Dale Cresap's blog

You experience time as a continuous progression, but you have a regular means of tracking it with clocks and calendars. Different cultures have different calendars so not everyone agrees on the beginning and ending of a year, and the selection is somewhat arbitrary. Do you spend some time reflecting on what has happened in a year when one rolls into the next? It is good to be aware of changes and progress. Yet you shouldn’t wait for a new year to deal with issues in your life with resolutions, for I use a shorter time horizon. I call you to live in the present moment, and your time is always ready. Don’t worry about tomorrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil and grace thereof, and my mercies are new every morning. 

You are correct in thinking that salvation is the central event in the life of any person. Yet you would be wrong to think that my work in a person’s life begins and ends there. I was at work in your life before you were saved, to break up the stony ground and prepare it to receive me. I continue to work in your life after it received the good seed and life came forth. I weed and water and watch over your growth. Salvation was an event that changed your state of being, but in another sense your life is an ongoing story of becoming, and so I have called you to follow me on the strait and narrow way that leads to life. 

Photographers travel great distances to the most scenic areas of the world to take pictures. Those with even greater vision see beauty wherever they look, and their photos reveal to others the beauty that was there all along. Not everyone is a photographer, but beauty is admired and appreciated by all. Yet do you see beauty everywhere you look? You understand the theology of living in a fallen world, yet do not be quick to criticize and reject it. I see beauty everywhere I look, and as you are transformed into my likeness you will too. I invite you to declare and affirm it that you may become an agent of beauty. 

You have heard believers pose the question, what would Jesus do? It is good for you to ponder and reflect on the actions you imagine I would take in response to any situation. Do you assume that the answer would be identical for every believer? If all strive to be Christlike, does it imply that alls strive to be the same? No. Can you accept this as a mystery? For I created each one with a unique identity and destiny. I am big enough that each of my disciples can follow me and be transformed into my likeness without looking identical to everyone else who does the same thing. 

You have heard of various things referred to as works of art. This is a complimentary term. Do you think of yourself as a work of art? For you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Even the basic essence of humanity is marvelous but I didn’t stop there. For I am completing the good work I have begun in you. I formed the first man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him. The gestation of human procreation takes more time, and transforming you into my image takes a lifetime. Do not be discouraged at the pace of visible progress. Life is formed in inward secret places over time. Be encouraged that I will complete you as my work of art. 

It is unlikely that you will meet someone with whom you agree about everything, or with whom you will disagree about everything. What is your first impulse when you meet someone for the first time? Do you look for areas in which you disagree that you may set them straight or avoid the influence of their errors? Yet unless your knowledge is already perfect then they may know something you could benefit by learning. If you start by looking for areas of agreement then you will have this opportunity that you would miss if you started looking for disagreement. Cast your net wide and then sort out your catch. 

In the beginning I said that it was not good for man to be alone. I made him a companion, but there is a loneliness that precedes the desire for contact with other people. Your most basic need for relationship begins with me. No amount of human contact will make up for alienation from me. Yet it is possible to experience this and not be aware of it. How many people have you seen who are restless and unsatisfied, going from one new endeavor or indulgence to another, looking for something to give them meaning but not knowing what it is and not finding it? I am what they need, and I have given you the job of helping them find me. 

For those who crucified me I prayed, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. They had no comprehension of the magnitude of what they did, and I realized this, and prayed on their behalf accordingly. You are not currently in a position to have such knowledge, but you can still follow my example when confronted with the sins of others. In most cases the same principle applies. Even those who are intentionally mean to you do not comprehend the magnitude and consequences of their actions. Do you understand the consequences of everything you do, for better or for worse? You are never wrong to pray mercy and forgiveness for others and for yourself.

You live in a world of actions and consequences. Do you find that punishment or even the threat of punishment is the strongest motivation to avoid doing evil? Yet my word says that it is my goodness that leads you to repentance? Do you see me lavishing my goodness on those who choose to be far from me, in order to draw them to me? Does it upset your sense of justice to think that they are getting away with something? Do you see the same dynamic in your own life? I want to be loved more than feared. I want you to understand this spiritual principle because I want you to take part in it, for I have called you to love your enemies. 

You see the actions of other people, but not the thoughts and intentions of their hearts from which these actions flow. This is reason enough not to judge people’s motives. Do you find it difficult to keep your mind from going there? Do you tend to assume the worst? There may be several possible motives for a given action. Intentional evil is the worst, but many things may be explained by ignorance. If you would be gracious then let your assumptions run to the most benign explanations. Don’t attribute to malfeasance that which can be explained by ignorance. It is better still not to attribute motive at all.