Dale Cresap's blog

Do you believe in people? Have you ever heard a fellow believer say they only believe in God and not in people? This may sound very spiritual, but if you look beneath the surface you will find underlying bitterness and isolation. The greatest two commandments are to love God with all you have and your neighbor as yourself. The beloved disciple expounded on this to say how can you love God whom you have not seen if you do not love your brother whom you have seen? You can extend this same principle to believing, understanding that it is different from believing for salvation.

Have you heard someone express their difficulty in communicating with someone else by saying they were not on the same frequency? You knew what they meant, even if the frequency in question was not measured in megahertz. Different world views and assumptions affect perspective and make it hard to exchange ideas. Some radios operate only on one frequency, but most have a tuner to select frequencies. These are more versatile, and you can be more versatile if you can receive and transmit on more than one frequency.

Do you ever want revenge; to get even with those who have harmed you? Yet you know my position on this matter, that vengeance is mine, and I will repay. Do you take comfort in this, thinking that I can bring down the hammer of vengeance more effectively than you can? But what if the vengeance I administer does not meet your expectations? Will you give me a poor job approval rating if my vengeance isn’t up to your standards? Whose perspective is correct in this matter? How strenuously are you prepared to object if I show other people the same degree of mercy I showed you?

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.