Dale Cresap's blog

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. 

My word asks who can tame the tongue. It is called an unruly evil because of the damage it can do. Yet it is also capable of great blessing. The Bible passage points out the inconsistency of the same mouth speaking blessing and cursing. You hear curses often enough. Is it possible to curse by withholding the words of life? There are sins of omission as well as commission. An animal that is tame will serve rather than attacking. A tongue that is surrendered to my will and purposes will not keep silent when the opportunity arises to speak the words of life. Realize the power of the words you speak and employ them only for blessings.

You are familiar with prayers of petition. You have my promise that I hear your prayers and grant your requests. Yet you also know the importance of praying according to my will. Are you certain that the things you ask for in your petitions are my will for you? You can know, but it requires a different type of prayer. This may be called a prayer of inquiry. If you ask of me I am eager to reveal my will to you. If a prayer of petition is confident then a prayer of inquiry should be humble and selfless, seeking to find my will rather than validate your own. Both can be equally fervent, but a prayer of inquiry has more power to conform you to my image and likeness. Then you can make your petitions with bold assurance.

Do you think of my Great Commission only as the presentation of the gospel message to every creature? Remember that it includes making disciples of all men. Do you think this is best accomplished by a systematic course of study, much like elementary school? Consider the most spiritual people you know. How did they get to be that way? The conventional academic approach is beneficial for some subjects, but a true spiritual life is only possible through a direct encounter with me. Do you think this goal is inconsistent with a systematic approach? It is not, but you should keep your true goal in mind as the friend of the Bridegroom as you conduct instruction in righteousness.