Dear 6 a.m. Self,
Good morning! Yes, sleepyhead, it really is morning already. I know you feel like you just fell asleep and...
Hey, wait! I know you've got things to do, but you need to hear this first. Hold onto your skateboard, McFly, because I've got a message for you from the future. Yes, the future.
Here's the message: Because of Jesus Christ you are going to be running headlong into God's future grace all morning. All day. For the rest of your life. And six trillion years from now.
God foreknew you before our first parents Adam and Eve were created. He also predestined you to be conformed to the image of his Son before the Baby laid in a manger was wrapped in swaddling cloth. God also called you out of darkness. His choosing and calling were effectual-- he justified you in Christ. And, even though the reflection in the mirror may look foggy to you, those whom God justified he also glorified (Romans 8:29-30). It's happening, Friend! And in an eschatologically-oriented way, it's as good as done.
I know, I know it's too early to use big words. But there is no escaping God's future grace to you in Jesus Christ. Hold that thought by faith, and let the weighty, gravitational pull of God's truth orient all your thoughts and affections into proper orbit.
Sure, today is going to be a busy day, but letting anxiety lurch your heart back and forth like a rocking chair won't get you anywhere. If God put forward his only Son to die in your place on the cross, you have every reason in the universe to trust God with today and no good reason to doubt his love. There is no scenario your anxious heart can dream up that could separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Words, images, feelings, ideas, and words (did I mention words?) will fly at you today and demand your attention and allegiance. Plant your feet in the foundation of God's word. Look deeply into God's word, count your blessings, and praise God for his grace. His promise to keep you is a real promise-- not a fake promise. And he is faithful. God's promises of future grace find their Yes in Jesus. That's why it is through Christ that we utter our Amen to God for his glory (2 Cor. 1:20).
Now, I know you can utter your Amen louder and with more gusto if you go get some coffee. Seize God's promises of future grace, because Christ has seized that glorious Day and every day in between for his glory.
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24