Dale Cresap's blog

Does your church take an offering or receive an offering? In semantics the difference between these is whether the initiative is on the part of the one giving or the one getting. It may be customary to refer to taking an offering, but it is, or should be, the case that any offerings are freely given. Perhaps you have had the experience of an appeal for an offering made with pressure or guilt or manipulation. In this case the terminology of taking an offering is indeed correct, but this is not my approach.

Do you give advice freely? Do you also receive vast amounts of unsolicited advice? Do you receive advice that seems self-serving on the part of those who give it, tailored to their tastes, interests, and preferences rather than yours? Perhaps they feel the same way about the advice you give them. Wouldn’t you rather hear my voice on your own behalf than make something up for yourself out of your own imagination?

Have you ever encountered something that was presented as being true, yet as you heard the whole story it was obvious that it was not? Did you find the false claims of validity annoying? It would have been better for the story to be presented with no claims, and left you free to decide for yourself. In the end this is what you will do anyhow. In my word I tell you not to swear at all as a means of enhancing your credibility, but to let your yes be yes and your no be no. It is evil to add more. Truth carries its own validity.

Do you look at your life and see a continuous stream of unlikely events that are favorable to you? If you do not see this then you are not paying attention for I am constantly at work on your behalf, intervening to bring about my will in your life and perfecting that which concerns you. If you are aware of this then do you expect it and feel guilty for doing so? You should not feel guilty, for to expect it is not the same as taking it for granted. Expecting it is an acknowledgment of my goodness and the consistency of my faithfulness.

Do you make decisions about actions based on the worst possible outcome? It is wise to be prudent about risks, but this is not a Biblical perspective leading to an abundant life. It is a recipe for indecisiveness and inaction, for you can always think of something terrible that could occur in response to something you do. Paralysis is a byproduct of fear, and the fearful will not inherit the Kingdom of God. You live in a reality in which I have promised to go before you to prepare the way, to lead you in it, and to protect you in it.

Have you ever believed something because you wanted it to be true? Yet these things are not always true. Have you heard others claim that I have spoken to them, but what they claimed to hear sounded self-serving? This can affect you as well. If you come to me with a predetermined answer you are not coming for my answer but want me to validate yours. You face the risk of convincing yourself that I have spoken when I have not. Yet I do speak to you and you have my promise that you will know my voice.

You know that words can be profound or mundane. Did you know that silence can also be profound?  Silence can be due to idleness or inattention, but have you ever heard concise words of brilliance that put an end to a foolish argument? The silence that follows is profound because no one dares to break it. There were times when no one dared to ask me any more questions, and my Book of Revelations records a profound silence in heaven. Have you ever experienced such a profound silence? You don’t get many opportunities in your noisy chatty world.

Some people missed my first coming even though it happened right in front of them because they had preconceived ideas about what to expect and I did not fit their template. You understand this as a historical fact. You know that I am coming again. Do you have any preconceived ideas about the timing and manner of my return? Don’t make the same mistake of so many in my earlier generation. When I walked among them I repeatedly emphasized the importance of watching for my return. Do you assume that my return will be so dramatic that it is impossible to miss?

How much confidence do you have in hearing my voice? Are you familiar with the passage in which I declare that I am the good shepherd? Do you remember that it says my sheep hear my voice? Yet a careful reading reveals that it also says my sheep know my voice. I speak to one and all. How many recognize that I am speaking to them? Yet my sheep have this promise. You are in need of daily guidance, and you hear a multitude of voices. How can you discern the voice of the good shepherd to follow and the distractions to ignore? I don’t want you to be confused or doubtful about this.

Do you work because you want to or because you have to? Most people have a component of economic necessity to their occupation. Those who do not are said to be independently wealthy. Yet the choice is not limited to one or the other. It can be both. Blessed are those who enjoy their work whether they feel they have a choice or not. You are bought with a price and you are not your own because you are my servant. Servants are not able to choose their assignments, but a wise and loving master will assign tasks suitable for the temperament and talents of the servant.