Dale Cresap's blog

Do pain and suffering put you in a bad mood? It is not fair to other people to transfer your trials and afflictions to them. This is a natural reaction, but I have called you to a higher response. It is normal to love your friends and hate your enemies, and even the heathen are kind to those who are kind to them.

Have you ever heard of a court case in which someone who is known to be guilty is acquitted because the evidence against them was inadmissible? Does this seem like a miscarriage of justice to you? Do you find it comforting or disturbing to know that in the final judgment that everything is recorded and everything is admissible?

When you are in a time of trial and difficulty, do you ever wonder if I am the source of these things? This question has plagued theologians for centuries and they have not resolved it. It is an unhelpful question much as the Pharisees in my own time asked if the man being born blind was the result of his sin or his parents sin. You will not find the truth by asking the wrong questions. Difficulties come to everyone as part of the human condition. Since no one is exempt, you should seek to benefit from yours rather than becoming bitter or resentful.

Owe no man anything have you heard this verse used as a basis for teaching Christians to get out of debt? That is a good thing to do, but the real meaning of the verse is that you should love one another. Do you owe a debt of love? You are able to love because I first loved you. While you were yet a sinner I reached out to you and laid down my life for you. Does it trouble you to think that you have acquired a debt of love that you can never repay? There is no reason at all to think of a life of love in a negative sense. I did it for the joy set before me.

Have you ever been caught in the middle of a dispute between other people? Does this make you feel uncomfortable and awkward, a situation you are eager to avoid and glad to escape from? Do you think you have enough trouble with disputes that you are a party to without getting involved in others? Yet it is as a disinterested party that you are in a position to minister. You can encourage both sides to do what is right to resolve it, and be objective where those who are involved cannot. I said that the peacemakers were blessed and that they were my children.

Do you rejoice to see me working in your life, refining your character and preparing you for the path of service I have set before you, and then opening doors for you to walk through? Are those closest to you the least prepared to accept what I am doing in your life? Do not be discouraged for you are in good company. I faced this same problem myself. A prophet is not without honor, except among his own people. You may gain greater acceptance the further away you go. My faithful have been sojourners, and this is an enduring principle.

In most countries you can be a good citizen by understanding and following the principles on which the country is based. Most countries do not require loyalty to a particular individual. Those who do are called personality cults. In other countries you can be a member of the loyal opposition. There are not many kingdoms left in the world, and this makes it difficult to understand the parallels to the Kingdom of God.

Is it more important to you to be respected or loved? You know that I am no respecter of persons. Do you view this precept in a negative sense? You may hunger for respect, but your need for love is real and much deeper. And though I respect no mans person, I am the perfect expression of love for every person. It is pride that hungers for respect. Love is not self-seeking or self-serving, and is not demanding of recognition. You need my love, and if you respond to it you will be transformed into my likeness. Then you will be less concerned about receiving respect and more able to love.