Cross My Heart Ministry

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me,
if only I may finish the race and complete the task
the Lord Jesus has given me –
the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
Acts 20:24

It may have taken Paul a bit of time to accept the baton Jesus was offering, but once he grabbed hold of it, he just kept running! Nothing else mattered. Not even life itself was more precious to Paul than completing his assignment from Jesus.

In Acts 20, Paul’s race is taking him to Jerusalem—and, humanly speaking, it will not end well for Paul there. He knows what lies ahead. He is not sprinting with his eyes closed. He runs with determination and a relentless commitment to finish strong.

The Holy Spirit has warned him that the next leg of his race will bring prison and hardship. His response: “I consider my life worth nothing to me.”

After the Damascus Road experience, Paul’s life is defined by carrying the good news to anyone who would listen … and even to those who refused to listen! By the end of Acts, there is an even greater urgency, a determined compulsion to run harder.

Paul ran hard not because he was an overachiever or because there was a reward waiting for him. He ran for Jesus. He ran because the baton he carried was given to him by our Savior.

Do you and I run for the same reason?

The good news of salvation is a message we all carry. If we know and love God, we know the gospel … but are we eager to share it? Do we look for opportunities to deliver it, or hide our baton and share it grudgingly? Are we carrying it where Jesus has directed, or—like the poor guy who intercepted the football, got turned around, then ran the ball into the opposing team’s end zone—are we running hard but in the wrong direction?

Paul was sent to Jerusalem. Some are sent to Africa or Alaska, China or Cyprus. You and I may be sent across town or across the street.

WHERE we end up matters much less than WHO sends us. Whatever our destination, the message will be the same: the gospel. But are we running races not assigned to us? Are we sitting on the sidelines when we should be in the race?

How can we know? We ask.

Jesus, empower me by your Spirit to run the race You have assigned to me. Show me my race. Help me to do no more – and no less – than You have apportioned to me. Fuel me for the race by Your Spirit. Thank you for the precious baton of truth I carry: the good news, the gospel. Help me to never ever get over what You have done for me. Help me to run all the way to the finish line and to run for Your glory!

Paul opens the book of Galatians by reminding them first that they have been rescued. The Gospel—the Good News—should prompt praise. But the Galatians have deserted the truth and listened to the lies from those who have distorted and perverted the gospel, making it no gospel at all. We invite you to watch and listen to this week’s teaching lecture, and be reminded of the Gospel: salvation by faith alone through grace alone!

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

• It’s all good!
• Good as new!
• Good news or bad news?
• Good to see you
• Good deal
• A world of good
• Good sport
• Good day
• Goodbye

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. (We hope you’ll join us in January, when we drill down on the same word 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 it 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?

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In this week’s Friday video, we welcome you to our study in Galatians: Be Free and Live Free!

Paul wrote this letter to the churches he established in Galatia. The theme of the book is the GOSPEL.

In this introductory teaching lecture from Laura, we learn that Paul writes to address an issue in the churches: the gospel has been messed with and he will not have it!

As you listen, we hope and pray you will have a deeper understanding of the gospel for your life — the gospel that sets you free and enables you to live free. Click here to access “Who Was Saul/Paul?,” the one-page worksheet used with the small group discussion today.

“I am the light of the world
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

If you and I are truly disciples, we will follow Jesus.

Following Him may begin as a have-to. But the longer I follow Him, the more I want to follow Him.

In Him, I find my place. My people. My purpose. No better place to be. Staying close to Jesus brings safety and security. It brings peace and it brings joy.

This may beg the question, How do I know I’m following Jesus?

The answer is in the verse above:  you are walking in the light instead of the darkness.

Followers of Jesus walk in the light of His presence. One indicator we are staying close to Him is  fellowship with other believers. I John 1:7a says:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another …

Think about it. If you are following hard after Jesus – staying right on His heels – there will be other believers walking (or running!) right along with you! A good self-check to ask, “Am I going at this alone?”

And we allow His WORD to illumine our path:

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. [Psalm 119:105]

More self-check questions:

• Do I intentionally and consciously make decisions based upon the WORD of God?
• Have I ever made a course correction based upon the WORD of God?
• Do I humbly receive the guidance of the WORD?
• Do I downplay the commands of Scripture when they contradict my wants, desires, or choices?

Following hard after Jesus can be…hard. But if you know Jesus, you have the “light of life” because His Holy Spirit has taken up residence in your heart. He empowers us to keep walking, and to keep following.

Just as our physical muscles get stronger as they are used, so do our faith muscles. And somewhere along the journey have-to gives way to want-to and then delight-to and even need-to.

We come to realize that staying close to Jesus is the best place, the safest place, and the most joyous place. There’s scary stuff out there in the dark! Why mess with that when I can stay in the light with my Lord?!

I pray this week finds you walking in the light, as you follow hard after our Lord!

As our ladies’ group wrapped up their study of Esther, it was a joy to celebrate God’s sovereignty as we examined the many ways He turned the tables in the events unfolding in the book of Esther. In this week’s teaching lecture, Laura reminded us that He does the same in our lives today! We hope this week’s devotional video (and the entire study of Esther) will prompt you to turn your heart to Him!

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me…
Psalm 23:4a

Have you had a “dark valley” experience?

Life in this world has a way of bringing those. Our journey through life takes us to exhilarating mountain-tops and unwanted valleys. The path is sometimes straight, sometimes winding. Some days we see ahead for miles; others, barely enough for the next step. Our journey may be smooth, bumpy, curvy, loud, or lonely.

Spiritually speaking, we may think of the mountain-top walks as times we are closest to God. The sun shines on our faces and all seems right. Peaceful. Worry-free.

