Dale Cresap's blog

When you need help, do you go to the poor or to the rich? It would seem obvious that the rich have more resources with which to assist, and this is true, but how willing are they to help? The Bible describes those in need of help as the least of these. In your own experience, is it the wealthy who come to their aid, or those who are only one step up from the least of these themselves? The story about the least of these says that those who are kind to them enter the kingdom of heaven.

Do you live in a consumer culture? This is prevalent in the world and becoming more so. If you are immersed in this value system there is a temptation to treat everything as a commodity. This is a consequence of materialism. Do you treat your spirituality as a commodity? Is it something to acquire and possess like everything else? If you find this idea disturbing you should examine yourself, because it takes intentional effort to go against the current of your culture. You are bought with a price. So you do not own your spirituality, it owns you.

Are you familiar with the idea of poetic justice? This isn’t implemented by a formal court ruling, but when someone appears to get what they have coming anyhow; this phrase is commonly used to describe it even if no poetry is involved. Or do you prefer to think of these events as divine justice? That implies more structure and intention than correlation of circumstances. Do you think my justice is only occasional, or is it always in effect? The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. My justice will not sleep forever. Do you see this primarily in a negative sense?

Are you grateful for your blessings? Do you know they come from me? Do you think that they represent a report card for your performance, or an indication of my approval on your life? But what about the wicked? Where do their blessings come from? I send rain and sun on the just and on the unjust, and you have seen the wicked prosper in ways that you think are unfair. Surely you don’t think their blessings are a validation of their conduct, and neither are yours. I go beyond this and open my hand to satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Do you have an education? Do you value it and continue to pursue it? Do you look for the best sources of information? There is an abundance available and do you know anyone who isn’t eager to share what they know? So you can be selective in your sources, but have you learned that everyone you meet knows something that would be of value to you? I told a story that suggested that your entrance to the Kingdom of God would be based on the way you treated the least of these. Do you know anyone in this category? Do you think of them as your teachers?

Christians talk about the law of sowing and reaping, for it is in the Bible, and one of the most obvious lessons of nature. In this day and age you could just as well talk about investment and return. The underlying principle is that effort brings forth results according to the nature and direction of the effort. The spiritual parallel is also obvious, but when people say you reap what you sow they don’t usually mean it as a compliment or affirmation. I want you to learn to think of this primarily in a positive sense. Farmers sow good seed with positive intention.

In ancient Israel a scapegoat was used to deal with the sins of the people. All of their sins were pronounced on the hapless animal and it was driven away. Do you see any logical problems with this approach? You may smile and roll your eyes thinking this is a foolish ancient ritual, but the term has survived to modern usage. Has the practice survived as well? How many people do you know who can find someone else to blame for all of their problems?

Are you familiar with the story of the wheat and the tares? In the context of the story these refer to individuals who are the children of the Kingdom and the children of the evil one. The workers propose to pull the weeds during the time of growth, but the master decides to wait until harvest for the separation to take place. Could the same concept be applied at a finer scale? Do you have activities in your own life that could be considered wheat, and others that could be considered tares? You don’t have to wait until the end of your life to make the separation.

I said that man does not live by bread alone. At the most basic level you know that you need other types of food, but you know that this is not what I was talking about. Are you aware of your need for emotional nourishment? Spiritual nourishment? You need more than food to survive. I alluded to this when I said that it was not good for the man to be alone. You need human contact. Solitary confinement is considered a cruel punishment. But you need still more. In the passage above I go on to say that you need every word of God.

How do you feel about yourself? How do you feel about yourself when you are around other people? This answer can vary widely depending on who you are with. Some people open the door for you to express your true self, even with your faults and vulnerabilities, and you find contact with them to be life-enhancing. They make you feel good about yourself. Others must prove themselves to be superior at your expense, and you feel exhausted and discouraged from being around them. Reversing the question, how do you make others feel about themselves? How do I make you feel about yourself?