![\"DSC02214m\"](\"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/DSC02214m.jpg\")
<\/a>So you\u2019re probably wondering what that .01% of my life here that isn\u2019t perfect. It\u2019s baking. Baking at high altitude gets me every time. My beloved recipes from the low lands just don\u2019t work here. I get frustrated and I quit baking. And after several months I forget my frustrations and try it again, only to be disappointed yet again.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
If you read the back of a cake mix, you\u2019ll see high altitude instructions. They usually require the addition of flour or cutting the liquids or adding more liquid. It\u2019s been 10 years since I\u2019ve lived in Colorado and there are times I still forget to look at that little piece.<\/p>\n
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I\u2019ve also purchased cookbooks to help with the whole \u201cI can\u2019t bake in this high altitude\u201d situation. There is a formula for making all recipes work at high altitude. I just haven\u2019t figured it out yet. I cannot seem to wrap my brain around it.<\/p>\n
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Now to add another issue into my baking dilemma, we\u2019ve had to purchase a new oven in the last year. Well actually two new ovens because my kitchen has a double oven set up. So in one, we chose a convection oven. Fortunately, it has a convection converter. So I just punch in some numbers and it takes care of the conversion. And there\u2019s a method to this too.<\/p>\n
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Meats are cooked at higher temps for less time and baked goods are baked at lower temps for the same amount of time. At least that\u2019s what my understanding is. But then again, I could be wrong! I think I\u2019ll be using the conversion setting for quite a while.<\/p>\n
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More or less? Without reading the instructions or knowing the formula, chances are pretty good it\u2019s going to be wrong. It can get confusing, frustrating, and even demoralizing.<\/p>\n
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More or less? These words can be used in regard to our relationship with Jesus as well. John the baptizer knew all about this more or less thing.<\/p>\n
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John had been sent before Jesus to prepare the people of Israel for Jesus. He was born to be a preacher. He was given the role of starting a revival among the Jews. He was to tell anyone who listened that the Messiah would be following soon. But when the time came, when the Messiah appeared, John\u2019s role was to introduce Jesus to the world and step back.<\/p>\n
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Oh, John continued to preach. John still baptized. But he was always pointing others to Jesus. Always.<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m sure it was disheartening to John\u2019s disciples when Jesus began His ministry. John had been the forerunner. He had preached to great crowds and shared the message God had given him with them. But after His baptism, Jesus began drawing the crowds. John\u2019s crowds diminished. Jesus\u2019 crowds augmented.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s no wonder John\u2019s disciples approached John about the situation. \u201cRabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan\u2014the one you testified about\u2014well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.\u201d<\/i> (John 3:26 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n
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John knew his role. He had accomplished it. It was time for Jesus to take over. But John had to bring his followers to the same understanding. John reminded his disciples that he was not the Christ and had never professed to be. John then shared the analogy of attending the bridegroom and being filled with joy upon hearing the voice of the bridegroom.<\/p>\n
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But then, John spoke words that have great significance in our walk with Jesus.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHe must become greater; I must become less.\u201d(<\/i>John 3:30 \u2013 NIV) The New American Standard Version puts it this way. \u201cHe must increase, but I must decrease.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
More or less?<\/p>\n
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That is a question we must ask ourselves every day and perhaps throughout our day. Does my life reflect more of me or more of Jesus? Have I chosen the path of becoming less so that Jesus becomes greater in all that I do? Am I decreasing so that Jesus can increase?<\/p>\n
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I know it\u2019s not easy. I know I get the formula wrong. I know I mess it up. But in the Kingdom of God, Jesus must be the King. Jesus must sit on the throne. And that means Jesus must rule in our hearts. His presence must increase and our sinful, human nature must decrease.<\/p>\n
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John continued testifying for Jesus in the remaining verses of John chapter 3. He also mentioned that Jesus, \u201cthe one who comes from above is above all.\u201d<\/i> (John 3:31 \u2013 NIV) As we place Jesus above all in our lives, He increases. This must be our goal.<\/p>\n
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And the reward for our decrease? Eternal life. John closes his testimony with these words. \u201cWhoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God\u2019s wrath remains on him.\u201d<\/i> (John 3:36 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n
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I am certain that I will try to bake again at some point. It\u2019s a cycle I can\u2019t seem to break. As I add more or less ingredients to my batter, I will remember this passage. More or less? Increase or decrease? Greater or less?<\/p>\n
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How will you remember to make Jesus\u2019 presence greater in your life?<\/p>\n
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Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n
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Donna<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I live on the high altitude prairie of Colorado, just beyond the foothills of the great Colorado Rocky Mountains. 99.99% of my existence here is perfect. I love the weather, the sunshine, and the low humidity. The views are spectacular and the sunrises and sunsets are beyond beautiful. So you\u2019re probably wondering what that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29],"tags":[1794,1793,1795,1663,234],"class_list":["post-2820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asking-god","category-magnifying-god","tag-baking-in-colorado","tag-increase-or-decrease","tag-john-326-36","tag-john-the-baptizer","tag-more-or-less"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2820"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2821,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2820\/revisions\/2821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}