Cross My Heart Ministry

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-24

If you grew up going to Sunday School, you know this one! “All have sinned.” All means all! Every. Single. Person.

God does not classify our sin as “felony” or “misdemeanor.” There aren’t big sins and little sins in God’s eyes. It’s all ugly. Sin is the bad stuff we do; it’s also the good stuff we fail or refuse to do. And sin brings an eternal verdict: guilty. The consequence is death.

We must first see ourselves as guilty to embrace with humble gratitude the blessing of being “justified freely by His grace.”

Justification is a concept we often hear in legal briefs or courtrooms.

In Roman times, the imperial governor would sit on a platform (called the bema, or the judgment seat). He would hear the charges, then render a verdict as to whether the accused was guilty or innocent.

In God’s courtroom, we are all guilty, yet we are justified by His grace. It’s a paradox. A blessing. And only possible through Christ Jesus.

Justification is much more than being forgiven. It’s much more than escaping consequences. To be justified is to be declared NOT GUILTY. In His love and mercy, God chooses not to give us what we deserve but what we do not deserve. We are justified FREELY. No merit on our part. No performance necessary (or even possible). We offer nothing to substantiate a “not guilty” verdict.

We are guilty, doomed, condemned … but through Jesus, declared NOT guilty. To fully celebrate and embrace the love and grace of God, we must first look in the mirror and see a condemned sinner. A guilty woman. We need to hear and see the proverbial gavel drop.

Only then can we with reverence, humility, and gratitude praise God that through Jesus Christ we not only escape sin’s consequences (death!) but our slate is wiped clean. Our file is expunged. We are justified freely by His grace.

Hallelujah!

Editor’s Note:  Today’s passage is from Romans, Paul’s presentation of the gospel and what we call, “Christianity 101.” You can view our video teaching series on Romans here.

Laura originally developed our October bookmark to accompany the “Pearls of Grace” women’s retreat. If you are interested in having Laura present this teaching to your church, please reach out to us via email.

This week we welcomed another new teacher to our ladies Bible study: Mollie Duddleston, Director of Operations and Women’s Ministry at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills. This week’s passage was I Corinthians, chapter 3. In this chapter, Paul continues to address problems in the Corinthian church – namely, division that arose when church members in Corinth vegan to argue amongst themselves about which leader was the best. Some rallied behind Paul, some behind Apollos … but Paul reminded them who we are follow: Jesus!

Most of October still remains so it is not too late to download your free Write the WORD bookmark and join us as we study Pearls of Grace. Visit our Downloads page to find the free bookmark, S.O.A.P. study pages, and other helpful resources!

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Psalm 103:8

David writes in the Old Testament about God’s compassion and grace. We like focusing on this
part of God’s nature. We often think of it as a New Testament idea, but our great God is the
same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is unchanging.

And this Old Testament passage is not a one-off/isolated find! “Compassionate and gracious” is found not only here, but in several other passages as well (Numbers 14:18, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 148:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2).

All these lead back to the very first occurrence recorded in Exodus 34:6 when God describes
Himself, revealing His character to Moses as “compassionate and gracious.”

Modern day, western-world believers are much more comfortable with a God of compassion
and grace than a God of anger and judgment. But even this Old Testament verse refers to the
anger of God (“…slow to anger…”).

He is God. His nature is both compassion and love AND justice and holiness. We cannot dissect and discard the parts that make us uncomfortable.

Our culture may suggest a God of anger and judgment is antiquated, harsh, or unacceptable.
But as women of God, we cannot – we must not – allow the culture to dictate how we
view the truth of Scripture. We must be the proverbial salmon swimming upstream against the
current, viewing the culture through the lens of Scripture.

Yes, my friend, we celebrate that He is a God of compassion and grace – but to fully embrace this element of His nature, we must also see ourselves as sinners who deserve His judgment.
Through the person of Jesus Christ, we receive His love and grace. We can rejoice that “He does not treat us as our sins deserve…” (Psalm 103:10)

Today, I ask you to take a moment to reflect who God’s nature. Revere Him. Praise Him. Thank Him. Think also on your own sin and allow the realization of who you are – and who you are not – prompt grateful praise that we serve a compassionate and gracious God! Hallelujah!

Editor’s Note:  Laura originally developed our October bookmark to accompany the “Pearls of Grace” women’s retreat. If you are interested in having Laura present this teaching to your church, please reach out to us via email.

In our latest devotional video, Laura introduces the topic of our October bookmark: Pearls of Grace. We hope you’ll join us as we explore what the Bible says about our gracious Lord.

If you’re not familiar with our Write the WORD series, it is a free, printable verse list that we offer monthly. Laura chooses one word from scripture and selects a verse for each day that contains that word. Our challenge to you is to set aside time to write out these verses daily … and see what the Holy Spirit reveals as you slow down and savor the Word!

