Experience

​Caution!  Beware of turning your own experiences into principles for others to follow. Experiences are wonderful when kept in the proper context.  However, when our experiences take center stage instead of Jesus Himself, we are in danger of becoming junior holy spirits.  The Bible tells us God imprisoned Paul and allowed him to suffer greatly in ministry.  Spiritual giant that he was, Paul did not preach to others that they must suffer as he did to grow.  He did not superimpose his experiences or his well-honed ministry skills on the Corinthians when he visited them.  He came with a fresh determination to worship Christ with them on a daily visible basis. Are you living a Christian life that is rich because you are feeding each day from new times with the Lord? Or, are you surviving on the dwindling fat of what God did for you in the past? 

 “Wow, may I share what I am learning from my time with God!” beats the heck out of “Let me tell you what God did in my life twelve years ago.”  The example we export to those around us isdetermined by what we import from our Heavenly Father.
 
Meditation
1 Corinthians 2:1,2--When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.  For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
 
Inspiration
The more you realize yourself the less will you seek God . . . Experience is a gateway not an end. Beware of building your faith on experience, the metallic note will come in at once, the censorious note.  You can never give another person that which you have found, but you can make him homesick for what you have.—Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest
Revelation is that upon which we must nourish our faith; experience is that which encourages us that our faith is on the right track.  The need to connect revelation and experience must never be overlooked.—Oswald Chambers inThe Psychology of Redemption 
 
©1997 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)