New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional

by Paul David Tripp

Our lives are shaped by grief and celebration. This isn’t true only for the grand, significant moments of our lives; there are ways in which every day of your life and mine is marked by moments of grief and celebration. Daily we are sad, mad, upset, or disappointed by something, and every day we are excited, happy, joyful, pumped, or thankful for something. It’s at the intersection between sadness and celebration that the true love of our hearts is exposed. Think with me—when you look back on a good week, what are the things that excited you, satisfied you, or otherwise made you so happy that you name it as a good week? When you are happy with a relationship in your life, what are you considering that gives you joy? Be honest as you read this—what is it that brings joy and satisfaction to your heart? Or look at the other side. When you’re really disappointed with life, what is it that discourages you? When you are envious of the life of another, what produces that envy? When you have lost your motivation to get up in the morning and face your day, what specifically has robbed you of your motivation? I plead with you to take time to let these questions function as a window to your heart. Here’s the bottom-line question: How much of your joy, celebration, grief, or anger in the last several weeks had anything whatsoever to do with the kingdom of God? Even when I type these words, I am convicted myself. I’m convicted by how much of my joy is connected to getting my own way, t...