Visit our Downloads page for your October bookmark (we include TWO on the page, so you can take one on the go or share with a friend!) and optional S.O.A.P. study pages.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:5

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart,
with all your soul, and
with all your mind.’
Matthew 22:37

 All means ALL!

When praying that our children would love God wholeheartedly, we mean ALL IN. Not a little bit, not with half their hearts, and not Sundays only.

When a mama asks her boy to take out the trash, she doesn’t expect to see an overflowing bag sitting by the front door. Trash goes to the curb, or to the outdoor garbage cans, or – if you grow up where I did! – to the burning barrel.

When a wife wants a faithful husband, she doesn’t mean 364 days a year; she expects 365 (and some years 366) days of loyal commitment.

And when God commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we need to apply the same high standard. ALL IN!

As we pray for our children and grandchildren to love God wholeheartedly, we can also ask God to reveal where we ourselves might be holding out.

Here are some questions we can ask as we pray for our loved ones (and for ourselves):

• Do I have a divided heart? Is there anything I treasure more than God?
• Do I find myself praying without ceasing – having on ongoing conversation with God throughout my day?
• Does my Savior enter my thought life on Tuesday morning or Friday afternoon?
• Do I ask God about what I buy, read, and watch?
• Has Sunday worship become an optional activity? Am I finding reasons (I don’t feel like braving the rain, there’s a mountain of dirty laundry, I’m in the middle of a great book and can’t wait to finish it) not to gather with other believers?
• Do I give God the first and best of each day?
• Do I speak up when others speak poorly of my Lord?
• Do my posts, tweets, and social media comments indict me as a follower of Christ?
• Do thoughts about God in my mind and heart make their way into my conversations with others?

I hope one or more of these questions convict you as they do me. Perhaps they could even prompt a loving-God-wholeheartedly conversation with a beloved child or grandchild.

Lord God, I pray this child would put You on the throne of his/her life each day and every day. I pray this would be deliberate, conscious, daily choice.  I pray he/she would be ALL IN for you – loving You most and best and with wholehearted devotion.

This week, we welcomed Emily Brannon from Cross Church Pinnacle Hills as a guest speaker for our Bible study in I Corinthians! We hope you’ll enjoy our most recent devotional video as Emily shares insights and truth from I Corinthians, chapter 2.

Watch this week for videos introducing our October Do It! List and Write the WORD downloads. If you don’t follow Cross My Heart Ministry on YouTube, we invite you to visit our channel today and use your Gmail address to sign up. Once subscribed, you’ll be among the first to know when we share a new video!

“…give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:18 [NIV]

Prompted by my pastor when our oldest was only one year old, I began to pray for a thankful heart in my child. I continued this prayer as we added each additional child. Four kids – and three darling granddaughters – later, I’m still praying for thankful Macfarlan hearts.

“Why thankfulness?” you ask.

The first (or most obvious) response might be the blessing released to others. That is true. And that is important. Others are blessed when we express gratitude.

But I’m also convinced that thankfulness is a blessing to the one releasing it. Thankfulness protects against entitlement, materialism, and selfishness … all dangerous to the character of our children. The 21^st-century culture of our western world makes our children vulnerable to “me-ism.” I’m convinced entitlement, materialism, and selfishness are the default in our society, but our prayers can combat these unfortunate norms. We are up against entrenched attitudes, human nature, and even commercials and advertisements. The world will corrupt and entice all of us to make it all about us. It’s natural and easy to make it all about self in this “selfie” world.

But never underestimate the power of a praying mom! We can best fight the culture on our knees. And we can train up children to live selfless in a selfie world.

As we consider praying our children are thankful, consider these prayer prompts:

• Lord, give my child a thankful heart. (I Thessalonians 5:18)
• Jesus, let my child see that every good gift comes down from above. (James 1:17)
• God, I pray my child would intentionally release thankfulness to others.
• Holy Spirit, I pray our family would be thankful in “all circumstances” – by faith, believing that You can and will work all things out for our good and for Your glory. (Romans 8:28)

As we pray, we can also put feet to our prayers by taking these practical steps to teach thankfulness to our children:

