CrossLife Church

Pressing on Into the New Year

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, Philippians 3:12–16 invites us to take an honest look at where we are and where we’re going in our walk with Christ. Paul admits he hasn’t yet “arrived,” but his life bursts with forward motion—pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of him. The Christian life is not passive; it’s a pursuit. Growth in holiness, deeper fellowship with Christ, and steadfast obedience require a heart that refuses to settle for spiritual comfort zones. Like Paul, we are called to run with purpose, eyes fixed on the prize of knowing Christ more fully. This passage also challenges us to let go of what lies behind—past failures, disappointments, or even successes that can hold us back—and to strain toward what’s ahead. The new year is a gracious opportunity to align our priorities with God’s calling, to make progress one faithful step at a time. In 2026, may our focus be simple yet powerful: to press on, to grow up into maturity, and to pursue the upward call of God in Christ Jesus with renewed determination and joy.

Examining Your Faith

One of the most fascinating insights about this current moment in our society is that people have never been more anxious and fearful about their everyday lives, while surprisingly confident or indifferent about their spiritual state. People seem to be very presumptuous about the possibility of standing before God and finding that God would have any reason to judge them harshly. Most people seem to assume that if there is a God, they have always heard that He is loving and a loving God will be glad to receive them into heaven.  This was also a problem towards the end of the first century. John addresses 3 false ideas that many were claiming (1 John 1:6, 8, 10). Lie #1 - We can have fellowship with God while walking in darkness. Lie #2 - Our actions don't make us sinful but good. Lie #3 - Our sinful actions don't reveal anything about our true nature.   In John's first letter (1 John), he begins by confirming the Deity and humanity of Jesus (1 John 1:1-4) as the second person of the Triune God. Then in verse 5, John describes God with the words, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." With these words, John reveals astonishing truths about the nature of God. If God there is no darkness in God; what about the darkness in us? Join us this Sunday as we go deeper into a new series on the letter of 1 John.

Nails, Goads, and Greatness

In a world where truth and trends are always changing and ever-evolving, it is impossible to know the way the best way to live your life. God’s Word is unchanging, providing a fixed reference point in which to measure.  In a postmodern world, all meaning is relative and self-determined. This may seem freeing, but it is the equivalent of trying to navigate an ocean in a boat made of water, in a rainstorm, and trying to escape the water with a ladder made of liquid. There is no fixed point of reference and nothing to hold onto. By contrast, God's Word provides a reference point in which to measure and build our lives. As the preacher writes his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12, he employs the congregation of Israel to remember their creator. His final challenge is to fear God and recognize that God is our Shepherd and desires to lead us. Are you willing to follow?

Consider & Reflect

Certain questions are universal and timeless. Regardless of one's culture, nation, or family, every person will have an inner longing to answer these questions. Those questions are "Who am I?" and "Where did I come from?" How a person answers these questions will ultimately guide how they live their life. This in essence, is one's worldview.  What is the basis for your view about life, family, evil, sin, death, business, and purpose? As one grows, learns, and experiences life, they develop an understanding of how the world works and how to navigate it. This naturally shapes one's view or perspective on life, meaning, purpose, and even suffering. Much of our worldview is adopted from our parents, peers, teachers, and many other points of influence from media, experience, etc.... As the preacher writes his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12, he employs the congregation of Israel to remember their creator. His final challenge is not to consider the end of their life or reflect on the beginning, but to reflect and consider their origin. When you consider whose you are, the question of who you are begins to come into focus. When you know your Creator, the uncertainty and difficulties of life suddenly start to fade away.

Living With the End in Sight

One of the greatest fallacies of our day is short-term thinking. Our culture has cultivated and indoctrinated the masses of society to focus their happiness on their current circumstances. The questions we have been tutored to ask are: What makes me happy? What identity would make me happy?”What relationships make me happy?  When people struggle to find satisfaction in their current state, circumstance, or relationships, they just go look somewhere else. When a person isn’t happy, it must be the fault of their circumstances or other people, never the result of their own choices.  The Ancient Preacher of Ecclesiastes 11 warns, Consider your days, especially when you are young. Live with the end of your days in sight.     “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes.”  (Eccles. 11:9) Those who live for the moment with short-term thinking will find their hearts vexed as their youth fades and the days of older age set in.