Cross My Heart Ministry

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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But the people were thirsty for water there,
and they grumbled against Moses. They said,
“Why did you bring us up out of Egypt
to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
Exodus 17:3

A first reading of the people grumbling against Moses might have us paint the scene with a wide brush of judgment:

• Moses: loving well and leading well
• Israelites: whiners, grumblers, and ungrateful

But as I look a second time and point a finger at those Israelites, I come to realize I AM those people.

Fear brings out the worst in us. Fear prompts us to respond poorly and to look for someone to blame.

The presence of a deep need eclipses everything else. This need — the thirst for water in the desert — was a life-or-death situation for the Israelites, their children, and their livestock.

Those of us living in the 21^st-century western world can find it difficult to truly understand thirst. We work outside for a couple of hours and declare, “I’m dying of thirst.” But we’re not literally dying.

God’s people in the wilderness were facing death if water was not found. As they contemplated death from thirst or slavery in Egypt, they began to regret following Moses across the bed of the Red Sea.

I’m humbled to realize I am really no different than those I dubbed, “whiners.” When customer service representatives are less than helpful, when I feel wronged or unappreciated, when things don’t go my way … I can be guilty of grumbling inside (and sometimes outside, too).

Hundreds of years may have passed since this wilderness whining, but human nature — specifically, this human’s nature — has not changed.

Here are some takeaways that come as I pray over this passage:

1. A great need — even a very serious physical need — is not a license to complain and criticize.
2. It’s not only human nature to look for someone to blame, the one we blame is often the one who loves us unconditionally and more than all others. It’s why children hold it together for their teacher but act up for mom and dad. It’s why a bad day at work might lead to a spat over dinner with our spouse. It’s why the people blamed Moses.
3. Looking out instead of up leads to despair. If I fixate on the problem, I will naturally criticize, condemn, and blame — and still be thirsty! I must look UP, to the one who knows me best, loves me most, has the power to meet my need, and can use this hard thing to draw me to deeper faith and trust in Himself.

What is your great need today? How could God not only meet that need, but bolster your faith through the process?

Is it time to stop grumbling and start praying?

This week, our devotional comes from Mollie Duddleston, Director of Ministry Operations & Women’s Ministry at Cross Church. We hope you’ll listen as Mollie shares her thoughts on Nehemiah 9:15, a verse from our July Write the WORD bookmark, and encourages us to be intentional in reminding ourselves and others how God faithfully fulfills His promises to His people.

If you have not yet, we invite you to download this month’s free bookmark and S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and join us for our study of THIRST during July.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:2

The Psalmist declares the cry of every human heart. Whether living in ancient or modern times, man or woman, even Christian or non-Christian – there is a longing need to be with God. A desire to know God and be known by Him.

Blaise Pascal called this a “God-shaped vacuum.” It is a thirst that cannot be quenched with any success, destination, bank account, or by any other human being.

We were made by Him.

We were made for Him.

Our souls thirst for God.

Our Write the WORD bookmark is designed to create a format that allows you to meet with God daily in His Word. We use a one-word theme that (typically) carries you across the pages of Scripture through both the Old and New Testament.

This month we have chosen the word “thirst” as our theme for July.

We pray the words of Psalm 42:2 are both your declaration:

My soul thirsts for God!

and your prayer:

God, make me thirsty for you!

Today, I invite you to join us this month in reading, writing, and studying what God’s WORD has to say about our thirst to know and be known by our Creator.

Download our latest Write the WORD bookmark
and S.O.A.P. Bible study pages HERE.

This week, we’re pleased to introduce our free bookmark for July, with 31 verses featuring the word THIRST. In our most recent devotional video, Laura shares a brief devotional fromm Psalm 63:1. We pray that you’ll watch and be blessed by her words!

Find this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, our July ‘Do It!’ List, and more free resources on our Downloads page. And, if you have not yet subscribed to our YouTube channel or the Cross My Heart Ministry email list, we hope you’ll take a moment to sign up for those today!

 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and
 how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:
 If our hearts condemn us,
 we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
I John 3:19-20

Do you ever feel less?

Do you ever feel that you are not enough?

Lots of people, and lots of things, can make us feel unworthy: a judgmental friend, the number on the bathroom scale, a cluttered kitchen counter. But sometimes it’s our very own heart that is the culprit. Our emotions can rise up to betray and condemn us.

Enticed into playing the dangerous comparison game, we indulge in some self-hate thought life that sounds something like:

• She’s thinner than me.
• Her house is newer and nicer and cleaner than mine.
• She’s a much better cook than I am.
• Why can’t I get that much accomplished?
• I wish I had just a fraction of her creativity.
• She’s the Hospitality Queen, and I don’t even qualify as a lady in waiting.

The evil one whispers the lies, and we listen. The conversation in our head gets buried in our heart.

Judgment. Condemnation. Failure. We label ourselves as lacking, unworthy, and inadequate and take on these terms as our identity.

The only way to stop the lie is to speak the truth. Lies are told in the dark, but the truth is proclaimed in the light. The light chases away the darkness.

If you know Jesus, you “belong to the truth.” He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Only in His presence can our hearts be truly at rest.

A horizontal focus on others often brings on guilt, insecurity, and feelings of failure.

A vertical focus on Jesus acknowledges that I am not enough—no one can be—but in Him, I am made enough. In Christ alone, I am equipped and empowered for the high call of living for Christ always and in all ways.

Apart from Him, I am nothing. In Him, I can do everything He assigns.

God is greater than my mocking, condemning heart that wants to betray me.

God is greater than my inadequacies and insecurities.

He is greater than my emotions. Because I am His, I am not derailed by my own heart.

