In this week’s Martha Monday, Laura shared 10 uses for handwriting Border Sheets from her friends at A Reason For. We hope you’ll be inspired by watching the video today!
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Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom,
and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 4:23
We throw around the word good to describe everything from lunch to world events. We use it to distinguish positive from negative and to greet one another (both coming and going).
So common is the word’s usage that it’s one of the 52 sight words on the Dolch primer list for children. It’s so familiar (and perhaps overused) that we may not give it a lot of thought.
This month, I hope we will give some thought to good – particularly, to the use of the word in the New Testament, where we will find that good (depending on your translation) may also be translated gospel.
Our Write the WORD bookmark for November highlights New Testament verses that feature the word, good. (Regular subscribers might remember the same focus word from November 2020 – with verses from the Old Testament.)
The first verse on our list comes from Matthew 4:23 (noted above). It clues us in on the mission of Jesus during His earthly, incarnate time of ministry: teaching, proclaiming, and healing. His teaching and proclaiming brought good news. His healing confirmed the authenticity of His message. Healing provided tangible evidence of His power over disease and illness. It pointed to the greater truth: His power to heal not only physically, but spiritually. The good news – the gospel – was celebrated by those who embraced it then … and is still celebrated, all these years later, by those who accept it now.
Are you experiencing the gospel as a reality in your life? Do you believe Jesus – His life, death, and resurrection – made good news possible for you? What difference is it making in your life? How is God moving and working in your life to live the reality of the gospel? How is it providing peace and joy, purpose and provision to you personally?
Is it all good for you – because you have believed the good news He proclaimed?
Our Free Gifts to You: You’re invited to download your copy of the November Write the WORD bookmark and begin exploring the good all during November. We also hope you’ll check out the corresponding S.O.A.P. pages (which are optional, but provide a simple, convenient framework for Bible study) and this month’s ‘Do It!’ List … also free to download.
If you have been listening or studying along in our journey through I Kings, you can view this week’s teaching on our YouTube channel here:
If Cross My Heart Ministry’s videos and blog posts have been a blessing to you, subscribing to our YouTube channel is a way to bless us, as well – there is no cost to you, but it is such a help and encouragement to us!
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura introduces our free resources for November! This month’s Write the WORD bookmark features 30 New Testament verses with the word “GOOD.” We invite you to download the bookmark and the optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and join us in writing God’s Word each day of the month.
Also available: the November ‘Do It!’ List. This handy tool was created out of Laura’s years of experience in raising a family and keeping a home. Household responsibilities are divided into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks designed to help busy women balanced the demands of a home with the desire to demonstrate God’s love to others. There’s even a blank version of the ‘Do It!’ List, which allows greater customization to fit your unique circumstances.
Visit the Downloads page of our site to get your copies of these FREE resources. And, if you have not yet subscribed to the Cross My Heart YouTube channel, we hope you’ll do it today! It costs nothing and is the best way to be sure you see new videos when Laura releases them!
“He gives power to the weak,
and to those who have no might He increases strength.”
Isaiah 40:29
Is today a heavy day? Are you feeling under the pile, under the weather, or perhaps overwhelmed? Are you feeling weak, lacking, or just generally inadequate?
We can only survive on adrenaline, caffeine, and willpower for so long. And thankfully, we don’t have to.
We have Jesus.
When we are running on fumes, we need His power. When we are weak, He provides His strength.
Why do we forget?
My life has been one of throwing myself at His feet for the really hard stuff (cancer, job loss, a daughter diagnosed with juvenile diabetes—to name a few), but then sweating the small stuff on my own.
When I wrote out this life-giving, hope-in-Him verse above from Isaiah, it occurred to me: this is the Gospel! Right here in the OLD Testament.
It’s God providing for us what we can’t manufacture or whip up on our own.
We need Him. We need Him for the life-altering challenges and the daily irritations. The big stuff AND the small stuff.
Whether today’s hard thing is emotional or physical, spiritual or medical, financial, vocational, or relational, let’s remind one another that He is the source of our power and His strength is ours for the asking.
When we come to Him for salvation, we must first acknowledge we need saving! The Gospel begins with admitting our need for Him … confessing that, as John Newton put it so perfectly, “I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
And the same is true for our growing in sanctification—living and abiding in Him after we are saved. Asking for His strength means admitting our weakness. Asking for His power means acknowledging I’m on empty.
As women of God, we know we can’t achieve eternal life on our own. So why do we think we can hope to navigate living for Him on our own? We don’t have to! And why would we want to?
Need strength? Need power? Just ask! Our God is a giving God:
“He gives power to the weak,
and to those who have no might He increases strength.”
Can I get an amen?
We continue with Laura’s series of teaching videos from her Bible study in I Kings.
If you have not subscribed to the Cross My Heart YouTube channel, would you consider doing so today? It takes only a moment to sign up with your Gmail account, costs nothing, and is a great way to show your support for our ministry.
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shares a recipe that combines three of her favorite dessert flavors: oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate! We hope you’ll enjoy this latest peek into Laura’s kitchen … and we invite you to visit our YouTube channel today to download the recipe for these delicious Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips Bars!
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you
and guard you from the evil one.”
II Thessalonians 3:3
God is ever faithful. He keeps His Word. He is a promise keeper.
We may not always know or understand what He is doing, but we know HIM. He is for us. He loves us. He has a plan, and his plan is not only for our good, but – more importantly – it is for His glory.
When any human being says, “Trust me,” we may understandably ask for details. But when God says, “Trust me,” we need not hesitate. No need to question. No room for doubt.
Whatever God asks of us, we can – with complete confidence – choose to:
The assignment will differ from person to person, and from day to day for each person. Each moment may offer the choice to obey or not. Obedience is the key ingredient for sanctification. And each time we follow in obedience, the roots of our faith go deeper. We are stronger in Him.
