Dale Cresap's blog

Have you ever faced an intense crisis? This would not be something you sought out, but rather came to you as a disruptive intruder in your life, such as the loss of a loved one, or a job, or money, or health. How do you respond in such a situation? Most people will make every effort to return to the status quo before the calamity. But others find that such events are turning points, serving as wakeup calls to a richer and fuller life. As much as they did not seek out or welcome the devastation, they can see in hindsight that it led to a transformed and improved life. Are you willing to look at these disasters and see what gifts I have for you in them?

Have you heard that it is more blessed to give than to receive? These are some of the best known of my words but you won’t find them in the gospels. Still they are in the Bible. Can you find them? Do you hear them most often when you are being asked to donate money? I declared a universal truth when I spoke this, so it includes money, although this concept has been presented in an abusive way. But as a universal concept it applies to everything, not just money. Ponder this concept and consider how many non-monetary ways you have received. Then consider how many non-monetary ways you have given, and see if you can affirm this truth in a universal way. 

Are you content with the best version of your faith that you can figure out? You live in a culture in which thought is highly rated, but if you can figure it out completely, is it really faith? I said that Peter was blessed because he knew that I was the Christ, and flesh and blood did not reveal this to him, but my Father in heaven. How much less did he figure it out on his own? Faith is not in opposition to reason, but is transcendent to it. The natural mind cannot comprehend the things of the Spirit, for they are spiritually discerned, and I will reveal them to you by my Spirit. Are you ready to receive understanding that you didn’t figure out?

Have you ever written and rehearsed a speech in your mind concerning the way you would approach me, with an argument to plead your case? How did that work out for you? This has been done before. Consider the prodigal son, when he ran out of money and came to himself, and realized that his father’s hired servants were better off than he was. He returned home rehearsing his speech, ‘I am no longer worthy to be called your son….’ How did his father react to his speech? Don’t be surprised if I ignore your speech just as his father did. No offense. I’m just glad when you return to me.

Do you favor the separation of church and state? I do, for it was my idea in the first place, that I separated the roles of the priests and the kings, who were not allowed to burn incense at my altar. And so you have two realms, but one need  not be hostile to the other, as critics assume. Yet even so you see the influence of one on the other, and nations with similar faith traditions will tend to have similar forms of government. Both are based on their understanding of ultimate truth, and it is unrealistic to expect incompatible visions to endure side-by-side. Is it any surprise that liberty is congruent with the Christian faith? Do you want to live in an atheist dominated country?

Do you understand that there is no distance in prayer? If you hear of a need in a distant place, do you pray with confidence that the effect will be the same as if you were there in person? This is a widely held position among believers today, but it was not always the case. Consider the Centurion with the sick servant. I offered to go and heal the man, but the Centurion understood that this was not necessary; that I could heal him from where I stood. I commended him for his great faith and he was ahead of his time in the comprehension of spiritual reality. Are you prepared for a spiritual move to places that are currently ahead of your time?

Do you ever wish that you had lived when I did? Even if you don’t, how many believers have you met who have expressed this wish? Yet how many of the core teachings of the faith did I present to my disciples face to face that they didn’t get? They were uncomprehending about the other sheep not of this fold, the wineskins, and the fact that I must die. They were troubled when I told them I was going away, but I said that it was better that way because I would send the Comforter to lead them into all truth. You can see how they eventually ‘got it’ in the book of Acts. You live under these same terms. Can you see how much better this is? 

Do you describe your faith as a relationship with me? You are right. Do you notice that in most faiths deity is represented as a single entity? Yet in your faith deity is represented as a Father and a Son. There is also a Spirit, completing the trinity, and this forms the basis for relationship even within the divine being, and as this is revealed to you it forms the basis of the invitation for you to join this relationship. And so your fellowship may be with the Father and the Son, revealed by the Spirit, that my final prayer will be answered that all of these may be one, even as we are one. 

Have you ever been homesick? This is a typical response when people leave home, longing for a place you belong. This is understandable by everyone, but can you imagine being homesick for a place you have never been before? How could this be? Yet I have put eternity in your heart. You have never been there, but it is hardwired into your spiritual DNA. And so you may feel restless, and those who follow me are called sojourners, strangers, and pilgrims in this world, with hearts that are restless until they rest in me. Let not your heart be troubled by this. It will find its one true home. 

Do you think there are special blessings for those who tithe? You are right, but there are special blessings for everyone else too. For I make the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the just and on the unjust alike. It is in my nature to do so. So what is your motivation for tithing if you don’t get a special reward? Generosity can be your nature too. If you follow my example it becomes a characteristic trait of yours. So shall you be the children of your Father in heaven. Then you will be able to give for the right reasons, and be a cheerful giver.