1. Do not overindulge in “stuff” but show love in creative ways.
2. Choose at least one night per week to pray “Thank you” prayers. Rather than asking God for something, take turns thanking Him for what He has already done for the blessings of the day. Teach them to pray thank-you prayers for big and small things:
   “God, thank you for the tulips popping through in the flower bed and reminding us that spring is coming.”
   “Jesus, thank you for the baby growing in Aunt Denise’s tummy.”
   “Holy Spirit, thank you for our fun afternoon in the park.”
3. Train your child to respond with thankfulness:
   1. Write thank you notes together with your preschooler—allowing him or her to add their name to the note with your help.
   2. Assist your elementary-aged child to write thank you notes to their teacher, coach, and/or sponsor for their soccer team.
   3. Train your teenager to write thank you notes before cashing the check from grandma and grandpa.
4. Model thankfulness. Most character traits are more “caught than taught,” as I’ve heard Dr. James Dobson say on many occasions.
   1. Sit down together to write thank you notes after Christmas.
   2. Let them hear you intentionally thank your pastor for his teaching on Sunday morning.
   3. Thank your children for big and small things when you see and hear them get it right:
      “Thank you for helping your brother.”
      “Thank you for being kind to your sister.”
      “Thank you for making your bed without being asked.”
5. Ask to speak to the manager when dining out and enjoy seeing his/her face transform from dread to delight when you say, “Our family had such a great meal this evening. Thank you for the good food and excellent service.” (On the way home explain to your children that people always complain when someone gets it wrong, but it’s important to release thankfulness when they get it right!)

The importance of thankfulness was a thread woven through the teaching of Dr. Jonathan Burnham, my wise and godly pastor in the early nineties. Over and again he emphasized the theme of thankfulness in his preaching. Even after moving out of state, that emphasis continued to resonate in my heart and be a priority in my prayers.

All these years later, I give glory to God as I see thankfulness demonstrated in the lives of my children. The thank you notes I have received from them are treasures to keep. They are tangible reminders that, while I did many things wrong, perhaps consistent training in gratefulness was one thing I did right.

Whether you are praying thankfulness into your own children or grandchildren, into your nieces and nephews, or the kids who live across the street or sit in the pew behind you, I hope you will pray faithfully. And I hope that we can all see that a society can truly be transformed by an “attitude of gratitude.”If you have not yet downloaded this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, “30 Prayers & Verses for Our Children,” we invite you to visit our Downloads page for your free copy of the bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. pages – and hope that you’ll start praying along with us in September!

Friday’s devotional video found Laura sharing insights from the first chapter of I Corinthians. Paul, inspired by God, wrote to the church in Corinth, reminding them who they are and the call on their life. Their identity in Christ meant they were called to be HOLY – and so are we! We hope you’ll take a moment to listen as Laura explores what that looks like in the 21st century.

“… from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.”
II Timothy 3:15

Paul is writing to Timothy, his spiritual son. (He refers to him in I Timothy 1:2 as “my true son in the faith.”) Thanks to the faith of his mother and grandmother, Timothy knew about God and knew the Scriptures from an early age.

But, of course, God has no grandchildren. At some point, Timothy believed for himself (II Timothy 1:5). He accepted the gift of salvation that comes by grace through faith.

Like Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s mother and grandmother, we can ensure our children know the Word. We can take them to church to hear the Word. We can play Christian music and buy them Christian books. But, of course, none of that will save them. They must come to sincere faith in Christ on their own.

We can do everything within our power to make sure our children know the truth—and then each must choose to bend their knee to Jesus.

Perhaps you are a woman who did not come to faith yourself until your adult years. Maybe you have adult children that have rejected your faith. Do not let the enemy rob you of peace and joy for today. Do not take on illegitimate guilt. The past is done … confess anything you need to confess, receive His forgiveness (I John 1:9) and then move on! Forgive yourself, sister friend!

Choose today to pray. Pray intentionally and unceasingly for your child, whether he/she is an infant, a child, an adolescent, or an adult. If there is life, there is hope. Pray and keep on praying!

Lord God Almighty, thank You for the gift of salvation! Jesus, thank You for the magnitude of Your great love demonstrated at the Cross and the unmatched strength of Your mighty power demonstrated by Your resurrection. O God, thank You for loving me enough to die for me. Let my child see that you love her and died for her, too. Convict her of sin. Draw her to yourself. Overwhelm her today with Your great love. Let today be her day of salvation!Have you downloaded this month’s free Write the WORD bookmark, 30 Prayers & Verses for Our Children? You can claim your copy here, and we pray that it will bless you by providing prompts that spur you on to pray—and keep praying—for those you love!

I would also like to invite you to join this year’s ladies Bible study in I Corinthians. It’s not too late to join in person or to follow along with our weekly lessons online. This week’s video features an introduction to the study. We invite you to view the first week’s teaching here:

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD
by failing to pray for you…”
I Samuel 12:23

According to Samuel, prayerlessness is indeed a sin.

This verse is part of Samuel’s farewell address to the people of Israel. He served as judge, prophet, and priest — and he took his assignment seriously. He spoke truth, and wasn’t even afraid to confront the king when necessary.

Quite honestly, I feel a bit convicted by his words here and hope you do, as well.

Samuel’s challenge should spur us on to pray for those entrusted to us. Are you a mom, aunt, grandmother, mentor, or neighbor to a child? Do you teach Sunday School? Are you an Awana leader? Most likely every woman of God has a child she can pray for.