The eyes of my heart can yet again shift upward to gaze upon Jesus. In Him alone, I find peace. My heart is set at rest only because it is set on Him.

This week, we’re blessed to have Kendyll Garvin of Cross Church share her thoughts in our devotional video. We know you’ll be challenged by Kendyll’s message from Mark 6:31 which encourages us to pull back from the stress and busyness of life to connect with Jesus!

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There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;
for anyone who enters God’s rest
 also rests from their works,
 just as God did from his.
Hebrews 4:9-10

The choice to accept Christ is an embrace of HIS rest and a letting go of my own efforts to earn salvation. Coming to Christ means I lay down my striving and doing, and lean into His provision. I acknowledge my identity in Christ—and that alone—is my ticket into heaven. Nothing I do (and nothing I do not do) will get me in.

As I practice Sabbath Rest, it can be a weekly reminder of my salvation decision and a renewed resolve to walk in this belief. Sabbath Rest is a weekly celebration: my salvation is complete because of Jesus!

It also stirs hope for His return. Eternity will be our ultimate release from the burdens of this world. But we don’t need to wait for heaven to enjoy rest in Him.

Often we imagine keeping the Sabbath as a throwback to blue laws, with all businesses closed on Sunday and many other activities prohibited. I’m reminded of the scene in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy, when children were expected to sit still and straight in their Sunday clothes for hours on end. Sabbath in those days must have seemed more like a punishment than a celebration.

Changing the connotation for Sabbath may come slowly. It begins as we embrace the day as a gift received from God, rather than a set of rules set out by God.

We’ve come to treat Sunday as a catch-up day: laundry, meal planning, grocery shopping. Or it’s a day bustling with activity: church, teaching Sunday School, ministry meetings. We fill our Sabbath with doing for God rather than spending time with God.

Those old habits cannot be changed immediately, but perhaps gradual transformation can happen as we accept a Sabbath Rest challenge. Consider incorporating just one of these suggestions into your Sunday:

• Choose to make it a no-laundry day.
• Schedule one hour outdoors with your family. Take a walk, go for a bike ride, enjoy a picnic, or just sit in the sunshine. Worship the Creator in His creation.
• Curl up with a good book.
• Pray a joyful Psalm back to God.
• Tell your salvation story to a friend or family member.

I’ve heard it said that those who work with their hands should sabbath with their minds, and those who work with their minds should sabbath with their hands. Essentially, then, professors should chop wood on Sunday and woodcutters should read a book!

We should do something different on Sunday than what we do Monday through Saturday.

Holy means set apart. Sunday can be embraced and celebrated as holy because it is different than every other day.

Are you ready for some Sabbath Rest?

In this week’s devotional video, our special guest Cassie Montgomery of Cross Church takes a closer look at Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus addresses the people of Israel who are frustrated and overburdened by the legalistic “dos and don’ts” of the Pharisees. Listen now as Cassie unpacks truths from scripture and shares insight into finding true rest in Him:

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Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
 for I am gentle and humble in heart,
 and you will find rest for your souls.
 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:29

If this passage seems very familiar, that’s because it is part of the one highlighted in last week’s Sunday Soaking.  There was just more truth to squeeze out before moving on!

The word “yoke” brings up memories of two oxen chained together, walking in a circle, and going nowhere. Pretty much describes the self-imposed yokes we often put upon ourselves – or allow others to thrust upon us.

His yoke, in contrast, is love, peace, and righteousness in Christ. It’s described as “easy” in verse 30.

The phrase “learn from me” offers hope to this Type-A girl. Learning to be comfortable with the easy and light way He offers is a process. After wearing the striving-and-doing yoke for so long, the one fashioned of love and peace seems too light and too easy … sometimes awkward because it’s so strange and unfamiliar.

Can it be this simple?

Shouldn’t I be working harder … and perhaps expecting more of others?

The old yoke – of doing more, getting my way, and winning at any cost – feels comfortable because it’s familiar. As it is lifted and replaced with the new way of thinking and behaving, the “light and easy” can feel a bit too, well, light and easy. As we learn from Him, we come to realize a light and easy yoke fits and feels nice. No blisters or callouses. No staggering under the weight of it, or working to carry something too heavy for  us … something He never asked us to carry, but a burden we just loaded up on our own.

Are you weary of trying to remember why you are angry, of continuing to stoke old fires? Is that grudge you are carrying only growing heavier through the years? Are you overwhelmed, trying to meet the needs of everyone in your world while ignoring your own? Does life feel like it has zero margin? Are you rationalizing your existence and tallying up your good deeds to assess your worth?

STOP IT.

Breathe.

Focus.

Come to the One who has already won the battle. The One whose sacrifice has already ensured you are enough in Him. The reality is that you and I could stack yoke upon yoke, keep trying to walk and do and be more and it would never, ever be enough. That’s the point, really. Only in Him can we be declared righteous. Only in Him can we find real love and lasting peace. It’s not about what we do. It’s all about who we know. Do you know Him? Do you believe He is enough? Does your behavior match up with your belief?

So what’s it gonna be? His yoke or your own? Easy and light, or hard and heavy? Choosing which to put on is a daily decision. Which do you choose to wear today?

For this week’s devotional video, it’s a joy to have Bri Hess from Cross Church sharing insights from Exodus 33:14. Listen now to be reminded that no matter the season in life – or the challenge that season brings — it is the constant, abiding presence of God that brings us REST:

If you aren’t writing along with us this June, we invite you to begin now. Visit our Downloads page for your own copy of this month’s Write the WORD: REST bookmark, optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and more free resources to help you balance your heart for God with the demands of a busy life and home.