Crossroad Christian Church

Crossroad Christian Church www.crossroadchurch.com

05/10/2026

Sunday Morning Service | 5-10-26 | Pastor Sam

05/07/2026

Day 168

Another law of the spirit is the law of worship, thankfulness, and praise. Praise not only takes place in our spirit but our will. Worship and praise need to be deeper than our thoughts and our emotions. When we have an attitude of worship and praise, we are saying that we consider God worthy of all our attention. Holy Spirit will come closer to us if we worship and praise Him. Psalm 22:3 - God inhabits the praises of his people. Hebrews 13:15 - Praise and thanksgiving is a type of sacrifice that brought God's presence into the Holy of Holies. In Psalm 132, praise created the proper environment for David to be healed.
Do you practice praise and worship daily? Start today by thanking the Lord, acknowledging His power, sovereignty, loving-kindness, and mercy. An abiding life is one filled with the awe of worship.
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

05/06/2026

Day 167

To have God's nature, we must be compassionate. His genetics will work through our blood, and then it is a matter of obedience. This is what brings harmony between our spirit and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus gives us an example of how compassion turned on the power of God. Jesus was rejected by His own people. Herod had killed John. Jesus was betrayed. He recoiled at the events of the day. He became self-protective. Jesus went into the wilderness, but the crowd came out to Him there. He felt compassion for the people, and this empowered Him to perform a miracle. He had taken bread, broke it, and gave it. This act harmonized with the spirit of His Father in such a way that a great miracle took place. He remembered that miracle when he needed His Father's strength and empowerment on the night before He was crucified. He was practicing self-control over His soul. He overcame at His greatest hour of need. He used the spirit of compassion to remind Him that His father would be with Him. At the last supper, when He took bread and broke it, He was reminding Himself why He was going to the Cross. He was to be crucified for the love of people. He was asking His Father to once again strengthen Him for the next days suffering. He used compassion to harmonize with the spirit of His Father. This would get Him through the next day.
After the resurrection when Jesus wanted to recommission Peter, He told Peter that when he was young he pleased himself and went where he wanted to; however when he was older Jesus told him, "you will lift up your hands and another will gird you". Peter's work would be to feed the sheep. Peter needed to have compassion and love for the people. He could no longer be self-centered!
In Hebrews 10:34, the writer remembers how he was strengthened in a time of need and by his friends. He said, "You had compassion on me in my chains." (1st Peter 3:8) Peter states to us, "Finally, brethren, have compassion on each other." In Jude 1:22, he says we should overcome by "having compassion on each other, making a difference."
Later, Paul, the apostle, remembered these words from the last supper when having communion with the Corinthians. He used the same words Jesus did to strengthen himself and others.
If we really want to hear the voice of God and have Him abide in us, we must be willing to be motivated and moved by compassion. We must continue to nurture this trait. We must refuse to see people come to us and go away hungry. We must be willing to spend our human energy giving time and compassion to people. It is His work in us. Our work is to allow Him to do the work in us.
Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of an experience where your love and compassion were energized by His power. Ask Him to give you a greater measure of compassion. Yield to His work in you.
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

05/05/2026

Day166

Satan, our enemy, wants to rob us of our love energy.
Satan uses betrayal. This is the opposite of compassion and a spirit used against us. Betrayal is designed to hurt our spirit so that we can no longer foster compassion for others. When we no longer have compassion for others, we grieve the Holy Spirit and block our ability to hear His voice. Betrayal is used by the enemy to drain our spirit of power.
In the 38th year of the Israelites' journey, it was time to cross the Jordan River. The enemy used Balaam, the prophet, to curse and denounce them in order to stop them from crossing. When we are betrayed, we recoil from people, and a spirit of self-preservation comes into our spirit. We are unable to deny ourselves for others. We become ineffective in the kingdom of God.
In the book of Job, his friends were a contributing factor to his inability to connect with God. Their betrayal caused a bad disposition regarding other people and a bad perspective in life. It can bring on depression along with many other ailments. Finally, Job's friend Elihu described the character of God. He tells Job that God is mighty but despises no one. (Job 36:5). This is the spirit we are to have if we are going to hear His voice in our spirit. Knowing and experiencing the love of God is key in nurturing compassion for others.
Compassion keeps us in relationship with God. God quickens us to have a kindred spirit to Him. Love is of God. God is love. Many people have lost their first love, their love of God, and their second love of people. To have God's nature, we must be compassionate. His genetics will work through our blood, and then it is a matter of obedience. This is what brings harmony between our spirit and the Holy Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how betrayal has been used in your life. Ask Him for the power to overcome by His love. Focus on the greatest commandment. Love God, love people!
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

