Cross My Heart Ministry

I am not saying this because I am in need, for
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:10-13 

What a profound reassurance to acknowledge that contentment can be learned.  As we look on the lives of others who seem so filled with peace—those who clearly abide in Christ—we may incorrectly assume that some have it and some do not. We have mistakenly assumed it is inherited, like curly hair or the ability to draw.  

Have you believed the lie that some are blessed with peaceful contentment and the rest of us are doomed to fight for happiness?   

These words from Paul—a man who suffered greatly for his faith—clue us in. If the great Apostle Paul had to learn contentment, then surely we, too, are not exempt from that classroom.  

Contentment trumps happiness. It does not depend on our circumstances. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the “happy” God brings into our lives. The blessings and gifts He gives are good, and we praise Him for them! But are we a society of happiness addicts? Is our faith so shallow that we withhold our praise to God until He gives us our “happy” for today?

Are we essentially asking Him, “What have you done for me lately?”  

Growing in grace—and growing up in Christ—means we are less addicted to this life’s happiness. We are more able to declare, “Just give me Jesus.”   

Whether today brings an overdue bill or an unexpected refund check, a bonus or a pink slip, a malignancy or a clean scan … we can be content. But it’s something we learn in the classroom of life. And that’s why we can be grateful for hard things—because they teach us contentment in Christ.  

• Can we appreciate companionship if we have never known solitude? 
• Can we be grateful for health if we have never known sickness?
• Can we enjoy financial security if we have never lived with bills we cannot pay? 

Our times of having not enable us to praise Him with grace and gratitude on the days of having. Contentment in both states is learned—and the circumstances and situations of life are our teachers.  

A teachable spirit permits the lessons to be learned easier and perhaps more quickly. Pride makes us resistant, hinders our learning, and delays contentment.  

Contentment brings peace. As the frenzy, the striving, the frustration, and the chasing-after are all laid aside, peace in Him remains.  

But make no mistake: contentment is not settling for less. It is not resigning ourselves to live less. It is leaning in for more and better; abiding in Jesus far exceeds any happiness the world can deliver. Paul describes it this way:

But godliness with contentment is great gain.
I Timothy 6:6 

Do you know the secret of being content in any and every situation? 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13

Each September, in honor of school starting, we highlight the importance of praying for the young people in our lives by featuring a bookmark with prayer prompts (and Scriptures to back up those prompts) to spur you on to pray for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or kids in the neighborhood. We invite you to listen to this week’s devotional video, in which Laura discusses this powerful tool for prayer, and encourage you to ask the Lord who you should remember in prayer this September.

Visit our Downloads page for this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, optional S.O.A.P. study pages, and other free resources to help you love God and His Word.

It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
Psalm 119:71 

Many of you are already familiar with the S.O.A.P. method of Bible study. The letters stand for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. First developed by Dr. Wayne Cordeiro, a pastor in Hawaii, it has since spread from his congregation to bless many others.

Several years ago, we introduced a S.O.A.P. page as a companion resource for our monthly Write the WORD bookmark. As we read and write scripture, we pray the Holy Spirit will also assist us in seeing and applying the truth found there. The S.O.A.P. outline provides a simple yet memorable format for analyzing a verse or passage in your daily quiet time. 

For this week’s Sunday Soaking, I’ve chosen to unpack Psalm 119:71 using the S.O.A.P. model. For those of you who may be new to this Bible study method, I hope it will inspire you to try adding a little “soap” to your daily routine.

Visit our Downloads page
for free copies of our monthly verse list
and printable S.O.A.P. Bible study outline!

This week’s guest teaching is brought to us by Izzy Hoffarth from the Young Adult ministry at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills. In this latest devotional video, Izzy unpacks insight on CONTENTMENT from Philippians 4:12, part of a letter written from a prison cell by the apostle Paul. We invite you to listen as Izzy reminds us that contentment is not just a trait we have or don’t have, but is something we LEARN by trusting God through life experiences.

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Assemble the people—men, women and children,
and the foreigners residing in your towns—
so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God
and follow carefully all the words of this law.
Their children, who do not know this law,
must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God
as long as you live in the land
you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 31:12-13 

In ancient times, there were no books, no Bibles, no apps or smart phones to access the Word of God. The people assembled. They listened and learned as the priest read aloud from the holy scriptures.

I love the visual created in this passage: men, women, children, and their children (as well as the foreigners residing in the towns) all gathered together to listen and learn.  

God is the genius who thought up the idea of families. He placed us in those groups—whether by birth, marriage, or adoption—to love and encourage each other, to learn from each other, and to worship God together.  

What a great privilege. What a high and holy calling to be a parent or grandparent. When a little one is added to our family, we start anew. We “reboot” … with yet another opportunity to teach a child about the Lord, to read His Word aloud, to share the wonder of our very great and very good God.

What joy!  

