Practice gratitude.
As we move on to step four, I want to gently encourage you to keep practicing the first three steps. Every day is an opportunity to experience God's love as we openly talk with him about our experiences and feelings. Every moment is an invitation to live a supernatural life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Everywhere we go, we look to see how God is at work.
Our fourth step is to practice gratitude.
In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus watches as people put money into the temple treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Jesus told his disciples, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on."
What motivates such an unconditional surrender to God?
I believe it is the transformative power of gratitude. When we experience that God is everything to us, we are grateful. We are astonished that he made us in his image, that he died on the cross for our sins, that he adopted us into his family, that he fills us with the Holy Spirit, and that he assures us of eternal life in his presence.
Spiritual formation is very simple. It's something that a poor, uneducated widow understood, even as rich people and religious leaders missed it.
But sometimes spiritual formation seems like something for high-status people. If you can afford the leather Bible, the luxury weekend at the Christian retreat center, or nice clothes for the church service, then you're part of the club. If your life is a mess? If you've made bad decisions? If you're poor?
Consider what Jesus says in John 10:14-15, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep." Our walk with God begins and continues with his care for us. The natural response to this love is wholehearted gratitude.
The implication is that all of life is an opportunity to respond to God with gratitude. We don't own anything; rather, we steward our lives and everything entrusted to us for God's glory.
This means that we don't have to practice every spiritual discipline. It's more important to read the Bible with gratitude than to fast with a grumpy heart. But when we are experiencing God as good, we want to draw close to God.
By viewing spiritual formation as a gift, we experience gratitude. And we free ourselves from unnecessary burdens. Remember, God is a loving Father, a kind Savior, and a good Friend.
**Our fourth step to God is gratitude.**
Sitting across from the temple treasury, Jesus watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning his disciples, he said to them, 'Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on.'
I am grateful to know God personally because:
What has God done for me?
What are some ways that spiritual growth is marketed to those who are already doing well?
In what ways, if any, do I feel entitled or deserving?
If I saw my entire life as a gift from God, how would that change my heart?
As I study Mark 12:41-44, what do I learn from the poor widow's example?
In what ways do I see religion as a burden rather than a gift? Why is that?
What would it look like for the Holy Spirit to grow me into a grateful person?
Write down ten things you are grateful to God for. Review this list each morning this week and add to it. Let gratitude shape how you approach each day.
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