Meditation: December 30

“You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.” Leviticus 26:10

Eating the old harvest is not a call to gluttony, but rather a challenge to release and dispense all that should be used. It is when we hoard what ought to be distributed that disqualifies one from full participation with God. His intention is to use each of His servants as conduit to reach others with what flows through us. As we enter into this New Year with and open heart and a clear conscience, room is available in us for an abundance of blessings from God to reach us. Yesterdays promises made and commitments are the opportunities to prove ones integrity when we rest at the end of the day with completed tasks. A fresh vision is given to visionaries who provide the impetus to see the old ones come to pass. The Spirit of God will grace the soul who is led to believe His Word and act accordingly. God wills to do a new thing among us. The New is before us, while the old is awaiting our consumption in order to make room.

Meditation: December 29

My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.” Psalm 49:3

When truth is established within the heart, the mouth will speak wisdom. The truth spoken will come from the overflow as the Holy Spirit guides the heart in the direction of Christ. As we see Him as He is, we will be enabled to speak not carelessly and without merit, but the words of our mouths will be His Word in us flowing through us. His Word is life-changing and compelling. We are changed and enabled to advance beyond the level of merely chasing after a dream or even out of our emptiness, using the pain of separation as a means of creative expression. We are complete in Him and can find rest in Him. Our pursuit will only be, as Paul the Apostle stated; “that we may apprehend that for which we were apprehended.” We are compelled by love to do His will for the advancement of His Kingdom. Our Words are carefully chosen because we are being led by the Holy Spirit to only speak what He is saying and to participate fully in what the Father is doing. From the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak.

Meditation: November 23

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, (12) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Titus 2:11-12

God has dispensed from Heaven an abundance of His grace. Where sin and spiritual blindness abounded, only what one had grown accustomed to was known. Grace came to teach us that our old nature must be denied. How could one ever be freed from what he once defended because it defined him? It is the grace that has appeared in order to show us that a new life was possible. When it came on the scene, it opened our eyes to know that heaven’s order should become earth’s greatest dream. The slave can at least see freedom in order for freedom to be desired. That desire for something beyond our current patterns of living is responded to and then we are empowered to aim higher above level of ungodly and worldly lusts. Each day we will embrace all the more God’s standard of righteousness thus rising above our own. It is because of the grace that has appeared that produces the salvation that we so desperately need.

Meditation: November 16

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! Romans 11:33

There is an unfathomable degree of both wisdom and knowledge made available to any who would be willing to seek after it. Paul on other occasions spoke of height, depth, width, and breadth, indicating that there are degrees awaiting exploration by those who would remain discontent at any level. His love is the basis for all that He knows and provides. Simply speaking, Jesus Christ has an abundance of ways to express His love towards us. He clears the path of sin thus revealing His true nature by judging it. He allows the disobedient and misguided to mercifully remain for a while even though their works are counterproductive. His patience is expressed over and over again towards the worst of us. His exceeding goodness and glory extends beyond the limits of the best of us. We cannot explore all there is to understand in millions of lifetimes. Therefore throughout all eternity God will be revealing to us His wisdom and knowledge that we may know what is seen today through tinted mirrors. When He appears, we shall see Him as He is and know dimensions of His wisdom applied to situations that we may have thought were unfair. Yet even today we have the opportunity to consider Him as our Sovereign and submit to His ways.

Meditation: May 29

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6-7

Words give expression to the disposition of the heart. Eventually, not always immediately, the mouth will be engaged in speaking the truest feelings that reside deep within the soul. It is never a matter of merely guarding your words in order to sound off appropriate expressions. The issue must be addressed at its root. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. When the heart is rightly governed, the tongue is sure to follow. But what comes out of a man defiles him for when he speaks he spreads the contagion to others. You are responsible for how you influence the people with whom you come in contact. Not just your body, but the whole body is defiled and set to follow the course of nature. It is what you have heard in the past that has influenced your future. Sweet water must flow from a pure fountain for no bitter water is contained there. God gave you a new heart in order for His Word to be given expression through a new creature. Now guard your heart so that the old references are no longer your conversation.

Meditation: May 17

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord extends to each individual the opportunity to be saved. It is the road that leads to life. The destination may not be clearly defined or easily understood, but the path to the destination is introduced to each one. It may be a subtle approach from a stranger, or an eye awakening experience. Each situation, when viewed from eternity’s perspective, was the extended hand of God releasing mercy. The objective is to provide an abundance of opportunities for the wayward to be drawn to Him. His desire is that none should perish. Those who perish are usually stubbornly justifying their rebellious ways and never seeing the need for a Savior. Oh, the wonders of His grace! When we understand the need for both mercy and grace, we will view our self-righteousness as sin, our abilities to love as hatred, and every effort on our part to boast as shame. What preserves us from destruction is the awareness of our absolute need for Him in all things. This is repentance when we turn away from our own ways and wholly turn towards Jesus Christ. Those who perish are those who neglect so great a salvation. It is not His passion that any perish. It is His will that all be saved.

