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daily word - rejoice!

Dale Cresap's picture

Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 09, 2021 - 06:00

What do you see in the world? Woe and sorrow and affliction and injustice? You don’t have to look very hard to find these things. What is your response to them? Are you filled with woe and sorrow out of sympathy for those afflicted? But you are called to be joyful. How can these seemingly contradictory things be reconciled? You are not called to be joyful because of your brother’s affliction but in spite of it. Your misery would not assist him. Who normally performs a rescue of one in distress? Is it someone who is also in distress or not?

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daily word - not your own

Dale Cresap's picture

Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 08, 2021 - 06:00

Have you heard of people whose life is not their own? This is the price of fame, and celebrities and holders of high political office lead managed lives under public scrutiny. This description may not apply to you, but be careful what you wish for, because the cost is real. Yet perhaps this applies to you more than you think. Have I not described you as being bought with a price? Therefore your life is not your own either. In the case above this is the price of being involved in something larger than yourself.

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daily word - love dimensions

Dale Cresap's picture

Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 07, 2021 - 06:00

Is your faith entirely intellectual? My commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Including the mind in this list clearly states that there is an intellectual dimension to your faith. But is there more to it than reading and listening and thinking? The other terms in the list imply that there is, that your love for me can involve every aspect of your being. What can you do that would demonstrate your love for me with your strength? Is loving me with your heart more than an intangible feeling?

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daily word - iron will?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 06, 2021 - 06:00

Have you heard of people described as having an iron will? Are you one of these? Is this a trait that you find admirable? Those who do would say that this is resolute and steadfast. Those who do not would refer to it as stubborn and pig-headed. Whether this is admirable or not depends on what you are committed to. If your interests are selfish or evil then your resolve works against the greater good.

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daily word - vulnerable?

Dale Cresap's picture

Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 05, 2021 - 06:00

Do you view vulnerability as weakness? But vulnerability is a prerequisite for growth and creativity. It is exposure to risk, but some risks must be taken to move ahead. Can you be known if you don’t express who you are in a real undefended way? Yet you cannot be vulnerable with everyone, for some will mistake your openness for weakness and attack. Beware of those who will respond with judgment, condemnation, exploitation, and abuse. Think of this as an opportunity to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.

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daily word - encounter?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 04, 2021 - 06:00

How did you acquire your faith? Was it by the instruction of family, community, and culture, or was it by encounter with me? Children are receptive  to beliefs and adopt them readily. Adults are not as easily persuaded, but are still subject to the influence of those they associate with. Once established, beliefs tend to endure, so adults will continue in the faith they learned as a child unless they revisit the issue, and most do not. But isn’t the premise of your faith that you can have a direct relationship with me?

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daily word - doctrine or action?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 03, 2021 - 06:00

Is it reasonable to expect your faith to make you a better person? By what measure? Within churches proper belief and adherence to doctrinal positions is highly rated, but this carries no weight outside of the church. Kindness, generosity, love and other virtues are admired without, and hopefully within too. Do not let your regard for doctrinal purity confuse you about which is more important. Consider my own life and teachings. What common theme do you observe about the Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, and the two sons asked to work in the vineyard?

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daily word - hospital or school?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 02, 2021 - 06:00

Have you heard of the church referred to as a hospital? There are valid aspects to this comparison, for it is the sick rather than those who are whole who need a physician. Yet no one lives in a hospital, and those who go there aim to make their stay as short as possible. Is this true of a church? Perhaps you could also think of the church as a school. Students expect to attend routinely and for the long term. Good students know their education continues even after they graduate. Do you come to church with the same expectation of studying and learning that you did in school?

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daily word - shoot yourself?

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Submitted by Dale Cresap on May 01, 2021 - 06:00

Marksmen intend to hit their targets and take pride in doing so. You don’t have to be a marksman to realize that shooting yourself when you meant to hit your target is an extreme failure, but have you ever done this? People heap contempt, scorn, ridicule, and derision on others in attacks upon them, but this says nothing at all about the target person. It says very much about the person pressing the attack. Contempt is not an appropriate action toward anyone for those who are called to love not only their neighbors, but even their enemies.

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daily word - grades?

Dale Cresap's picture

Submitted by Dale Cresap on April 30, 2021 - 06:00

Were you graded on your schoolwork? Was this your primary motivation, or were you more interested in mastery of the subject matter? Did you see some students who were naturally bright and to whom learning came easily, who got good grades and seemed indifferent to the material they were learning? Were there others who struggled yet were determined to know the subject? Academic credit is a construct of this world, not the one above. Do you delight in learning? Delight also in putting your knowledge into practice, for learning information makes you responsible for it.

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