Dale Cresap's blog

What traits do you expect to see in an artist? Creativity, passion, attention to detail, total intentional focus? Being fully invested in what they make? Do you know that I was an artist when I created you? For you are fearfully and wonderfully made; more so than any human creation on earth. All the positive qualities of an artist were present in this process. You see the beauty of the world I have made in scenic vistas of grandeur, and you are correct to respond in awe and wonder, giving glory and gratitude to the artist who created it. But do you know that you are my masterpiece?

Are you a safe driver? Everyone thinks they are, but not all of them are right. People tend to feel safer when they are at the wheel than when they are a passenger and someone else is driving, but this is an illusion that if you are in control all will be well. The person at the wheel may be as good a driver as you, or better. Even if you are a good driver, your safety is still dependent on the driving ability of everyone else you encounter on the road. As much as you would like to have complete control of everything, it isn’t possible.

Do you have a sense of urgency for the things you do? You are usually more effective with focused attention than with a lax approach. Are you at peace? You have my promise that this is available to you. Do you see a conflict between these things? Many people have a flawed understanding of peace. It is not lethargy or slothfulness. It is consistent with sharp focus and diligent effort. Haven’t you found that anxiety prevents you from this approach rather than facilitating it? You can have peace, and effective effort, even in difficult situations.

Are you ever mean to other people? Do you find that you are more prone to do this after people have been mean to you? One rude act seems to set the stage for another. It would be bad enough if it was only a matter of escalation, directed back at the person who was mean to you, but it can spread in a non-specific way to those who were not party to the original offense. It may go against your first impulse, but my commandment to love your enemies and do good to those who hate you and despitefully use you will break the escalating cycle of mean offenses.

Have you read in my word that Abraham believed God and he was righteous? That isn’t exactly what it says. It says that Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him as righteousness. You may recall the story of Abraham and Sarah and Pharaoh. It was not an act of moral courage for Abraham to pass off his wife as his sister to save himself. Yet I accepted him on the basis of his belief and so began  the concept of imputed righteousness by faith which is a strong theme throughout the Bible.

What is your attitude toward the poor? Do you judge them and blame them for their state of poverty? What about the rich? Do you resent them for their wealth or try to curry favor with them? All of these attitudes are wrong. The poor have special standing in the Kingdom for being rich in faith. And even if there are not many in the Kingdom who are noble or wealthy by the standards of this world you should not single them out for special favor or contempt.

Do you know any believers for whom good works have a bad name? You know that you are not saved by good works; that your salvation is the free gift of God by grace. Once you have this premise settled in your heart, can you accept that good works are not bad? Once you know that you are not trying to earn your salvation, can you see the value in putting forth effort to make the world a better place? In this case you are working from a position of security rather than trying to obtain it. You have some free time that you can use for any reason you choose.

Have you ever met a contrarian: someone whose first instinct is to oppose you, to find fault with whatever you do, to say no? Unfortunately these are not rare. There are some questions for which the answer is no and some for which it is yes. Which do you favor? Some people think of me this way, but they are wrong. Consider the way I am represented in the story of the prodigal son. The father says yes to some shocking and inappropriate requests and the short term results are exactly what you would expect.

Back in the day, the patriarchs and other faith founders had encounters with me. They were forever changed by these experiences and went on with a deep sense of mission and purpose to influence the course of history. On the day of Pentecost there were many who encountered me, and the Spirit added to the church daily those who were saved. Fast forward to today. Do you think that everyone in your church has had an encounter with me? Which do you think is the normal progression of events?

One of my final instructions to my followers was to do and teach all that I commanded them. What did this consist of? My followers were familiar with the law, and I said that the law would not pass away until it was fulfilled, but my message was different from the religious establishment that opposed me, for whom the law was a beginning and an end. The law was a complex and detailed, and a heavy burden to carry. My commandments were few and simple. What did I teach my followers beyond loving God and loving their neighbor, broadly defined? Do and teach this, and it will be enough.