Noting that Samuel shares these words in his farewell address also reminds us that although our children may be adults, or our time of teaching a 2^nd grade class has ended, our prayer assignment has not. Samuel may have finished his priestly duties, but he was not finished praying for God’s people.

Are you and I continuing to pray in every season? Or are we allowing other things to draw our attention and lead to prayerlessness?

E.M. Bounds said this about prayer:

“Prayer should not be regarded as a duty
which must be performed,
but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed,
a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty.”

Does prayer feel more duty than delight to you? Would you consider that it could become a privilege to be enjoyed?

Perhaps prayer confuses you. Where to begin? What to pray? Does it really make a difference?

Of course, prayer can include praise and thanksgiving, as well as intercession. We can pray for ourselves, our world, and our nation. The most selfless prayers we pray are those we pray for others. And as we are humbled by preparing our children for life, prayer is our most effective tool.

Praying God’s Word back to Him is a natural way to start praying, to learn to pray, and to continue on in prayer. Inspired by Samuel, this month’s Write the WORD endeavors to equip all of us to press in and pray for the children in our lives. On our Downloads page, you’ll find September’s free bookmark of 30 Prayers & Verses for Our Children, along with the corresponding (but always optional) S.O.A.P. Bible study pages. The PDF download includes two copies of the bookmark; I hope you will use one for yourself and consider sharing the second as a gift.

In Friday’s video, Laura took a closer look at Paul’s “go-to” greeting in I Corinthians 1:3, opening his letter to the church at Corinth: Grace and Peace to you….

Many of the apostle Paul’s letters open with this greeting. It’s easy to read that little phrase quickly and then move on. But we hope Laura’s teaching on this phrase in this week’s devotional video will give you pause each time you hear (or read) “grace and peace” and will prompt you to grateful worship!

It’s not too late to join our fall Bible study of I Corinthians, whether you are able to participate in person, online, or independently! Visit our Facebook Event Page to learn more!

As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17

The expression “peer pressure” certainly carries a negative connotation. Secular and non-secular studies alike have confirmed the impact (particularly during adolescence) of peers. Teenagers, when influenced by their friends, are far more vulnerable to substance abuse, reckless behavior, bullying, and a host of other things that are potentially life-altering.  

As conscientious Christian parents, we may try to postpone the timing of those influences … but please don’t ever assume you can avoid them altogether. And please don’t assume that another teen is godly, simply because he or she was raised in a godly family (to the best of your knowledge).  

When our children are young, we control their relationships. We choose who they play with, what they do, and where they go. And to a certain extent—especially when parents are very engaged with their kids—that can continue into adolescence.

But at some point, we need to hand them the reins. Only you, as the parent, can decide when is the right time for that to happen. It will be a decision not only unique to each family, but perhaps to each child.  

If we are devoted to teaching and training their hearts, our focus will be to prepare them to make good choices for themselves and help them understand how they can do that. It’s easy to build high walls and keep them in place until our children turn 18 … but what happens then?  

As a mother of four adults, I’m a long-time advocate of communication early on. Ask your children what makes a good friend. Role play with questions like, “What would you do if ___?” Using “worst case scenario” tools, empower them for as many situations as you can imagine. Explain some of your own poor choices (or those you have witnessed in others) as a warning. Pray. Talk. Share.  

We must prepare our children to make wise choices in friends. We must also challenge them to be a positive influence upon others.

Here are a few questions that come to mind for discussion with your child: 

1. What qualities make for a good friend? 
2. Who is your best friend and why? 
3. What would you do if a friend wanted you to watch or do something that made you feel uncomfortable? 
4. What did Joseph do when he was in an uncomfortable situation? (See Genesis 39) 
5. Did I ever tell you about the time …? 

Each passing year is one less we have to be the daily, primary influence upon our children. Ultimately, we hope and pray it is the voice of the Holy Spirit they choose to heed above all. But we know that peers will also influence their lives, attitudes, and behaviors.

If they choose well, peer pressure can be a profoundly positive influence in the lives of our children.  

Lord, I pray for my children and for their friends.
I pray You would raise up a generation of Christ followers
who love You and love Your Word.
I pray my children would choose their confidants well.
I pray You would hedge them in from the wrong friends
and steer them to those who will be a positive influence –
that they would mutually encourage each other to live for You,
always and in all ways.
May iron sharpen iron in all their relationships.
Amen.

In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura introduces our September Write the WORD bookmark, which includes 30 prompts for those of us who want to pray for our children (or grandchildren) but aren’t always sure where to begin.

You can download your own copy of September’s bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages here.

Would you like to be one of the first to know when Laura shares a new video? By subscribing to the Cross My Heart Ministry channel on YouTube, you can not only opt to receive notifications of new videos, but you can show your support for our ministry. If our videos and blog posts have been an encouragement to you, we would be honored for you to share them with your friends and family!