Dale Cresap's blog

Do you judge people by the way they speak? This is difficult to avoid. Some people are more eloquent than others, and some have an accent or a lisp.

My church is referred to as the Bride of Christ. Yet this is in the fullness of time, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has not yet occurred. Currently you are in a period of betrothal, in which the bride is making herself ready.

You see people who are strong in the faith moving in powerful manifestations of the gifts I give. You admire this and rightly so. These are like beautiful blossoms of mature plants. Yet plants have roots in the earth. In a parallel to the imagery of the body, these are the less comely members.

Every teacher knows that students learn more when they are active and engaged than as passive recipients, even of a good presentation. An involved mind is open to learning while a passive one is distracted and wanders.

Do you prefer to associate with people who are like you? Yet even within the common faith there are people of good conscience and character who disagree with positions held by your closest friends.

Are you familiar with the concept of delayed gratification? This is usually presented as the desirable alternative to instant gratification.

You admire those who are generous, who give freely from their abundance. Does this describe you? For money and possessions are valuable, and what you give away no longer belongs to you. 

Can two walk together except they be agreed? Two people who meet on the way to the same destination have this in common and that makes them fellow travelers.

Do you think of intelligence as something highly rated? Your culture recognizes and rewards intellectual achievement. Many who excel in this area regard it as a substitute for me. Yet even your ability to reason is a gift from me.

What does the term ‘conviction’ bring to mind for you? It is the conclusion of a criminal trial, after all the evidence and arguments have been presented, and the jury has deliberated and reached a verdict. Yet the same term applies to the beginning of the process of forgiveness.