Experiences

I'm reading Jonathan Edwards by George Marsden. On page 191 Edwards is preaching a series on I Cor. 13. He said that humans would not be able to love as fully as they should in this life. He focused on the next life for us being able to fully express love to God and each other. In so doing He put a mental ceiling, an excuse for not living up to what Christ paid for in His life, death, resurrection, and Lordship. Edwards implanted an underlying belief - a support beam - that holds up falsehood which prevents Christians from being who they are in Christ. The potential and possibility is limitless - limited only by the mind of Christ or the unbelief of believers. We must not use experience to interpret Scripture. However, experience colors the lens that views Scripture. It is only by the Spirit giving revelation into experience can we come to truth. I must allow Scripture to stand without being propped up by my experience. But I must listen to what Father might be saying in the events I encounter. I must not automatically interpret an experience without first listening to Father's voice.

The Pilgrims viewed the experiences they encountered as being God's favor or displeasure and 100 years later Edwards was doing the same thing. Father allows hardships - they knew hardships more intimately than we - for His purposes regardless if I can figure them out or not. They don't have to make sense. Having answers will not make the pain any less intense. This just momentarily distracts from the pain. We don't have to know why. The truth is we serve a loving God. He knows; He sees; He feels; He loves. And that is enough. We are fulfilling His purposes no matter how grand or minute they may be. He sees and says it is good. So Squanto served and slept with his fathers. We serve and will sleep with our fathers. Our suffering is recorded in Father's memory for His purposes. All lives and exeriences are significant to God, He is the only One who matters.