Dale Cresap's blog

Are you familiar with the story of the sheep and the goats? Are you amazed that the criteria for entering the Kingdom of God is how you treat the least of these? For I said that inasmuch as ye had done so unto the least of these, ye had done so unto me. Does this seem like a real ‘stretch’ to you? Consider my arrival in this world. Joseph and Mary were of modest means, far from home, in the most humble of shelters possible. Mary’s pregnancy was under suspect circumstances, and after I was born we became homeless refugees fleeing from those who would kill me.

I promised my followers that in my Father’s house there were many dwelling places, and that I was going to prepare a place for them. Have you heard the term dwelling places translated as mansions? Do you expect that your home in heaven will be better than an apartment complex? How do you envision it? Do you think that your eternal home will look like an affluent subdivision, or will the Kingdom of God be better than that?

Are you a work in progress? Would you prefer to be a finished product? That would imply that there is no more room for growth. Do you know anyone that you would describe this way? What qualities do you notice in those who think they have arrived? Arrogance? Self-righteousness? Wouldn’t you rather keep company with those who know that they are still in process? The Pharisees asked me if they were blind also. I said they were because they claimed they could see. If you desire true spiritual maturity be humble enough to leave the door open for mystery and for further understanding.

Do you think hope and optimism are the same thing? Optimists can be wrong. Is hope wishful thinking, or is there real substance to it? The Bible refers to faith as the substance of things hoped for. So in a description of a mystery expressed in lyrical beauty the Bible connects the concepts of faith and hope with substance. And so the transcendent realm makes contact with the world of physical reality. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but you need a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Do you find that you are meeting more atheists these days? Does it look like a trend? Do you read books on apologetics and find them to be convincing? Atheists read books by atheist authors and find them to be convincing. You probably aren’t interested in reading their books, but they aren’t interested in reading yours either. Both sides go where they get reassurance. But your atheist friends will read you. Is your life an open book? Paul spoke of people in his care saying they were an epistle, known and read by all men.

An old philosopher said, I think, therefore I am. He derived his identity from his thoughts. Do you? Do you think you are the sum of your thoughts? Yet do you have perfect control over your thoughts? Do you ever have thoughts that are unwelcome and seem to be intruders? The Bible tells you to take every thought captive, and this implies that your thoughts are not the essence of your being. Do you find this difficult to do?

Do you walk in the darkness or in the light? This is an important distinction and all believers would claim to walk in the light. What does this mean? Are you aware that you live a charmed life in an enchanted world? You may see this as connected to your belief, but I send sun and rain on the just and on the wicked alike, and open my hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. You have insight and awareness that you live in a benevolent world. Everyone lives in the same world but not everyone can see this reality even though they receive the blessings.

Do you share your faith in fulfillment of the Great Commission? Are you a recruiting agent for your church? Do you see these as separate activities? Even if you do, those to whom you proclaim the gospel message may not. Would you consider your efforts to be successful if you see people entering the Kingdom of God even if they don’t go to your church? What is the bare essence of your faith that is the logical starting point for sharing the good news of the gospel?

Do you think that I am good at everything? What about marketing? I referred to my followers as sheep. I said that my sheep hear my voice, and told Peter to feed my sheep, and you want to be a sheep in the story of the sheep and the goats. But being referred to as a sheep is not considered a compliment in any other context. In fact it is an insult, implying that one lacks resolve and fortitude. Would any marketing firm have recommended a sheep as a promotional image or logo? How do you reconcile these images? Do you still want to be my follower if it means identifying as a sheep?

Do you find answers to all your problems? Some problems are small and have clear answers. If you lose your car keys you keep looking until you find them. Some problems are large and don’t have easy answers, such as navigating relationships and finding direction in life. Some problems don’t really have solutions in the conventional sense, but by your own continued development you may outgrow them. Have you ever experienced this yourself? Have you had a problem that became unimportant to you even though it didn’t go away?