05/04/2026

Day 165

In the scriptures, there is another attitude of the spirit that ushers in the power of the Holy Spirit within us. It is compassion. We see it everywhere in the scriptures that Jesus drew power from His Father through embracing the sense of compassion that the Father has for people. From the beginning, John says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only son." To have compassion is to have a driving concern and kindness for people. It means to be considerate and care for others. The word comes from the root word passion. It can mean to have a fervor and enthusiasm for other people's welfare. Compassion is the fuel in our spirit that releases tremendous power.
We can see that today, many problems people experience are because of a deep-seated self-centeredness. Once the Holy Spirit is inside of us, He is like a river that is supposed to flow out of us. However, if we are self-centered, our river has no outlet. We become stagnant and polluted. Those who are willing to embrace love for people experience superhuman power. Jesus was the prototype and example for us to follow. Compassion comes in our spirit first, and then it works in our minds and emotions. God's goodness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and evidence that Christ truly resides in us.
Compassion is the foundation for ministry of any kind. In 2nd Corinthians 5:18, it says, the Lord has given us all the ministry of reconciliation. He is giving us the potential to reconcile people to God. To reconcile means to resolve, reunite, settle, and bring people together with the Lord. We are the light of the world. We are beacons that lead to HIS presence. In 1st Thessalonians 1:1, Paul commends them for being energized by faith but motivated by love. Compassion is spoken of as the driving force in both cases when Jesus fed the multitude and in all 11 other miracles. Love is the energizing spirit!
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your condition. Do you love with agape love - unselfish, other focused, self-sacrificing, big love? Ask Him to empower you with MORE love!
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

05/01/2026

Day 164

Purity of spirit is another condition needed for harmony with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is pure and holy. Uncleanliness in our spirit can repel Him into a corner of our spirit. He can not harmonize with us when we are not pure. Here are some examples from scripture that show how purity brings Him closer to us.
Proverbs 22:11 - Purity of the heart is given as the reason the king will be your friend
Jeremiah 9:25- A lack of purity in the heart is the reason given for God's punishment
Matthew 5:8 - Jesus gave us purity as a key to unlock the kingdom of heaven
1Thessalonians 4:4 -We are told to possess, control our bodies in purity
1 Timothy 4:12 - Paul tells Timothy to be an example to others through purity
We can not allow anything at all unclean in our spirit to offend the Holy Spirit. Unforgiveness, bitterness, and strife are just a couple of things that must be dealt with before the Holy Spirit can speak to us freely and clearly.

Read and soak in the words of Phillipian's 4.
"Let your gentle spirit, your graciousness, unselfishness mercy, tolerance, and patience be known to all people. The Lord is near. Finally brethren whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things set your mind on them and implant them on your heart.
The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen imitate, practice these things in daily life, and the God who is the source of peace and well-being will be with you."

Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

04/30/2026

Day 163

Through the cross and the power of the resurrection, we gained the fruit of self-control. It is not just in our initial encounter with Him, but it is meant to be daily. We live in fleshly bodies, and so this means we are continually needing the Holy Spirit's strength to lay low the self and empower our spirit man. Jesus specifically tells us to pick up our cross daily and deny ourselves. Self is our own natural ability to live life without God's power. All too often, instead of denying this strength, we make it stronger by doing good works, educating it, and rewarding it. We try to apply our natural strength to our spiritual lives only to fail in the end. The real cure is that through faith, Jesus brought us to the cross and the grave. Through the death and resurrection, the power of our natural man is reined in under spiritual control. Now, we are to live in the newness of life through the Holy Spirit. This is a whole new life and a way of living not just a repaired, old life or upgrade to a new model called "Christian." We now live in His strength because our old man has passed away. It has been buried. The Bible says, "I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live but not I, but Christ lives in me." The cross helps us experience death to our natural strength so we can get on with living for Him and, more importantly, with Him. It's time for God to lead the way. It's time for us to be able to get out of the way so that the Holy Spirit can come in and empower us to do God's will. The law of self-denial is a key to the abiding life, the life worth living.

Meditate on the power of self-denial. How have you experienced the cross in your life? Do you pick it up daily? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Start by declaring daily "Not my will but Yours be done"!
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

