Dale Cresap's blog

Have you heard it said that you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your relatives? Everyone is familiar with this saying, and your relatives, like the poor, are with you always. When I was asked about my own family I replied that they were those who did the will of God, implying that spirit is thicker than blood. Do you find more in common with your spiritual brothers than your blood brothers? Yet you may recall that one of my brothers did become my disciple. If you make the effort to develop relationships with your relatives so that you would choose them as friends then your brother can be your brother in more ways than one.

Are you familiar with the Biblical teaching about meat offered to idols? Do you think it has any validity today? Suppose that you are selective about what you eat and your host offers you ‘junk food’. If this is what they routinely eat then they are not trying to intentionally poison you by offering it to you. It has not been offered to idols but the same principle applies. Can you see the parallels and the tradeoff between your preferred practice and not wanting to offend your brother? If you choose to decline the hospitality of your host find a gracious way to do it that doesn’t cause a division between you.

Have you ever encountered Christians with a sense of entitlement? Most Christian ministries operate by freewill offerings, but the Bible does not require this. It does say that those who minister the gospel are able to make their living of the gospel. There is nothing wrong with charging a registration fee for a conference with real expenses. There are many gospel resources that are free in comparison to the world of commerce. Are you familiar with the passage, freely you have received, freely give? This sounds better coming from the one giving than from the one receiving.

Do you like doing business with Christians? Have you ever had a fellow believer suggest that he should get a discount because he is your brother? This is to suggest that you would have greater prosperity if you dealt with unbelievers. Have you ever had a fellow believer think that he should pay you more, out of generosity to a brother? You should not be reluctant to do business with your fellow believers, but you should be aware that the dual relationship creates the potential for strain and strife. But you can see this from a positive perspective and realize that it also creates the potential for concrete expressions of grace.

Have you noticed that the Bible gives an account of the birth of boys but not girls? You assume, correctly, that this had to take place. Are you offended at the disparity of treatment? This approach would not be acceptable in this time of politically correct equality. Can you look past this and regard the Bible according to what it does say rather than what it does not say? If you approach the Bible looking for a reason to be offended you will find that very easily. But if you read my word looking past the customs of long ago and instead looking for eternal truth you will find that. 

Do you see yourself the way you really are? Your true self is a spiritual being, but you are immersed in a culture that values superficial appearances, and so you can become alienated from the truth of your own being. Yet part of my promise of redemption and transformation is to learn to see things the way they really are. He who is spiritual judges all things. In this process you will learn to see others as they really are as well, even if they have the same problem of not knowing themselves. This opens the door for you to minister to them with truth and love and light to their real self.

Do you see that landfills are a product of civilization? This is a polite term for what used to be known as a dump, but in contrast to this, nothing in nature is wasted. Everything is recycled according to the natural processes I set in motion in the original design. Do you think that the Kingdom of God is more like civilization or the natural world? In this case the things you would throw away are not material waste, but experiences, bad choices, and consequences that you would cheerfully discard. Yet in the economy of grace I can ‘recycle’ them and turn them into treasure in heaven.

Do you consider it important to forgive others? This is easier if they offer contrite apologies. Does it also help if they make restoration in the matter of the offense? Yet some things cannot be restored to their original condition. Will you withhold forgiveness indefinitely waiting for something that cannot happen? Acknowledging the offense and accepting the consequences are inherent in the process of forgiveness. Forgiveness should not be contingent on restitution which is a separate matter. As much as you would like the justice of restoration it is better to do without it than remain in the poison of unforgiveness.

Some soldiers distinguish themselves in battle enough to receive decorations for valor. These are presented in solemn ceremonies of honor. Yet at the time they are earned, are these soldiers thinking of honor and glory? In the heat of the moment it is more likely that they thought they were having the worst day of their lives. What about you? I have called you to be faithful and face hardship as a soldier, and you have seen this happen in your life already. Are these your times of greatest enjoyment? Yet these times of hardship are your times of greatest triumph, and no military decorations can compare with the rewards I have in store for you.

Do you live in a democracy? That means that you can take part in the process of selecting your leaders, and this is better than having rule imposed on you without your involvement. Churches also have leaders, but you have even greater freedom of action here. If your candidate loses the election you are still a citizen of the country, but you are able to choose which church you attend, which includes the pastor. Then they watch for your souls and will give an account for you. Make your selection with diligence for you may do it with wisdom, or not. Do not choose what is easiest but what is best for you.