Meditation: October 23

“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (34) Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God….” 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

The company of the deceived is hard to penetrate. There is strength in numbers among them. Even God had to come down and confound the language of those who would have built a tower that would reach the heavens. They would have made a name for themselves and stood in competition with God Himself. The company that is evil influences the behavior of those who gather together. Only the pursuit for righteousness will awaken them from the daze and cause them to be aware of what has taken control of their lives.

The wisdom of God shouts in order to draw their attention away from the path that leads to destruction and death. The warnings are for their good. But the loss of familiar companions often arrests their reasoning and they continue on the track leading to hell. Be not deceived. There is a way that leads to death, but God wills us to learn and live.

Meditation: August 9

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Life takes on a new meaning once Christ has come into the heart of the believer. He does not merely exist among the other things once deemed important, but rather sets the priorities for ones existence. Any other place given to Him constitutes a warms feeling in His regards, but not the quality of life He promises and died to give. This was the revelation given to Paul, the Apostle by the Holy Spirit. “For me, the meaning of life has shifted. For me, it’s no longer a matter of consulting with God as to whether it is permissible for me or not to have my own way. For me, to live is for Christ to fully live His life through me.”

This ought to be the earnest desire of each and every Christian. This is a life of discovery whereas one is freed from pretense or attempting to force himself to do what he thinks that Jesus would do. But rather discovering in his own flesh the life and works of Jesus personally.

“To die is gain.” Death died on the Cross when Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave. The victory of resurrection life becomes our victory as we identify with His death. The more one dies to self, he provides the opportunity for Spirit Life rise within Him. It eradicates the fear of physical death because the assurance of God’s promise become ever present; “To live is Christ, and to die is gain for me.”

Meditation: July 26

“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

Once Jesus Christ is revealed to you, it is then necessary to measure all information by and through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Former experiences and former schools of thought may try to compete with this new gained knowledge. The logical mind searches through former experiences seeking out ways to deny Christ or to diminish the impact of experiencing Him. Then Christ becomes subjective while other things become the object of our faith. The intent is to get us to serve God for what we may gain personally rather than living for Him. To know Him as crucified is to live for Him alone. He gives us His resurrected live and we live in newness of life. No longer are we competing for the same prizes that the world is seeking after. Our goal is to know Him even as we are known. It takes determination for the message of Christ to remain relevant in an age of selfishness and self-centeredness. But when we are determined to know Him, He gives us the knowledge necessary to live the abundant life. It is a fulfilling life with purpose.

July 2014 Article: “If the Truth Be Made Known”

“If you hear My voice and abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will give you freedom.” (The Voice)

The liberating power of truth exposes the false pretenses under which many people live their lives. They don’t know it, but the systems that people have relied upon are doomed to fail. These systems are constantly being modified to accommodate the latest craze, while in the process, pushing the truth further into a corner. Their problem is, however, that truth will not quietly retreat and allow them to have their own way. It cries out in protest against humanity’s self-government of independence from its Creator. Today’s battle is against the constraints that restrain the vices with tentacles that extend further than what the uninformed can rationalize. Who would consider that today’s idea of freedoms will result in tomorrow consequences of bondage?

In an isolated room of free expression, the heart translates every experience into law. Likewise, those who have been victimized have now taken their pain and institutionalized it. Truth is silenced by the noise of entertainment where subsequently, the mind is in a receptive mode rather than an active mode of discernment. Truth to them becomes relative, but if the truth be told, it is relative to their personal pain. Although they are in need of healing in order to see things differently, who is there to tell them that they are seeing wrong? Popular opinions outweigh the soundness of the tried and tested and as a result, history must repeat itself as this generation engages in an experiment with life as if no other generation has ever existed. As George Santayana famously said, “if we do not learn from history, we will be doomed to repeat it.” Truth is based upon historical facts and not merely scientific experiments. Yet true science reinforces what has been already proven to be true. If the objective is to gather information against the truth in order not to believe, then the theories developed by those who engage become more foolish in the end than before they began.

This is the ploy of the Adversary with his resounding question to each generation: “Hath not God said…?” His attempts to make God appear as a liar as he opens the door to ideas that seem rational are palatable to the dulled senses. Deception always hides behind a camouflage, often majoring in appearances by minimizing the truth. The challenge facing our culture today is if absolute truth is spoken, we are forced to reckon with an absolute Source of truth. If there is an absolute Source of truth, then we end up at the point of our departure, back to God alone. If God is God, then we must rely upon Him and surrender to His will if life is to ever work as He intended. But the experiment provided for this generation is the theory that God does not exist, and if He existed, His only requirement for us is to express love as we interpret love to be. The endless cycle continues to weave a web of deception, holding captive all whosin reject the truth.

Even when the theological argument regarding the existence of God is won by those who have made the point that God and religion are necessary, life still goes on without experiencing freedom. For even the devil believes and trembles…True freedom can only be experienced as result of surrendering to His will. Then, and only then, will every tentacle that attaches one to bondage will be broken. Life can be expressed without the constraints of the past transgressions that might have been translated into law. Thankfully, the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has now set you free from the law of sin and death. He that the Son sets free is free indeed!

Cross Culture Church