Dale Cresap's blog

What do you owe your fellow man? This is a central question of humanity, starting with, am I my brother’s keeper? The same subject surfaces later in my word as: who is my neighbor? You have heard people complain about the indifference of others who would not give them the time of day. Do you think your only duty is to me? What is the greatest commandment after loving me with all your heart? Isn’t it to love your neighbor as yourself? You can claim that you do not owe anything to those with whom you have no prior dealings, but my stories commend those who help strangers and your shared humanity makes it expected.

Do you prefer to live in a Christian country? Most people throughout history have not had that luxury, and that would include me. It is arguable that there were none around in my time since this term was not applied to my followers until later. My first followers were Jewish, as I was, and you can argue the distinction between covenant and non-covenant people, but I lived in a time of plurality and diversity of belief. How did I conduct myself and interact with them? I did not concur with their beliefs that were not in agreement with the truth, but I did not hesitate to commend their acts of kindness or expressions of faith, and you can follow me in this regard.

Have you ever had a job performance evaluation? Most workers have one of these at least once a year. Who do you expect to perform this? Is it ever done by anyone other than your boss or manager? Following this logic, who would perform a job performance evaluation for me? Yet how many times have you heard people suggest that I am not doing my job well and cite evidence of war, genocide, or suffering children as evidence to support their point? Their concerns are understandable but their criticisms are misdirected. Theologians have spent centuries trying to answer this question and the skeptics remain unconvinced, but who is qualified to give me a job performance evaluation?

How do you respond to injustices and other wrongs that you see in the world around you? Do they fill you with a sense of outrage? What other response do you make? Your rage does not benefit you or solve the problem, and it doesn’t improve the situation to refer to your rage as righteous indignation. Your time is always ready to act. You can take a positive step, no matter how small, to resolve the situation. Do this and you may find  that a constructive response diminishes your felt need for outrage. You can give to a cause, clean up a mess, or write a letter with peace in your heart.

Are you familiar with the ‘fight or flight’ response? It is instinctive when you feel threatened to stand your ground or run, yet these responses don’t always work for you. Do you value spiritual growth? How do you go about it? Do you have a plan and a schedule, and work your plan according to your schedule? Have you seen others fail with this approach? How successful has it been for you? I have a plan for your spiritual growth too. Would you like to follow mine rather than yours? Yet how can you find it? It is easier than you think. If you quit fighting me or running away I will find you.

Do you look at life as a continuous progression of improvement? How has this worked out for you? How do you deal with setbacks that occur along the way? Do you fiercely resist anything that seems like losing ground? Have you considered that this is part of the process of ascent? Even I was crucified and descended into the earth before I arose. I tell you not to think of your trials as strange intruders but to welcome them as friends. I did not say that this is easy to do. But if you put all your effort into running from them you will not receive the benefits that can come from them that are available no other way.

Do you encounter people who blame me when things go wrong in their lives? They want to know why they lost their job or their marriage failed when there is no obvious reason. They are looking for cosmic justice and think they deserve better, so this is a thinly veiled accusation that I am not treating them well. Have you noticed that such accusations tend to come from the well-educated and well-off? They have had every advantage in life compared to others, especially when viewed on a world-wide scale across the span of history. Here is your assignment: count your blessings and advantages and then ask why about them.

Do you see forgiveness as the payment of a debt? This imagery comes straight from the Bible in the story of the ten thousand talents. Do you think of debts as things that must be repaid? This is a good principle to follow in your finances, but the point of the story is that sin forgiveness is something that cannot be paid back. Yet does it seem right to accept this with no response? What can you do? Are you familiar with the concept of paying it forward? The request in the prayer model I provided is to be forgiven of your debts as you forgive your debtors. Do so unto the least of these and I will receive it as being unto me.

Do you know that believers have a formal and everyone has a functional theology? Your formal theology is how well you would do on a test of basic doctrine. Most churches do an excellent job of providing instruction in formal theology. Functional theology is how you live your life. Everyone does this in some manner, whether they make any profession of faith or not. Ideally these two are congruent and consistent, and your formal theology will make you a better person. Have you met people who make no profession of faith, but their lives are consistent displays of admirable virtue? Which of these do you think is more important?

Are you diligent about serving me? I am grateful for your work in my vineyard. Are you also diligent about the transformative work I am doing in your life? I care deeply about this too. These are not contradictory goals. In  a perfect world each supports the other. Yet church can be a place to hide from me as well as a place to serve me. Do you find it easier to devote yourself to service tasks rather than facing unfinished business in your own life? I promised to complete the good work I begun in you. Don’t neglect your own vineyard while you are working in mine, for I am working in you as well as through you.