Dale Cresap's blog

I declared that all men would know that you were my disciples by the way you loved one another. This leaves open the question of who is ‘one another’. Do you read this and assume that it refers to love between fellow believers? But a similar question was posed to me about who is my neighbor? My response indicated that you should be more rather than less inclusive regarding the type of people you should help. In like manner I suggested that there would be no reward in heaven for helping those who could help you in return. Don’t sinners help those within their own group?

By what name do you address me? My followers refer to me by more than one name, and each one thinks that theirs is correct, but I answer to more than one name. There are many names for me in scripture. Some of these names, such as providence, imply a distant and impersonal force. Such names have an element of transcendence, but they lack imminence. My followers were shocked when I told them it was acceptable to address deity as ‘Abba’, but I wanted to drive home the point that imminence was as important as transcendence. Does your name for me include both concepts?

I told you to love one another, and you understand correctly that love is the central feature of your faith. What do you think love consists of? Do you see it as warm fuzzy feelings of affection and goodwill? But my word tells you that if you tell your hungry brother to be filled and blessed, how does that help him if you don’t do something about it? And so you are instructed to love not in word only, but also in deed. If words are an inadequate expression of love, then how much less mere thoughts? So love is not demonstrated in your thoughts, but in how you spend your time.

Is there an author or teacher that you particularly admire? Do you accept everything they say? If you encounter a statement by anyone that you strongly disagree with, are you prone to reject everything they say? These positions attach too much importance to the individual. They are based on the standard of infallibility which is too high a standard to expect of anyone and following it will cause you to reject things that would benefit you. The standard that I have given you is to prove all things and hold fast that which is good.

Have you ever had anyone else make you feel small? People can act in a way to inflate themselves at the expense of others, and you know how this feels if you have been on the receiving end. Are there any other experiences that make you feel small? What about going to the mountains or canyons or coastline? The vastness of my creation can give you a true perspective and make you feel small, but here it is affirmation rather than rejection. The Psalmist looked to the hills and knew his help came from me.

Do flowers seem like the most delicate and beautiful of structures? You have seen how the blooms unfold when conditions are right. I want to see truth unfold in you the same way. I am meek and lowly of heart. I would not impose truth upon you by force because I want you to embrace it rather than resist it. The more eager you are for truth to unfold in you the sooner it will happen, and this is beneficial for you, but I am patient if that is required. The blossom of a flower is a necessary step in the process of bearing fruit.

In the beginning I said that I created them male and female. Do you think there is anything left that is characteristically masculine or feminine? In your culture of equality everyone can do everything and this tends to erase gender differences. Yet people still live their lives in acknowledgment of these real differences even if it is not politically correct to speak them aloud. A weaker vessel is not an inferior vessel. This area provides rich and vivid illustrations of me and my church, but most believers are too easily threatened and heavily defended to learn from it.

What type of people do you prefer to keep company with? If you are a believer, then you probably enjoy the company of fellow believers and call this fellowship. Yet you also prefer the company of people who are kind rather than those who are mean. If your fellow believers are kind then this is an easy choice, but not all believers are. I am willing to take everyone, and you know those who call upon my name in whom my work is not complete. Does this put you in a dilemma? Do you prefer the company of believers who are mean or unbelievers who are not? Who prefers your company?

Who are the best Christians you know? Perhaps I should rephrase the question. Who are the best people you know? For most people someone comes to mind. What criteria do you use to select one instead of another? Did you pick the one who was the most knowledgeable about scripture, or the one most fervent in belief? Or did you pick the one who had the most loving demeanor and generosity of spirit? If you have trouble deciding revisit my stories about the sheep and the goats and the Good Samaritan. It is normal for you to admire such people and want to be like them.

Have you ever made a deal with me? Have you promised that if I answered your prayer and did something of great importance for you that you would make a certain sacrifice in return? How did that work out for you? Whether you liked the way it turned out or not, was it you or me who proposed the terms of the deal? I will meet you are the level of your faith, and you have my promise that I will answer your prayers. Perhaps the thing that you offered in exchange was a good and beneficial thing. But I don’t want you to be confused about the nature of our relationship.