Dale Cresap's blog

Jacob wrestled with a man during the night. Do you assume that this was some random guy lurking around his camp? You know better than that. I was his opponent. Have you ever wrestled with me? I recommend it. It is the process by which your faith is tested and tried, and by which you grow stronger. You don’t have to worry about hurting me. Is there a risk that you will be hurt in the process? You may recall that Jacob walked with a limp from then on, but he got the blessing he asked for. The same rules apply with you. Hang on until you get the blessing.

The Bible encourages belief and promises results for those who have faith. Have you ever prayed for something you really wanted, and believed with everything you had, and not seen the results you wanted? Did you think that if you had more faith it would have worked? Worse yet, have you ever made this observation to someone else, in a dire crisis, that they should have had more faith? Bad form. Don’t do this. Prayer is not like a computer algorithm with known inputs and results, or a standard operating procedure. It is engagement with the mysterious and transcendent divine.

Do you think of inflation only in literal or monetary terms? Do you think this term can apply to people too? Have you ever heard of anyone described as full of themselves? You were built for connection and inflation interferes with this. Have you ever tried to attach two inflated balloons? Ego-inflated people are hard to connect with. I have given you direction to lay down your life, and pick up your cross. John the Baptist decreased that I might increase, and I made myself of no reputation. Do you find that these are difficult to do? Are the benefits obvious?

Are you familiar with automatic teller machines? Known as ATMs, they dispense money if you follow the steps correctly and make the right entries. Do you view prayer the same way? Do you think that if you get the wording just right and ‘work up’ your level of belief that money or whatever else you want will pop out? There are verses in the Bible that support this approach, but there are also verses that say you ask and receive not because of your motives. Have you found the ATM approach to prayer to be effective in your own experience?

Have you ever received a ‘thank-you’ note? Have you ever sent one? These are pleasant to give and receive. Gratitude is a universally admired trait, and even unbelievers can see the value of it. But is it possible for gratitude to exist in a detached and unfocused way? Is it possible to address a thank-you note to whom it may concern? Gratitude implies a relationship, for it must involve a giver and a receiver. Both parties can perform both roles in sequence or concurrently, but gratitude is not a meaningful concept in the abstract or in isolation.

Are you familiar with the phrase ‘bread and circuses’? This came from my own era on earth, when the Roman government wanted to distract the people from deep structural problems in society. They did it with affluence and entertainment. Did it succeed? It didn’t prevent the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Do you see the same principle in effect today? Now you have much more sophisticated versions of affluence and entertainment. My answer is the same as it was long ago. Man does not live by bread alone. I know you need bread, but what else is essential for your life?

Have you heard people described as being able to dish it up but not take it? This presumably refers to insults and rudeness and is not considered a compliment. The implied criticism is that if you do one you should be able to do both, being willing to be on the receiving end of what you put forth. But this is a modern example of Old Testament law of parity - an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. There is an alternative. For I say unto you that you resist not evil, go the extra mile, and turn  the other cheek.

Are you a conservative? A liberal? Do these choices flow out of your faith? I have sincere followers in both camps. Do you find it incomprehensible that someone could read the same Bible you do and come to a different conclusion about political ideology? Eating meat offered to idols may not be an active concern for you anymore, but the same principle that each should follow the guidance of his own conscience is enduring and broadly applicable. I have a large family, and even more to the point, a large body.

Do you think I love everyone? For some Christians, this is more a matter of abstract doctrine than a practical way to live. They are sure that I love the people who go to their  church, but beyond that things get fuzzy. Do you find practical ways to affirm that I (and you) love everyone? I do. For I send rain and sun on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Where do the wicked get their provision from if not from me? Do you consider them to be enemies of God? They may not acknowledge me, but I still bless them. I have called you to love your enemies.

My word cautions you not to grieve the Spirit. What do you think this means? The most obvious and customary answer is sin, but the Bible deals with sin at great length elsewhere, but what else could it be? Have you been in a meeting that was led by the Spirit? This is obvious to anyone with even a little discernment. Have you ever been in a meeting where the leading of the Spirit was rejected to follow an agenda or maintain control? This is even more obvious to those who have observed both. What could be more grievous to the Spirit than to deny this gentle leading?