Meditation: March 17

“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.” Psalm 65:11

Whatever happens and however it may happen, God ends with the placement of His crown of goodness. That is why He is called good even when things happen that are difficult to explain. When there are valleys there also must be mountains. The deeper the valley indicates the higher the mountain must be. Valley experiences are not always fatal. They can be but not necessarily must be fatal. His path is frightening to the fainthearted. Every wall in the valley contains a message that you have reached the point of no return. But as long as you are aware that He is leading you, you can trust Him throughout the journey. A crown awaits you at the end of the season of testing. Not only is there a crown, but there are rich blessings to be gathered along the way.

Meditation: January 24

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” Proverb 10:22

There is the accumulation of wealth among the rich which brings sorrow and a wealth that endures to eternal life. When money becomes the god that replaces the true and living God, it then competes with what He wills to do in his life. That person, under the control of Mammon, will never know the richness that comes through full surrender to God’s will. The greatest blessing is the passion to love Him with one’s whole heart, soul, mind, and strength; then His joy becomes our own joy. When we are there, all that comes our way is managed and not owned. If we have an abundance of things, we find pleasure in having more options to use them in blessing the Lord. Money does not make the person; it merely gives him more options to express what he already has become. We should not allow anything to stand between us and the Lord, but at all times exercise diligence in pleasing Him. He gives us both the ability to accumulate wealth and the joy of the harvest.

January 2018 Article: The Year of “Cross Culture”

Three years ago, we changed our church’s name from Abundant Life Church to Cross Culture Church. Not that we do not believe in the abundant life, nor is it a matter of changing our assignment. There are times in life when the vision given by God is to be reinforced so that our understanding can be extended. When most think of abundance, their thinking is usually directed towards personal abundance alone. There is a sign in the center of our sanctuary with one word; “OTHERS.” It was placed there so that all who worship among us would focus their attention beyond themselves. We wish all to know that we are blessed in order to be a blessing. Not only that, but to know that our greatest blessing is being a blessing. When we are able to bless others, it is because we are graced by God for Him to serve others through us. “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28) Serving others is giving your life through extending your redeemed soul to others. When your life becomes conduit in the Hands of God, He reaches others through you who otherwise would have remained unreached!

The ransom of Christ’s life was to redeem us or to purchase our redemption. We were sold into slavery and under the dominance of the devil. Jesus had to stoop lower than the slave in order to rescue him from his dire condition of slavery. He became a man to identify with our humanity. Then He became sin for us in order to fully identify with our fallen condition. The ransom of His life was to free us from being a slave to sin. This was and currently is His service to all humanity. He served us by dying for us on the Cross. We have received His life in abundance when we are enabled to serve others without expecting anything in return. It is His gift in us that qualifies us to serve and motivates us to keep on serving. If Jesus could wash the feet of His disciples, we ought to wash each other’s feet. The symbolism of washing feet has to do with becoming the lowest level of servanthood.

This position goes crosswise to today’s culture. Capitalism alone suggests that we work hard at getting others to serve us. If any product is presented, or acts of service given, one must first look at personal profit as the bottom line. Churches erected in order to present a good showing of success and impressing others that their existence is relevant. People who parade their gifts and benevolence for awards and the applause of men. But the Culture of the Cross is to silently bless others even when your gift to them goes unrecognized. Jesus silently suffered in midst of the mocking and the jeering of the crowd. Paul admonished us to allow the mind of Christ to be in us, or to be given full expression through us. We are committed to publishing His message of humility through this, our ministry.

This year we will be emphasizing the work of the cross in the life of each individual. The Culture of Christ comprising of a culture that will confront through doing good what has been popularized over the years thus contributing to our nation’s demise. While there is concern regarding the value of the life of people-groups, the violent nature of mankind against others who do not look or think the same; decisions made to accept what ought to be rejected and rejecting what ought to be accepted, the need for cultural transformation is ever present. It must first begin among the people who are called by His Name if it is to ever reach the larger populace. We are committed to this and willing to invest our whole lives to this noble cause. There will be many who will count our ministry as being irrelevant and out of touch with reality. But we believe this to be the year where we will experience this as a vision whose time has come!

Meditation: October 24

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11

When there is a convergence of our state and our contentment, evidence of spiritual maturity is made manifest. There is a steadiness in the life of the individual that lives on that level of confidence knowing that God is not limited to circumstances. The contentment that Paul speaks of is not inactive contentment. He participates with God in what He is doing. If something is lacking, he is confident that God will provide. If he has an abundance, he know that God as provided. The credit is given to God for blessings received and his dependency on God alone to meet his need settles him down and frees him from anxieties. Yet no condition can hinder God from doing through him what has been assigned. His earlier years were more than likely more frantic. He had to learn how to yield to the Holy Spirit in all things. The rush of life accomplished very little and oftentimes would make matters worse. He learned to wait on the Lord and to be patient. The virtue of faith and patience produced a living hope that God is able to supply his every need according to His riches in glory. Our needs are no different. He must reveal both our deepest need and His supply. He will grant us what we need if we are aware of our most pressing need to know Him. Then we can be content with godliness.