Dale Cresap's blog

I said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. When you think of not living by bread alone do you think of how much more you have in a material sense than just bread? Yet my illustration was not to declare how minimal bread is as a material resource, but to contrast material and spiritual needs. Does your great abundance of material wealth make it more or less difficult for you to pursue spiritual nourishment? Perhaps my words could be rephrased to include all that you eat, drink, wear, live in, and drive in addition to electronic communications and amusement, and you would still need to live by every word of God. 

Have you ever met someone who had something to prove? Did you enjoy the encounter? What is it that such people are trying to prove? Those without an internal sense of identity and worth try to prove their worth to others. Wouldn’t you rather be around gracious people who have an internal sense of worth and don’t feel the need to persuade you that they are special? There is a human longing for affirmation and identity, and these cannot be completely obtained by your own efforts. If you come to me I will give them to you free of charge and you can be gracious to others without having to prove anything. 

In modern Christian terminology stealing sheep is a crime. Pastors desire to have a large flock but they know better than to recruit from other churches. Ye they can still be defensive about their own flock. Just as it is wrong to try to get believers to leave their own church to join yours, it is also wrong to deny those in your own church the opportunities to minister and receive ministry from my Body as a whole. I am the head of my Body and just as each member has something unique to contribute, so does every church. I want you to rejoice in what you can give and receive between local fellowships. All men will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. 

What do you say to old friends with whom you have neglected to maintain the friendship? The universal answer is that you have been too busy. Hopefully you were the one who took the initiative to renew contact if only for the reason of giving this excuse. Can you see that this is stated in a way that is less than honest? You only have so much energy to commit to contact with friends and you spend it where you perceive the most value. Yet it isn’t gracious to tell someone they weren’t worth the effort. Order your priorities according to the values of my Kingdom and you will have time for the things that really matter, like maintaining friendships.

I warned that many would come in my name that I didn’t send. I could foresee the growth of my church and the spread of the gospel message, and a deserved reputation for virtue for myself. Many would seek to enlist support for their own causes under my banner, and use my name to advance their own interests. But my message transcends the causes of men. Joshua encountered my angel and asked if he was for him or for his enemies. Even though he was captain of my army the answer was neither. I ask my followers to lay down their lives that they may follow me. This includes giving up their own causes that they may devote themselves to my cause.

You know that abuse can take physical, verbal, and emotional forms. Do you know there is also spiritual abuse? I set you free and intended you to remain free. I told you not to be entangled again in the yoke of bondage. Bondage can either be freely chosen, or imposed others. In your Christian life you will encounter those eager to impose burdens on you that I did not give. In your conscience you are free to accept or reject them. No one has the authority to put you in bondage against your will. I am the ultimate authority in your life and I want you to come to me to confirm any requirements others would impose upon you that who I set free may remain free indeed.

Do you think I speak often or seldom? I have not left you to figure things out on your own. I am the living word and I speak constantly. Are you listening? You may have a question on your mind and desire an answer, but the way I am speaking may not address your current concern. Let me set the tone and direction of our conversation. I know what you need to hear right now. Trust me to understand and care for your concerns and address them at an appropriate time. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The church is full of satisfied believers who are content with what they have, but the hungry desire more. The satisfied will not make the effort to go where there is food, but the hungry vote with their feet to go where nourishment is available. The satisfied are fussy eaters, willing to receive instruction only from those with the most prestigious credentials. The hungry don’t care about your credentials. If you know something they want to know, they will hound you for the information. They don’t care about their own reputation or that of others. They humble themselves to seek and they are blessed for they have my promise that they will be filled. 

Have you heard of the economic one percent? These are the wealthiest one percent of people. Do you realize that there is also a spiritual one percent? Some people will be diligent to seek me and grow in faith more than others. A political movement grew up in resentment against the economic one percent, claiming the wealthy had more than they deserved. The spiritual one percent are not in the headlines, but it is fair to ask what their duty is to the 99 percent. Is most of your ministry toward your spiritual peers? There are plenty of lost people in need of me and immature believers in need of discipleship who would benefit from what you already know. 

Do you value instruction and knowledge? These used to be hard to obtain and required a diligent search. Now you have search engines that put a vast amount of information at your fingertips immediately. If the problems you face were due to a lack of information then they should be solved, but have they gone away? This may cause you to ponder the true nature of the problem. I promised that knowledge would increase but the end of the age still approaches. You are in need of truth and you will find that in me rather than in a search engine, as I said, I am the way the truth and the life.