The amazing thing is that as we teach and tell these young ones, the truth goes a little deeper into our own hearts. We embrace what we share in deeper and more profound ways than last year, last month, or even yesterday. God’s Word is like fresh manna! As we listen to and learn from it, the Bible prompts us to follow God more carefully. More intentionally. More joyfully. It spurs us on to know Him and worship Him! 

Can there be any greater joy to a woman of God than to worship the Lord with all our beloved ones gathered together? 

Today, I invite you to celebrate those in your family tree who gave you life, taught you truth, and spurred you on. Many of us were blessed with loving parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who also modeled the Christian walk well. Our full lives and fast-paced schedules can cause us to overlook calling or checking in with those who have loved, taught, and faithfully prayed for us during our lives. Don’t miss the blessing. Make the phone call. Get in the car and go visit. Ask questions. Listen and learn. Honor, celebrate, and worship the Lord together!  

How has God used your family to teach you?
What have you learned from them about God?

Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, the prophet Isaiah wrote a beautiful prayer of yearning so that we, too, may learn to yearn. In this week’s devotional video, Angela Kincade of Cross Church shares from Isaiah 26:9 how we are to earnestly seek God, to learn righteousness, and to learn to yearn for the Lord. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to the message Angela has shared with us:

We invite you to consider the word LEARN this month as the focus our Write the WORD series. Visit our Downloads page for your free verse bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. study pages, as well as other helpful resources to help you balance the demands of your busy life with a heart for loving and serving God.

When he takes the throne of his kingdom,
he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law,
taken from that of the Levitical priests.

It is to be with him,
and he is to read it all the days of his life
so that
he may learn to revere the LORD his God and
follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees …
Deuteronomy 17:18-19

Long before Israel had a king, God provided the requirements for one. It should surprise no one that God’s law figured prominently into those requirements. Not only was Israel’s king to have his own copy of the law, it was to be written out in his own hand. Yes, even though a plethora of scribes and servants were surely at his disposal, the king was to write it out for himself. He was to keep it with him, and he was to “read it all the days of his life.”

The passage above was the inspiration for our monthly Write the WORD series.

If writing out God’s Word was important for the King of Israel, I think it is important for us, as well — we serve the King of Kings.

Why would the king be expected to not only read the word, but to write it out with his own hand? Two possibilities come to mind:

1. We tend to remember what we write. What better way, then, to hide God’s Word in our hearts than to write it out?
2. It slows us down. It takes longer to write, of course, than to read. As we write out the words of Scripture, the Holy Spirit may draw our hearts and minds to home in a specific phrase — even single word — in the passage. Words that may be overlooked as we read are savored in the writing.

This passage also includes one of my favorite phrases in Scripture: so that.

Oh, how I love it when God gives us a reason — a “so that!” He is God Almighty, and He certainly does not owe us an explanation, but it is a great blessing when we get one. Here in Deuteronomy, He reveals the reasons why it was (and still is) important to write, keep, and read the Bible every day:

*So that we learn to revere the Lord

*So that we walk in obedience

To “revere” means to honor or respect. As we revere God, we glorify Him – make much of Him. It’s the reason for our existence! God’s Word teaches us more about Him, and the more we learn of Him, the better equipped we are to revere Him. The word “learn” suggests it is an ever-increasing, iterative process. As faithful students of His Word, we revere Him more today than five years ago – and if we continue to study the scriptures, in five years from now we will revere Him even more than today.

A woman who follows God is on a journey to know Him more so that she can revere Him more.

The second reason for daily time in the Bible centers on obedience. As we study God’s Word, our hearts are stirred to follow in obedience.

This not legalism; it is joyful obedience. The motivation is love, not fear. Joy, not pride.

As we read and write the Word each day, I pray we are doing so with a heart and mind intent on learning to revere the Lord and walk in obedience to Him.

This week our guest speaker, Emily Brannon of Cross Church, takes a look at Deuteronomy 5:1. After the Israelites were delivered from bondage in Egypt, God kindly and lovingly presented His laws and decrees to guide them in living in freedom.

Won’t you join us as we read, write, and study God’s Word this month?
Visit our Downloads page, where you’ll find the free bookmarks
for this month’s Write The WORD: LEARN.
We also offer printable S.O.A.P. study guide pages
to help you organize your thoughts & observations
as you study God’s Word, as well as other helpful resources.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in…
Matthew 25:35

Jesus identified three human needs His followers can help meet:

• Hunger
• Thirst
• Loneliness

Two are physical needs, one is relational.

As the passage continued, Jesus taught His followers that as they release themselves and their resources to others, they serve Him. He affirmed them for doing it.

Their response is confusion. “When did we do this, Jesus?”

It’s easy to imagine their brows furrowed, looking at each other in confusion, asking, “Was it you?”

And a possible answer, “Not me! I would have remembered feeding Jesus! I do remember the time He feed all of us, though. And with only a couple of fish and those five loaves that kid brought. Now that was cool!”

