Cultivate Connection - Christ Centred Meditation

An artist is just finishing. Dipping their brush one last time to sign their work, they set the brush down. Stepping back they admire their masterpiece from a distance. They've put their heart and soul into this work. Anyone with an astute eye can see the artist themselves represented within this creation. And so it is with God. He completed His masterpiece. In one last act He breathed into it and it came alive. Anyone with an astute eye can see the artist Himself represented within this creation. All His joy, all His love, all His passion, all His creativity is within YOU. This weeks mediation is taken from Psalm 16:1-2 (The Passion Translation)

The Son of almighty God is interceding on your behalf. The One who knows the number of hairs on your head. The One who saves every tear you've shed. What does that mean to you? God created it all; nothing lives apart from Him. As awesome, magnificent, and powerful God is, He is our safest, surest bet to run to when we need to be embraced. This weeks mediation is taken from Psalm 16:1-2 (The Passion Translation)

We refer to Him as the "Good Shepherd" and we are His flock. Jesus is the one who opens the gate of our confined pen and leads us out into beautiful green pastures. "Being a Christian does not mean, first and foremost believing in a message. It means believing in a person." Gustavo Gutierrez This person is Jesus, the only one who can lead us out of bondage and into freedom. This weeks mediation is taken from John 10:1-15 (The Passion Translation)

When we do something great it gives us a confidence boost. While we gladly hold our heads up high and feel good about ourselves, where is this confidence anchored? What if we were able to be bold and confident by just being? A confidence, a joy, a boldness that comes only from recognizing how God sees us. You have not only been made adequate by His spirit, you are more than enough through Christ Jesus. You are His masterpiece. This weeks meditation comes out of 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 and Matthew 3:16-17 (NASB).

It's time for us to stop trying to self protect. No matter how high our walls stretch towards the heavens, they only serve to keep us imprisoned. Where can we turn to for help? Our Creator continually watches over us. He protects us from danger both day and night. Where is our help? It is in God himself. This weeks meditation comes out of Psalm 121 (The Passion Translation).

Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Matt 22:37) which sounds great, but do you have any idea how to do that? How do we follow a command if we really have no idea what it means? How do we do anything with all our heart? In Jeremiah 29:11-13 it says you will find God if we search for Him with all your heart. There is that phrase again; all your heart. Join us in this weeks mediation as we journey into this very place with the Holy Spirit, giving Him space to empower and equip us to wholeheartedness.

Relationship, that's all He wants. The Lord longs to be engaged in your life. What good father doesn't want to be center stage with his kids? Pause today and engage with with the words He has spoken over your life. Words that will not return void. He will meet you there. This week's meditation comes out of Isaiah 55:6-13 and James 5:16. 

Let's have a celebration! God takes joy in you. He delights in you. You are His beloved. Invite Holy Spirit to come and celebrate with you today because if there was ever cause for celebration, this is it. This week I read John 16:33 and Zephaniah 3:17 from Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. You can find the book HERE.

Are there areas where you have withdrawn from God's love? He has never stopped loving you. Embraced by His love, nothing, absolutely nothing can pry His arms from around you. Will you open up your heart today and receive this eternal embrace which says, "I'll never quit loving you." This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:35-39.

If you're like me, the onslaught of negative thoughts seems endless, especially when given permission to have a say in our lives. Fortunately we have reason to celebrate! All those thoughts are just empty promises. Who can condemn us when Jesus himself intercedes on our behalf. He is for us, so let no man, even ourselves come against us. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:31-34.

God's no idiot. From the very beginning He knew every little thing He was doing, down to the smallest particle. He knew Jesus would restore all things and He also knew that you were to be His son or daughter forever, no matter what. So wherever you are, pause and listen because He's calling you by name and He'll never quit. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:29-30.

Do you feel like God is working for you or against you? Many of us know Romans 8:26-28 where it says God is working all things together for good, but it is easy to get tired in the waiting. In these spaces is where we need to remember that we are not alone, the Holy Spirit is right alongside, helping us along. Reading from Romans 8:26-28 (NASB)

Do you have promises from the Lord that you have not yet seen come to pass? Have you lost hope to see those promises or are you joyfully expectant in the waiting? We don’t hope for those things we already have! Let God infuse you with the reality of what it means to be His son or daughter, to step into receiving all He has for you. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:19-25.

You belong to the happiest, healthiest, most influential and wealthy family that has ever existed, or ever will. What will life look like when each of us come to fully understand that reality? We are children of God, fellow heirs with Christ. The very same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives within us. It's time for us to let go of that old life and begin experiencing the world through this new one. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:15-18.

What if we were to fully understand what it means that God dwells in us this very second? For those who have welcomed Him in, His spirit of life lives within us. The very same spirit that raised jesus from the dead. It's time for us to let go of that old life and begin experiencing the world through this new one. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:10-14.

Why go it alone when you have someone who wants to help? Help that comes from none other than the author of all existence. Why do we work, strive, and try to make a way by redoubling our efforts? It isn’t going to work; we can’t save ourselves. Set your mind on the same God who raised Jesus from the dead and now moves in your life. Simply embrace the Spirit of God and all He is doing in you. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:5-11.

Are we living under the black cloud of disapproval and punishment or are we walking in the Spirit of Life Jesus has given us? It is time to live out the reality of what Jesus did for us; abolishing condemnation once and for all. This week's meditation comes out of Romans 8:1-4.

This week's meditation comes out of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. These are things we are all called to do, even created to do. Yet, it does not come naturally for most of us.

Everything changed for Simon son of Jonah the moment he was able to answer this question asked by Jesus, “Who do you say I am?” Revealed by revelation, Simon could see Jesus rightly which in turn caused Jesus to reveal the truth of Simon’s identity and destiny. From then on he was called Peter, a rock on which Jesus would build His church. Do you have a revelation from God’s heart to the same question Jesus is asking you today, “Who do you say I am?" This week's meditation comes out of Matthew 16:13-19.

David knew the secret of how to live life and not be shaken; hidden in God’s shelter, out of reach of his enemies. This week we are meditating on Psalm 27 from The Passion Translation. We too can live in a place of fearless faith as David did.