripp's devotional and it is rich in the gracious goodness of the gospel and is such a timely reminder of the truth.

Each daily entry (they are all by date) is easy to read and brief but not lacking in gospel goodness. Some days there is some poetry but most give a short narrative about how the gospel impacts our lives each day. In addition, each day has a biblical text as a suggested place to continue study.

Here is a taste of the goodness:

"God is not discouraged in the face of our weakness and wondering. His ask whether it’s worth it. No, in the face of our ongoing struggles, his plan marches on. Why? It marches on because it is not based on our character, but on his. Redemption does not rest on our resolve, but on his. Salvation doesn’t hang on our strength, but on his. We have hope because it all comes from him and rests on him. It is humbling to admit, but it is the only place of hope. Nothing of our salvation depends on us. It all rests on his sovereign grace. Here is the bottom line: he is able, he is willing, and he is faithful. Grace supplies everything we need. Grace will win!"

"You do violence to the Word of God when you reduce it to a book of theology, principles, and rules. You simply cannot make sense of Scripture without the person and work—the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"You are perfect in the eyes of God because the perfect righteousness of Jesus has been attributed to your spiritual account. You are righteous before God even in those up on your behalf. Yes, you should acknowledge the sad reality of remaining sin, but you must not make that sin your meditation. Meditate on and celebrate the amazing grace that has completely changed your identity, potential, and destiny."

If you are looking for a gift that will keep on giving or need daily gospel reminder for yourself, try New Morning Mercies. One great thing I have learned in reading the devotional is that the entries are just as meaningful and worthwhile in the evening!