They loved on and shared with others without guile and without looking for praise. The Spirit prompted, they saw a need, and met it. They didn’t have to post a thinly veiled self-pat-on-the-back on Facebook or share about “how God used me!” in small group.

Maybe they just felt the nudge of the Spirit and simply obeyed.

Perhaps when you know what it’s like to be hungry, thirsty, and lonely, you are more inclined to reach out and help someone who is hungry, thirsty, or lonely.

They did it without realizing it.

The first-century crowd heard the audible words of Jesus.

Because we have the written words of Jesus, we have this heads up—it is a call to action, a call to obedience:

This teaching – this call – is not only for the disciples then. It is for us now.

He answered their confusion in verse 40: “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Who is the person in your life and mine that falls into the “least of these” column?  Who are the thirsty, hungry, and lonely people in our world? Are we willing to serve Jesus by serving one of these?

In honor of back-t0-school season, we’ve chosen LEARN as our Write the WORD theme for August. Please listen as Laura introduces this month’s focus and unpacks some thoughts inspired by Psalm 119:7.

Get your copy of this month’s bookmark
and optional S.O.A.P. study pages,
as well as other helpful free resources,
by visiting our Downloads page.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be filled.
Matthew 5:6

Both the NIV (above) and the KJV use the word filled when translating Matthew 5:6. If you are familiar with this passage (part of the Sermon on the Mount), filled probably rolls right off your tongue.

But I like the ESV translation: satisfied.

If you’re a woman of a certain age, hearing the word “satisfied” may prompt a recollection of familiar lyrics from the Rolling Stones:

I can’t get no satisfaction….
I try and I try and I try and I try….
I can’t get no….

The Stones weren’t singing about the Gospel and our need for Jesus – but the words are an apt description of our thirst souls trying to quenched by what the world offers. Nothing in this world brings lasting satisfaction.

Our Savior’s words, hunger and thirst, resonated with a first-century audience in a way that’s unfamiliar to 21-st century listeners. We come in from a walk and declare, “I’m absolutely parched!” and when lunch is 15 minutes late, we cry, “I’m starving!” But are we? Really?

First-century folks were all too familiar with deprivation. Living from one meal to the next meant that hunger and thirst were constant companions.

There was no need for Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, Planet Fitness or Pilates classes. Life not only kept their weight down, it kept them on the edge of starvation.

They knew hunger. They knew thirst. So, when Jesus said, “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” they understood what He meant: yearning for, longing for, and constantly thinking about righteousness.

Today the word “righteousness” is perhaps associated with legalism. We protest it. We stiff arm it. We cry, “Pharisee!” when we hear it.

We want to leave it behind in the Old Testament, maintaining that it has no place in the age of grace.

But Jesus told us He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

He died for us because we could not be good enough to be righteous on our own, but He never said we shouldn’t want to be righteous and try to be righteous. There’s such freedom in knowing we don’t strive for righteousness to become saved but because we are saved.

The real question is: Do I want to be righteous?

Do I want to live for the One who died for me?

Do I believe that real satisfaction can be found in righteousness?

Paul said it well in Romans 7:7, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last…the righteous will live by faith.” That’s a righteousness worth striving for – worth hungering and thirsting for.

What do you crave? What are you hungry for? What are you thirsty for?

If you can honestly say, “It’s not righteousness…” but you answer with a bit of regret – you wish you were thirsty for righteousness – then make this your prayer:

Lord, make me thirsty for your righteousness.
Help me to live by deeper faith.
Help me find satisfaction in You alone!

Mollie Duddleston of Cross Church returns in this week’s devotional video, with a message from the well-known biblical account of the woman at the well. Please watch as Mollie reminds us to drink from the well of living water so that our lives can be springs of living water that don’t run dry.

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You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.
You did not withhold your manna from their mouths,
and you gave them water for their thirst.
Nehemiah 9:20

Nehemiah looks back at the history of his forefathers in the wilderness and remembers God’s provision for them.

The book of Exodus chronicles their deliverance from Egypt—symbolizing sin and bondage. When God delivers us from our sin, we experience freedom from our sin. Our salvation brings freedom. Learning to live in that freedom is a journey, symbolized for us by the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness before entering the promised land.

The wilderness was a time of growing in their faith and learning to trust God. We do the same as we grow in our relationship with Christ.

While in the wilderness, God provided for the Israelites. He met their needs physically with manna and water. Spiritually, Jesus is our living water and our bread of life.

God met their needs spiritually with His Spirit to guide them in their journey.

He does the same for us. When we give our lives to Jesus, His Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. We are not left alone or bereft. His Spirit prompts, guides, convicts, and reassures us.

Jesus, thank you for giving your body – broken for me.
Thank you for quenching my thirst by becoming my living water.
Thank you for the indwelling of your Spirit!

In this week’s devotional video, Emily Brannon from Cross Church reminds us that Jesus is our source of true refreshment. When the busyness of life has us feeling exhausted and run down, we can look to Jesus — who gives us exactly what we need to find rest and renewal.

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