December 5, 2023: Clouded by Experience

Clouded by Experience

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“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37

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Maybe this will sound ridiculous to some, but I think we allow our experience with the natural define the level of our spiritual experience. It makes sense I suppose, trusting what we see as how things will always be. We all do it.

We expect the sun to rise from the east because it always does. We expect if we were to live many years that our bodies would age and deteriorate. We expect that if a spoon is dropped it will fall to the ground. We expect a chair to hold our weight every time we sit down. I mean, It would be completely impossible for those things not to happen, right?

What would you say is impossible? Perhaps, telling a mountain to move and casting it into the sea? (Mark 11:23)

Raising the dead? (John 11:43-44)

Healing the sick? (Mark 1:30-31)

Casting out demons? (Luke 8:35)

Blind eyes open? (Mark 8:23-25)

Deaf ears hear? (Mark 7:32-33)

The lost found? (Luke 15:4-7)

The barren womb opened? (Genesis 21:1-4)

Jesus born of a virgin. Jesus walks on water, defying gravity. Jesus forgiver of sins. Jesus defeater of death. Jesus creator of all things. Jesus breather of life.

What life experience are you allowing to shape your spiritual experience or expectation? What if we stopped believing our experience and started believing Jesus?

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“The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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You know, all of the above is just extra. It's not why Jesus came. Isn’t that wild. It’s just the icing and the cherry, but not the cake. He came to reconcile us back to God by dying for our sins. Everything else is like extra sprinkles on the sugar cookie.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for loving me, for coming to redeem me, and dying on a cross to save me. I will never deserve or understand how you could love me like that, but you do. I never had to earn it, so I could never lose it. Thank you for bringing the extra too and not leaving us the way you found us but healing us and setting us free. If you can do that for me, there is no limit on what you can do! I believe for it!

Make a cheese board, dinner board, or treat board. Get everyone around the table and have some creative fun.

I love to make beautiful boards.

A couple of things I recommend:

• Have a variety of colors and textures

• Fresh is always best

• Have fun

• Think about what you would want on it and then add some extras

• Be creative

• It's all about bringing everyone around the table.

#advent2023