Dale Cresap's blog

Are there things for which you think you have no ability? Are they important things? Many people will say this about math or music. What do you notice about people who are excellent musicians, either in voice or instrument? Don’t the best musicians put in a lot of practice? How much practice do you put in for things for which you think you have no ability? If something is important, put in the time to develop the ability you have, and you will do it better than you expected. I call on everyone to make a joyful noise unto me. With practice you can do better still.

Do you think of money as inert, detached, and objective, or do you think it can carry intention? Consider my story of the widow and the mites she gave. I said it was more than the wealthy gave because they gave of their abundance and she out of her lack. Consider those who put me to death. They deemed the thirty pieces of silver as unable to go back into the temple treasury because it was the price of blood. Never mind that they were OK with making it the price of blood when it came out of the temple treasury. So money does carry intention, and I love a cheerful giver. What intention does your money carry?

What does the Bible say about Abraham? That he believed God and he was a righteous man? But there was that incident when he was willing to give up his wife to the king under false pretense to save his own skin. The Bible says of Abraham that he believed God and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness. Big difference. And so began the practice that you could be accepted by God for your beliefs as opposed to your conduct. This is a strong theme in the Bible, and the same deal is available to you, but I don’t want you to lose the distinction between reckoned and real righteousness.

Do you think that more is always better? This is a tenant of your modern culture, but can you see ways in which more is not always better? Consider the food you eat. The ideal amount is to be full and satisfied. Yet you can continue eating beyond this point, but the effect is detrimental. So more is not always better when it comes to food. What about money? Who doesn’t want to have as much as they can possibly get? Yet you can see people who seek an unlimited amount of money and the quest is more detrimental to their well-being than too much food. Can you apply the same principle of full and satisfied to your finances that you can to your diet?

You live in a consumer culture and this affects the way you think. Does this influence extend to your spiritual life? Have you ever left a church? As a consumer you can select which stores you do business with and which you do not as a matter of preference for any reason. But you are part of a church rather than just a customer. I consider this matter serious enough to refer to my church as a body comprised of members, and members that are part of a body do not come and go at will. All of this is not to say that you can never leave a church, but your reasons should be better than consumer preference.

Do you expect equality in relationships; that each party will give and receive about the same amount form each other? How well do you find this to work in real situations? Do you resent it when you seem to be giving more, and the other person is consistently receiving more? I told my followers not to expect reciprocity. I told them that if they gave to those who were able to give as much in return, then they had their reward, but if they gave to those who could not repay them then they had a reward in heaven. Do you assume that this applies only to money? Enlarge your understanding. Some people don’t have much to give in a relational sense and still need love.

Do you like a bargain? Who doesn’t? Yet do you esteem lightly what you obtain cheaply? Does your church lower the bar of expectations for members? Look around you and see which churches are growing and which are not. Do you see those with high expectations for faith practice growing, and those with low expectations declining? Grace is free, but there is a cost for discipleship. There are some areas in which shopping for a bargain is a false economy. The development of your soul is one of  these. I told stories of wise kings and builders who counted the cost of battles or structures and encouraged my followers to count the cost of following me.

What is your view of the end times? There are multitudes to choose from, and from talking to your fellow believers you may conclude that it is very important to choose the right one. Believers will defend their positions fiercely on this question. Does your view of the end times make you more generous, kind and loving today? Do you know anyone for whom this is true? If it doesn’t, then what is the advantage of holding it? Everyone has been wrong about the timing so far. Will you be the one to get it right? I don’t expect you to. Come and follow me and you will be ready when the time comes.

Do you engage in the traditional Christian activities of prayer, Bible study, and church attendance? This list is not exhaustive. You may be able to think of other practices and engage in them. How beneficial do you find these practices? That is, do they make you more loving, kind, generous, and Christlike? I tell you to examine yourself when you take communion. Do you think of this only as a grim review of sin? You could also use it as a time to review the effectiveness of your spiritual practices. How much wisdom and insight does it require for you to see that you would benefit from doing more of  those things that are working for you and less of those things that are not?

When you talk to other believers using the phrase ‘the word of God’ what are you referring to? Isn’t this the name you give the Bible? Yet the Bible says in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. This passage is not referring to the Bible, which came much later. You think of the Bible as a divinely inspired record of eternal truth, and you are right. Do you find eternal life in the Bible? I spoke to an audience who thought they did, and told them that the scriptures testified of me. The question remained as to whether they would come to me and have life. Will you? Is this how you understand the ‘word of God’?