Dale Cresap's blog

Do you know people you would describe as fiercely independent? Are you one of them? My word tells you to stand fast in the liberty in which I have made you free. So is there an advantage to being fierce? You are a member of the community of humanity. With your fellow believers you are a member of my body. But I have not assigned you to make the determination of who belongs and who does not, and even for those who are without you share the distinction of being created in my likeness. Do you assume that liberty and community are exclusive polar opposites? They do not need to be if you hold your independence graciously rather than fiercely.

Do you carefully consider the sources of what you hear? Do you feel obligated to accept anything from Christian sources and to reject anything from non-Christians? Don’t you know any Christians whose teachings you would hesitate to accept? Being a believer is not a guarantee of perfect knowledge. What about the other side of the coin? Could those you regard as outside the fold know something that you don’t? Your first consideration should not be the source but the truth of the assertion itself. You regard some more highly than others but no one should get a free pass and bypass examination. I promised to lead you into all truth by my Holy Spirit.

On my entry to Jerusalem I said that if the people were silent the rocks would cry out. Can you imagine anything more inert than a rock? Yet even rocks are attracted to each other. This is obvious in the case when one of them is large, such as planet earth. Yet the same gravitational attraction is present between two grains of sand even if it is small. I said that if I was lifted up I would draw all men unto me. You have already seen the ‘law of attraction’ working in people. If even inert rocks are influenced by attraction, then how much stronger is my drawing power toward you in the spiritual realm.

Do you know my will? It would be presumptuous to say that you do, but I’m willing to reveal it to those who are interested. You hold it as a basic doctrine that I am sovereign, but you should not use this as a basis for thinking my will is inscrutable, and passively accepting whatever happens as fated. Even though I am sovereign my will is never arbitrary or capricious. I always act according to my purpose of redemption. Have you ever seen me act any other way? If you want to know my will in any situation you can ponder the question of what my redemptive purpose is and see what comes forth.

My word tells you not to despise the poor, for they are rich in faith. It also declares woe to those who are rich, yet who would not prefer to be rich given the choice? What is your attitude toward the rich? Respecter of persons? Envy and resentment? Excessive deference? Equality is an ideal in the political realm, but in my Kingdom I would not have you reject the wealthy for their abundance any more than I would have you reject the poor for their lack. If you can see the way I do then you will regard the essential humanity of everyone you meet, and know that I love them all, even the wealthy who suffer from spiritual poverty.

Does it bother you when people get your name wrong? Do you feel the need to correct them or do you graciously respond to things obviously directed at you even if the person speaking gets your name wrong? It doesn’t take much discernment to know when it is an honest error or done with malicious intent. Do you know that people get my name wrong too? I still have other sheep who are not of this fold. They may be seeking me even if they get my name wrong. If you can be gracious and loving enough to accept people rather than rejecting them when they do this to you should you be surprised that I can do the same thing?

I'm leaving town for a few days. See you in a week. 

Have you heard it said that everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about it? Is there anything for which the situation is reversed, that everyone is engaged in and no one talks about? You acknowledge your appetites for food and drink as hunger and thirst. Are you equally aware of your desire for meaning and purpose? How many people discuss this openly? Yet you can endure a life of pain easier than you can a life without meaning. Once you understand this you can see it in the actions of people that are difficult to explain any other way. How do you manifest your hunger for meaning in your own life?

How great is your need for approval? Everyone has an appetite for this as much as for food and drink. Who doesn’t thrive on affirmation? Yet just as it is detrimental to be driven by your appetite for food your appetite for approval can cause problems. If you care what people think about you it gives them undue influence over you. If you cannot please two masters then how much less can you please a multitude? My prophets were not popular for being faithful to me, and the Kingdom of God is not a popularity contest. It is a beneficial spiritual practice to fast from food for a season. Can you also fast from your appetite for approval?

Do you consider yourself a good judge of character and able to select the right candidate for important positions? Tax collectors may not be highly esteemed in any culture but in my time they were particularly despised for being in collusion with an occupying oppressor. Yet I called Matthew to leave his seat collecting tribute and follow me to be a disciple and then an apostle. What did I see in him that caused me to call him? Would you have chosen him for this assignment? If you consider yourself a good judge of character you are likely to rely on your own judgment rather than inquiring of me when you have to make choices.