It is a scary, pricey, risky, and exhilarating way to live. Yet, as Dr. David Burnham said, “The Christian life is not the easiest life, but it is the best life!”
Are you intrigued by a faith-fueled life? Have you tried living this way? Did you pray the prayer of faith for salvation all those years ago? Have you been lulled into thinking that faith saved you back then, but faith has little to do with today?
Yes, faith was for that day back then … but faith is also our fuel for living every day now!
We can live by faith because we know God is faithful!
Wherever He sends, whatever assignment He makes, no matter what He asks of us — He goes with us. We are never alone. He promised to never leave us and never forsake us, and our God never breaks His word.
Do you believe He “will establish you and guard you” as promised? If so, then what are you waiting for? Time to live by faith. For the woman of God, that’s what “living large” really means!
The latest teaching video from Laura’s current Bible study in I Kings is available now:
Today we’re revisiting the first-ever Martha Monday video from fall 2019. Cooler days are with us once again, and few things say “fall” like gorgeous, blooming chrysanthemums. Watch as Laura heads outside to demonstrate a quick, easy hack for maintaining fall mums and preparing them to produce more blooms … and also explains the scripture (and woman) who inspired this series.
“…the joy of the LORD is your strength…”
Nehemiah 8:10b
When the people heard the Word of God read aloud by Ezra, they wept and mourned. But Nehemiah offered the reassurance found in today’s scripture verse: God’s strength is our joy. No matter what we walk through, He is our joy, our strength.
This world will bring hard things. Unhappy things. Unwanted, unplanned, and unexpected things. But when we know God, it is possible to be simultaneously unhappy, yet filled with joy. Happy comes and happy goes. But joy is a fruit of the Spirit. That means it is a constant, unchanging part of us. No matter what. Come what may – God is ever with us.
When difficult or challenging circumstances attempt to rob us of our strength, we must declare with Nehemiah, “the joy of the LORD is my strength!”
We may have cried until we are all cried out. The pain seems unending. We pray and nothing changes. We ask, “Why?” We call out, “Where are you, God?”
And then we remember: He is right here with me. His Spirit abides in me. Whatever I am facing did not catch God by surprise. He knows. He understands.
Our Lord is not just the God of “up there” … He is very much the God of “down here,” too.
Jesus put on flesh. He lived and walked as a human. He knows all about pain, rejection, and hurt. He even asked God to change the plan – to “take the cup away,” as He sweated out drops of blood in the Garden. But He prayed through until he reached that place of alignment with the Father’s plan: “Thy will be done.”
The joy of doing the will of the Father gave Jesus the strength to endure the cross. And the joy of living and abiding in Him is our strength, as well.
We may not understand. We may not see how it could end well. We do not see what God is up to. We do not know His plan. But we know Him. And that’s enough. Because He is enough. He is more than enough.
May today find you ready to declare – again – with Nehemiah:
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Does today find you facing a decision? Do you need to figure out a course of action? In this week’s Cross My Heart video devotional, Laura offers ten key questions to consider as we wrestle with and pray through the decisions we need to make. You can view it here:
In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura leads us through a Prayer Walk at her local high school. Prayer walking, as Laura explains it, is the exercise of allowing your prayers to be guided by what you see as you walk in or around a specific place. Join Laura for a Prayer Walk as she talks about the importance of praying for the students, faculty, and staff of the schools in your own area.
The free printable Prayer Walking Guide is available now on our Downloads page.
The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
Exodus 15:2
The bulk of Exodus 15 is a song of praise to God by Moses and Miriam. Their delight in what God had done could not be contained. As witnesses to an extraordinary act of God — the parting of the Red Sea and the deliverance of their people from Pharaoh’s army — the joy in their hearts overflowed into praise on their lips.
If you’ve grown up in church, the story is most likely familiar to you. But take a moment to turn to Exodus 14. Try to place yourself in the sandals of these ancient people who had never known anything but slavery and cruelty. They fled Egypt, following their leader Moses, and found themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place — in this case, Pharaoh’s army behind and the Red Sea in front.
Do they surrender or wait to be slaughtered?
Will death be painful? Will it be quick?
Then, suddenly, terror is transformed to amazement: before their eyes, the sea is miraculously parted!
God made a way where there seemed no way. He rescued His people from certain death. The sea waters parting was miracle enough, but the reality of their dire circumstances catapulted their praise of God to the heights of joyful gratefulness.
Surely the Israelites would have praised God for parting the waters of the Red Sea. But doing so when the enemy was on their heels and death seemed inevitable, propelled their praise to a new level.
Perhaps we have to look back to truly appreciate the deliverance God has provided.
Are you in a good place today? Can you count your blessings? Are you able to acknowledge God’s provision?
Egypt represented sin and the consequences sin always brings: slavery and bondage. For Moses and the Israelites, it was physical slavery. For the follower of Christ, our life before Jesus — our “Egypt” — was spiritual bondage.
The Cross of Christ represents our Red Sea parting, the place where God made a way when there was no way. Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. And, like the parting of the Red Sea, the story may lose some of its wonder over the years because it is so familiar.
But, please. Do not let it.
Take a moment to go back to your Red Sea. Think about the former you, the one on the other side of that wide, seemingly impassible expanse … and let your voice sing along with all of God’s people, as you allow Moses and Miriam to lead you in worship:
“The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
Perhaps your prayers to God today are not so much worship as seeking guidance. Are you faced with a decision you need to make? Laura’s teaching from I Kings will challenge you to consider your own decision-making process, by examining the decisions made by a few of the Kings of Israel. Watch the most recent teaching video here:
