daily word - secure?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 29, 2019 - 01:37

Are you a secure person? You can tell by watching people who are insecure. Security is an essential human need, and those who do not have it will do anything to get it, typically by using any means available to establish an identity. The results aren’t pretty, and the process comes at the expense of the dignity and well-being of others. Do you know that you don’t have to do this? That the security you need is inherent and available without effort? I hold you in the palm of my hand and the identity I establish for you is better than any you could acquire on your own. If you know this you don’t have to fight for it.

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daily word - news?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 29, 2019 - 01:37

Do you follow the news? Do you view the Bible as old news? It is valuable to be informed of current events. But do you understand the difference between the news and timeless truth? The news is what is true today, but timeless truth is true forever. Things that speak to enduring truth may come from the most ancient texts, but by their very nature they speak to things that do not change. No matter how current your news is, it is limited to things that have already happened. But timeless truth is just as applicable to things that have yet to happen. Keep that in mind when you watch the news.

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Daily Word - Blind?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 28, 2019 - 15:10

Do you have issues? Do you know anyone who doesn’t? Are you as aware of yours as you are of those of others, or as they are of yours? At one point the Pharisees asked me if they were blind also. Does this strike you as an odd question? Yet was my answer any less strange? I said that if they were blind they would not be guilty of wrongdoing, but since they claimed to see their guilt remained. Does this imply that claims of spiritual authority affect the standard by which you are judged? Have you seen spiritual arrogance in those who are sure they are right? Hold your truth with humility.

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daily word - church gifts?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 27, 2019 - 12:51

Do you appreciate the gifts you get? Do you appreciate the gifts that other people get? There is a built in bias to think that you are right, and your abilities and strengths are the best, and your way of doing things is right. Do you extend this to your church? But this is subjective rather than objective reality. I gave gifts to everyone and every church severally according to my will. They are different for a reason. What should be your response? People who know better than to claim that they are the best as individuals will not hesitate to make this claim on behalf of their church. This leads to competition and opposition. Can you find ways to affirm and appreciate the positive qualities of churches you do not belong to so the members of my body may work together in harmony?

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daily word - religious correctness?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 26, 2019 - 09:57

Are you politically correct? Most believers do not consider themselves bound by these novel social conventions and some react strongly against them. The term implies a rigid mindset and opposition to individualism. Are you religiously correct? This may be a new phrase for you but it should not be a new concept. The same idea was previously known as legalism. Those who are religiously correct pride themselves on holding a narrow set of beliefs and following a narrow set of rules that their group defines, maintains, and enforces. This creates a strong division of judgment and exclusion that I did not intend. If you can see the problems with being politically correct then you should be able to see the problems with being religiously correct. Would you have considered me to be religiously correct in my own generation?

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daily word - follow who?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 25, 2019 - 16:07

Do you try to reproduce your image in others? Most people would claim they do not even if their behavior would indicate that they do. Who do you know that doesn’t express support for their own opinions, who doesn’t try to persuade others to agree with them, who doesn’t show favor to those who respond? Paul asked others to follow him, but only as far as he followed me. I invited those who responded to my message to follow me. Does this sound too simple? Yet it was me I wanted them to follow, not you. Do you see yourself as a friend of the bridegroom? Can you decrease that I may increase? Can you let your light shine so that men may see your good works and glorify me?

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daily word - talk and listen

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 24, 2019 - 09:42

Have you ever heard anyone say, that when they talk people listen? Does this sound arrogant to you, that someone would assume that an audience would gather whenever they had something to say? Then would you expect to find humility in reversing the statement? When you listen do people talk? Sensible people will not speak until they have an audience and feel safe, particularly if they have something sensitive to share. Are you eager to hear people’s stories? Do you make them feel safe to confide in you? Don’t worry about being neglected or overlooked yourself. There is a crying need for those who will do this and they will come to you.

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daily word - be free

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 23, 2019 - 10:43

Did you struggle under an oppressive past? Have you now broken free of it? Are you really free of it? Some people who have been liberated from the yoke of bondage spend the rest of their lives living in opposition to it. So it becomes just as strong an influence in reaction as it was in oppression and still dominates them. Have you seen this effect in people who can’t move forward even though the oppressive forces are released? I have released you from your past and make all things new. Don’t resent your past for it got you where you are today. The more you are able to recognize that what others meant for evil (or even for good) that I can use for good, the more you will benefit from it.

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daily word - suffering street cred

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 22, 2019 - 09:44

Do you see any benefit from suffering? The Bible speaks about suffering in connection to faith at great length, but it is still the experience that most Christians would do anything to avoid. Do you see any positive outcomes from it? For one thing, it establishes authority in a way that classroom credentials cannot match. Consider Paul who had the advantage of an advanced academic background and said he counted it all as dung. Yet when he had to silence his detractors he said, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ. In other words, you can shut up because I’ve paid my dues and have the scars to prove it.

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daily word - extended forgiveness

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 21, 2019 - 15:11

If your brother has a claim of justice against you, go to your brother and be reconciled to him before you bring your gift to the altar of the Lord. This emphasizes that reconciliation has priority even over ‘spiritual’ tasks, because reconciliation is a spiritual task. What if you have a claim of justice against your brother and he will not come to you and repent? Can forgiveness be extended only if it is sought by the offending party? You can extend forgiveness to your brother even if he does not seek it. This does not bring about reconciliation, but it does release you from the burden of bitterness that comes from unforgiveness.

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