Dale Cresap's blog

My word teaches you to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Does this go against everything you observe by life experience? In another place it says that God alone is good. Does this concept seem to be confirmed and reinforced by your life experience? Can you reconcile these things? I don’t expect you to. Yet you can follow me in spite of your imperfections. You can rejoice with me and be at peace with me even though you are not perfect. Don’t let your imperfections serve as an excuse not to follow me, and don’t use imperfections as a basis for condemning others or yourself.

What does an abundant life mean for you? Being busy? But you can be busy and still lead a life that is too small for you. Martha was careful and troubled about many things, but Mary was finding a more abundant life. Abundance is more than stuff and filling up the hours of the day. It is more about your openness, the way you see yourself and the world around you, and how you connect and relate. In this way abundance is as available to the poor as it is to the wealthy. It is always possible to be more accepting and inclusive, and less narrow and judgmental. Ask of me for this type of abundance.

Do you want to be closer to me? How do you go about this? Do you find that the trials and afflictions you suffer cause you to draw closer to me? But you do not welcome these experiences. I do not expect you to seek them out, but to what lengths are you willing to go to avoid them? You can live your life in fear and draw back from any risk of suffering, but this will result in a diminished life, and the risks and suffering are inherent in life and will find you anyhow. I told my followers not to fear the things they would suffer. Can you overcome your fears and press forward anyhow? Then you will have an abundant life in spite of your suffering.

In some cultures and places there is a rigid class system. Other places claim to be free of this, but you can still see it in place even in if it is informal. Education has long been understood as a means of advancement. Do you see this in effect around you, that people with more education have more status than those with less? You can always improve your level of education, but there is another way to do this. I did not pick my disciples from among the elite, and did not spend many years with them, but after I was gone the world and particularly those with the advantages took note of them and marveled because they were unlearned men. Being with me made the difference for them, and will for you too.

I declared that I came to give my followers an abundant life. What do you think this abundance consists of? Money? I will give you enough for an abundant life, but there is more to abundance than that. I also promised that those who had left houses and lands and family for my sake would have these things many times over in this world, and in the world to come eternal life. By the way, persecutions are part of the deal. I want you to think of abundance more as opportunities and connections and experiences and achievements than as stuff. How much discernment does it take to see that this is better?

Have you ever felt an exuberance of joy that prompted you to offer vocal praise to me? When I entered Jerusalem, the crowd paid tribute aloud. When the religious leaders rebuked them I told them that if the crowd was silent, the rocks would cry out. The crowd continued to celebrate, so this premise was not put to the test. Do you find this hard to imagine? Do you suppose the same principle is still in effect? Wouldn’t you be embarrassed if you held your peace and a rock had to step up to take your place? Welcome the opportunities to be moved to exuberant praise, and don’t let a rock take your place.

Have you ever had to answer the call of nature? This phrase is a euphemism for bodily functions that you have to do on a regular basis. Yet could it have another valid meaning more in line with what the terms suggest? Do you spend most of your time in buildings, in vehicles, and on roads that are man-made? I would not deny you the use of these conveniences, but does it leave you with a hunger to be restored in the natural world of direct creation? You may think of this as the call of nature as real as your bodily functions. Go outdoors and see and partake of what I have done and I will meet you there.

Do you think I care whether you are happy or not? You see an abundance of martial metaphors in the Bible, and you are part of an army. Every field commander knows the importance of morale for his troops. They are more effective when spirits are high. If this can be understood by mortal commanders of temporal armies, then how much more for the Lord of Hosts? I call you not only to be a good soldier for me, but also to rejoice. These are not incompatible, or even unrelated. They go hand in hand. So I do care if you are happy or not, and for reasons that go beyond just winning battles.

The Bible says that not many wise and not many noble are called. Have you noticed that this is true of the authors of the Bible? Luke and Paul were well educated by the standards of their day. Most of the others were ordinary people who had god encounters. Paul had both, so he was in a position to compare the two. How does he regard his academic credentials after his encounter with God? After giving an impressive list he counts them all as ‘fecal material’. This is strong language and should not be considered an argument against education, but rather an endorsement of God encounters.

I said that harlots, drunkards, and tax collectors would enter the Kingdom of God ahead of the priests and religious elders. Do you consider this shocking? The original audience did, and you should too. Which party do you identify with? What categories would be the modern equivalents? Would the people in the AA meeting in the church basement get into the Kingdom ahead of the people in sanctuary on Sunday morning? I invite you into my Kingdom, and then I warn you about the perils of belonging to the religious establishment. I want you to respond to the invitation, and take the warnings seriously.