The Grateful Life

Last year during Lent, we focused on author Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts, in which she taught us from her own experience how life-transforming it can be to keep a gratitude journal, thanking God for each of the many gifts of grace that flow into our lives.  That exercise in practical gratitude showed me how easy it is to take God’s gifts for granted … or miss seeing them entirely.  But recording every blessing ushers us into a lifestyle of thanks-giving, and the mounting list and total numbers of gifts reminds us of how good God is.  Check out Ann’s project here http://onethousandgifts.com/

Craig Barnes cites Ann Voskamp’s work in the penultimate chapter of his book Body & Soul: Reclaiming the Heidelberg Catechism.  I appreciate this connection not only because of how it links one year’s Lenten spiritual practice to the next, but also because it reinforces an aspect of Reformed spirituality that is the “calling card” of the historic Heidelberg Catechism.  And here it is: THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A LIFE OF GRATITUDE – GRATITUDE for God’s GRACE in Jesus Christ that frees us from the GUILT of our sin.  We’ve already covered how the Catechism warns us away from trying to gain God’s good graces by our good behavior or obedience to God’s law.  As we’ve found, there’s no way we can be that good!  And it would be pointless effort, because obedience to God’s law was never meant to be something we do to earn something from God.  Practicing God’s ways in this world is a response of love for God. It’s our way of saying “thanks” for saving us by the sheer grace of Jesus Christ, our faithful Savior.

The Catechism describes our gratitude as “a love and delight to live according to the will of God” (Q&A 90).  Living according to God’s will – following God’s law, putting biblical wisdom into practice in our daily lives – is an act of love that flows from a thankful heart.  And so, for those of us conditioned to look at God’s law as something like bitter vegetables left on the dinner plate – not tasty but “good for us” – it comes as a bit of a surprise that the Heidelberg Catechism describes the grateful life as a life of conformity to the Ten Commandments.  (for a refresher, see the list in its original context in Exodus 20)

Craig Barnes, in the tradition of John Calvin, reminds us that God’s law has a positive purpose in our lives. Following God’s law is God’s love language…it’s a way we can show our love and gratitude to God in a way we know is meaningful.  But following God’s law is also LIBERATING.  God guides us to live this way to keep us from becoming slaves again to the sin we’ve been saved from!

By following the Ten Commandments, we live the liberated, saved life of God’s people, and we express our gratitude to God for his sheer grace in Jesus Christ.