Dale Cresap's blog

Daily Journaling Devotionals

Heavenly Gems in Daily Bites: CWG Ministries Life-Engaging Blogs

Dale Cresap is a Certified CWG Facilitator posting daily devotional blogs of two-way journaling. (What is two-way journaling?) Enjoy and be encouraged!

daily word - your part

Dale Cresap's picture

What are your distinctives in the faith? Even within a unified Body of Christ, different churches, and on a smaller scale, individuals, have unique gifts and talents that enable them to contribute to the functioning of the whole body. This is illustrated in the scriptures by reference to one body with many members, and each has its own contribution, and each one should be content with the mission given to it and not jealous of the other members. Then the body functions effectively as an integrated team, lacking nothing. Do you know what your distinctives are?

Add new comment

daily word - smart enough?

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you find that intelligence is highly rated and a measure of social standing in your culture? Rationalism has been the governing system for centuries and it is well established. But have you noticed that beyond a certain level that other factors have equal or greater effect? Do you think people are held back more by lack of cognitive ability, or by fear, insecurity, ideology, biased preconceptions, habits and addictions, and other hindrances to comprehending the truth? How many people are truly not smart enough to lead a good life if they are free of these other things?

Add new comment

daily word - resolutions?

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you find them hard to keep? Calendar dates are rather arbitrary in the continuous cycle of time. Yet have you had enduring changes in your life? What brought them about? Have you found that you are more likely to change if the decision is accompanied by an intense emotional experience or trauma? This may be something positive like transcendence or epiphany, but negative experiences of this type work equally well. Do you exert every effort to avoid such experiences? Perhaps this is working against your long-term growth.

Add new comment

daily word - validation

Dale Cresap's picture

Where do you get validation? Do you know anyone who doesn’t thrive on affirmation of their existence and humanity?  Do you know of anyone who gets as much as they want? Have you met people who get little or none, and try to generate it on their own? This is a sad thing to watch. Is this something you can do on your own at all? Doesn’t it require input from others to be valid validation? Where do you go if you don’t get enough? Those who are rejected by this world have a special incentive to seek the Kingdom of God, for they have no reward here.

Add new comment

daily word - growth takes time

Dale Cresap's picture

By observing nature do you see that growth is a process that takes time? This is a universal pattern. Is it an article of faith for you that salvation occurs in an instant? But these are different concepts. Have you noticed in yourself and others that spiritual growth takes time, just like every other form of growth? You can plant and water others and yourself, and you should strive for favorable conditions, but even under the best of circumstances time is still required. Be patient. This process takes a lifetime. Trust me to complete the good work I have begun in you.

Add new comment

daily word - know everything?

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you believe that you should follow your curiosity fearlessly, and that all knowledge is valuable? Is there anything you wouldn’t want to know? What about the details of your eventual death? I shared this information with Peter and he was not pleased. Would you want to know for yourself? Some things are too great a burden to bear. There are some things in the Kingdom that are mysteries to you, and for a good reason, and you should not be too curious about the inner workings of evil or the thought processes that justify it. I know all things and can bear the knowledge but you cannot.

Add new comment

daily word - what to seek

Dale Cresap's picture

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. This is clear direction for priorities in your life. You need other things as well, and I provide them. Will you have enough food and clothing and shelter if you make them a lower priority? You also have my promise that if you seek you will find, so you can expect to get that which is most important to you. You have my promise as well that I will send sun and rain on the just and on the unjust alike, so event the wicked get provision for their basic needs.

Add new comment

daily word - strong enough?

Dale Cresap's picture

Is your faith a strong enough container to hold your suffering? Everyone experiences some pain and sorrow in life. Some more than others, and some are better able to bear it than others. How much suffering can you endure without being ruined by it? Do you understand how your faith can make suffering bearable? A transcendent worldview gives you a large enough perspective to deal with it, even as Paul said the suffering in this world is not worthy to compare to the glory to come, and you have my comfort through it.

Add new comment

daily word - magic words?

Dale Cresap's picture

 Do you believe in magic words? Children are taught that ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are magic words. These are terms that facilitate social graces, and you notice and are disturbed by those who refuse to use them, so to say them frequently is a good habit. Are there ‘magic words’ in other areas, such as learning? How about, ‘I could be wrong about that’, and ‘tell me more’. Are you truly open to learning if you are not open to re-examine your current understanding of a subject? Are you defensive about your current positions?

Add new comment

daily word - flesh?

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you think that flesh is evil and that true spirituality requires distancing yourself from the flesh? That your body is just a vehicle for your spirit that you will gladly discard when you enter the higher realm? A more recent version of the same concept is that your body is just a vehicle for carrying around your brain. Both of these are wrong. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God, and you take this to mean pure Spirit. So when the time was right, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Pure Spirit was incarnated.

Add new comment

Pages

Results

Results 481 - 485 of 485

Pages

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Dale Cresap's blog