Last night’s lesson in Celebrate Recovery was very well taught.  The lesson title was “Gratitude”.  This morning as I started my devotions with a devotional reading it centered around a couple key points, thanking God for who He is and living in total honesty removing all the “adjustments to the truth” we sometimes do thinking it will help the truth be accepted.  Then I started reading in the Psalms where I’m presently in my Bible reading.  It too seemed to be centered on David’s praise and thanksgiving of our Father.

The key element in this that hit me this morning is more than just the praise or thanksgiving.  It is all about praising God for Who He Is rather than praising Him only for what He Does.  I don’t think I’d ever done this before.  It seemed He was challenging me to take time and meditate on Who He Is.  Even now as I write this I have to stop again and let this permeate my mind and spirit.  It was the first time I’ve really come up against the importance of understanding the difference in my heart and mind.  My mind is the home of all I know and I’ve spent my life trying to be “good for God” through this means.  My heart is the home of my spirit.  The fact that God is Spirit and has placed His Holy Spirit within me hit a new level of significance as I began to just let go and meditate.  I asked God how I can look Him in the face and tell Him thanks?  I don’t want to do this in any arrogant way, but truly out of love and gratitude.  It seemed He told me to let my spirit have more opportunity to manifest itself in me.

I’ve been scared and reticent to get to know my spirit and give it more freedom in me.  In doing this I’ve needed to let go of what I’d held onto and that’s that dad had an ugly spirit.  I’ve always equated spirit to emotions.  I’ve never wanted “my spirit” to control me as I thought it controlled my dad.  So, in letting go this morning and simply meditating on God’s characteristics I was simply overcome with this sense of awe and peace.  The intimacy of God is demonstrated often by what He does, but He also wants us to know just how much He loves us by us letting Him love us.  I felt His embrace.  What a powerful, yet loving moment.  Boy, do I need to let go of so many false beliefs and simply let God be intimate with me and I with Him.

This brings me back to last night’s lesson on Gratitude.  The gratitude I want to express to God this morning is that I love who He is even more than what He has done.  “Who He Is” is Who I will live with for eternity.