04/29/2026

Day 162

Denial of self, our carnal nature, our natural strength is a key to ushering in the presence of the Holy Spirit and maintaining the abiding life.
Paul, the apostle, knew the difference between the carnal life and the spiritual life. He knew the problems with this dualistic living first hand. He was also frustrated with his tendency to fall back into the natural man's energy to live life on his own. "With my spirit, I serve the Lord, but with my flesh, I serve sin." He expressed his frustration, "Oh wretched man that I am!" Why and how can this be happening to us? In many cases, we are dealing with the fruit of the tree (sin).We address the results of this kind of living (sin) instead of the root of the tree(self). John the Baptist said, "Lay the axe to the root of the tree." John knew the answer was Jesus. In other words, Jesus came to lay the ax to our natural strength.
How is this accomplished? Sin is not the root of our problems. Self is. A law for ushering in the presence of the Lord and maintaining it is the law of self-denial. Jesus came to reverse the power of our own natural strength. Once our natural man is under spiritual control, the fruit of the tree(sin) is rendered powerless. Jesus came to bring us to the cross. The cross reins in our natural life. The cross relieves us from the struggles between what we want in our spirit and what we want in the natural man. In the fall of mankind, we gained natural strength from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This natural strength must be completely reined in to control our lives. We must not just cut down this tree, but the very root of the tree must be dealt with in our lives. The good news is that the Holy Spirit brings with Him the fruit of self-control. He works in us the power to do this.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your root/self. Ask Him to empower you to lay the axe to your root and grant you the gift of self control.
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

04/28/2026

Day 161

The law of the first touch concerns our initial salvation experience. In the Tabernacle of Moses, in the Outer Court, there was a Brazen Altar. On that, alter the priest sacrificed animals. The animal sacrifice produced ash, and this ash was brought inside the temple to the Altar of Incense. The Altar of Incense was where the priests burned materials in order to please God and bring down His presence. In the human being, the Brazen Altar represents redemption from sin. The Altar of Incense represents our will. The priests needed to provide the right mixture of incense in order to please God and usher in His presence. Part of the right mixture was ash from the Brazen Alter.
Just like in Moses' Temple, our will needs a touch from our salvation experience. This is the law of the first touch. In order to maintain the presence of the Holy Spirit, we must be able to remember our testimony. In remembering our testimony, we remember our brokenness. We remember the feeling of forgiveness and our readiness to accept the Lord. Our testimony is the first time that we have a personal connection with God. He speaks to us. We feel His presence. Bringing the ash from our salvation to the alter of our will produces the right condition for us to nurture the Lord's presence. We send up pleasing fire from the alter of our will. The remembrance of our salvation experience keeps us humble, grateful, and full of praise! We become a living sacrifice, ready to bring our will into alignment with His will. Rehearsal of our first touch experience ushers in the abiding life, the life worth living!
Meditate on your testimony and sense the overwhelming gratitude and humility it produces.
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

04/27/2026

Day 160

The first law we must practice to maintain control over our own spirit is the law of humility and a contrite heart. The Holy Spirit will influence us and empower us when we are humble. When we are humble, we will be able to harmonize with the Holy Spirit. Our spirit will be open to hearing His voice.
The instrument of the cross will assist us in maintaining a humble heart. We must embrace the effectiveness of the Cross and bring ourselves into the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. This is how we can experience the abiding life and not just experience visitations from time to time. Having a humble and contrite heart is the beginning of preparation from the inside out for His habitation.
Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you when you are proud, arrogant, self important. A good clue is when you feel offended, resentful, jealous, angry, disappointed, or frustrated. Humble people do not entertain those feelings!
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

04/24/2026

Day 159

David knew the power of a humble and contrite heart. All throughout the Psalms, David reins in the powers of his soul to cooperate with the Lord. It was more difficult for him, as he did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower him. There are many scriptures that portray this action of David humbling himself. It was his paradigm of thought. It was his way of life. It was a prism he saw through. Humility and contriteness color everything we say and do. There are many scriptures that point to this principle.
Proverbs 3 :34 "The Lord is near to those of a contrite heart."
Jeremiah 44:10 The Lord says that He it's not coming to their aid because they have not humbled themselves
Micah 6:8 The prophet gives the requirement to walk humbly
Matthew 5:3 Jesus gives the kingdom to those who can humble themselves
Luke 1:6 humility was the trait Elizabeth had when given the power to birth. John the Baptist
Luke 14:11 Jesus tells us that everyone who humbles himself will be lifted up
Luke 11:29 Jesus tells us to learn of Him for He is meek and humble
Romans 12:14 tells us to give ourselves to humility and not overestimate ourselves
1st Peter 3:8 Peter tells us to have a humble mind and heart
1st Peter 5:5 "clothe yourself as with an apron with humility under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due season"
2nd Chronicles 7:14 says that He will heal our nation "if it's people will humble themselves and pray."
We must be willing to humble ourselves. The Lord will allow circumstances to humble us; however, we don't have to always go through pain to be humbled! We must learn to walk humbly!
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the way to walking in humility.
Taken from
The Life Worth Living Devotional
By Jim Cucuzza

Address

150 Ball Road
Saint Leonard, MD
20685

Opening Hours

9am - 12:30pm

Telephone

+14105861272

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Crossroad Christian Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Crossroad Christian Church:

Shortcuts

Share

Category