In contrast, then, the valley is often a metaphor for life’s struggles: the dangerous, disappointing, and downright hard things that come. A valley walk might bring small irritations and interruptions or deeply painful circumstances – some the result of things we’ve done and others the result of things done to us. Either way, living in the valley can bring no small degree of disillusion, disappointment, and even despair. A time where the sojourner may even question God’s goodness and His faithfulness.

Have you been there? In a place that you ask:

God, are you there?

Do you see?

Do you love me?

Hard things can bring on a crisis to our faith. When we come to the realization that God is big enough, powerful enough, strong enough to do anything. To fix everything. To put the pieces back together, write the wrong, and bring beauty from ashes. Just a nod from Him or a tiny twitch of His pinky finger. We wait, we ask … yet He does not oblige.

The realities of the valley can shake our faith. Some among us have allowed those realities to shatter their faith. But they can also be the most profound opportunity to bolster and strengthen our faith.

Valley-walkers need not conjure up our courage, shake our fist, and boldly declare, “I will not be afraid!” All the human bravado we can muster can’t make us courageous enough to conquer every scary monster in the dark valley.  We can make that declaration, but it’s not our own resolve that keeps fear at bay.

The real why behind our declaration – the real reason we can walk without fear – is the presence of God. Because He walks with us, we can keep putting one foot in front of the other, doing the next thing, going forward (sometimes just inch by inch as find our footing). All because our hand is in His.

Is the valley a few yards or a few miles? Will the darkness be around a few days or a few months? Or do we measure it in years?

So many questions.

As I read Psalm 23 again and again, I often find there is new insight in the old, familiar passage. And as I write His Word this week, the “light-bulb” moment is prompted by the little preposition, through.

The valley is a season. It may be a long season, but it won’t last forever. Asking the questions helps us walk through.

Have you settled in with your pain? Are you embracing it as a martyr – allowing it to define you? Are you choosing to live in the valley rather than walk through it?

Would you allow God’s presence to give you courage to get up, take His hand, and walk through?

No matter how far or how long, each step strengthens our faith muscles.

What happens begins to matter less.

Who is with me matters so much more.

God doesn’t suddenly become bigger, but because my faith is bigger, He is a bigger presence in my life.

The valley experiences prompt questions.  So many questions. The woman of God asks the questions and leans in to really listen for His answers. We accept His answers, even when they are:

Wait.

Trust me.

Not yet.

His presence calms and reassures. His presence brings peace. Nothing has changed (yet), and yet everything has changed, because the valley has changed me. I trust Him more deeply, hold His hand more tightly.

I may not have all the answers, but I have Him.

And when my question becomes:

Is He enough?

I can declare, even through tears:

He is enough.

HE IS ENOUGH!

OH, JESUS YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH!

In this week’s devotional video, we welcome Jennifer Francis as guest teacher for our ladies Bible study. You will be blessed as Jennifer walks through this week’s text to see how God was providentially working in every detail of the events of Esther’s story. We invite you to listen as Jennifer explains how God accomplished His redemptive purpose through Esther, and as we celebrate that truth, we can rejoice that He does the same for us.

Walk in the way the Lord your God has commanded you,
so that
you may live and prosper and prolong your days
in the land that you will possess.
Deuteronomy 5:33 (NIV 1984)

The updated NIV translates walk in the way as walk in obedience. Do you think
“obedience” conveys a bit of legalism? Does it put you off? Is it easier to accept the challenge to, walk in the way than walk in obedience?

Other translations admonish us to:

• Walk in all the ways (KJV)
• Walk entirely in the way (NASB)
• Walk in all the way (ESV)
• Stay on the path (NLT)

Since few of us read Hebrew, these various translations clarify the challenge God gives us through Moses. But regardless of how the call is translated, don’t miss the so that – the reason the One who knows us best and loves us most gives for obeying His commands. (Did you notice I gave so that its own line, hoping you wouldn’t miss it? I love finding a so that, a reason for what God is calling us to do. Because, after all, He is God. He doesn’t have to tell us why.)

The so that – the blessings that He promises come to us when we walk in the way (or walk in obedience…) can be summed up in two words:

• Life
• Prosperity

Clearly, these are good things. So that means walking in His way is a good thing.

Our knee-jerk, default, auto-pilot response to obedience to the commands is often reject or resist. We stiff-arm God’s call and deem it outdated, inhibiting or unnecessary.

But we do so to our own loss.

Do we really want to forfeit life and prosperity? Clearly, life and prosperity are defined differently in God’s economy than by the world. But they are better. And they last longer.

Living life God’s way means being filled with and led by His Spirit. That then means the traits of the fruit of the Spirit will be growing in our lives. The filling and fruit of the Spirit is both the means and the prosperous result of walking in His way:

• The way of love.
• Joyful obedience.
• Peace the world cannot provide.
• Patience with others.
• Kindness we never thought we could release…or receive.
• Goodness that can only come from Him.
• Faithfulness that defies who we know we are.
• Gentleness so gentle we know it is contrary to our own nature.
• Self-control that surprises and astonishes us.

We live the “life that is truly life” (Paul’s words to Timothy, I Timothy 6:17-19), as we pivot from walking our way to walking in the way of the Lord.

His way will not always be pain free. Life and prosperity will look and feel different than we once thought.

The question we must really ask ourselves is:  Do I truly want life and prosperity?

So how about it? Are you tired of “doing it your way” (as Frank Sinatra once sang)? Are you ready to walk in the way of the Lord? If so, would you pray with me:

Lord, I want to walk in Your way. Help me to walk in Your way. I truly desire to receive and embrace every spiritual blessing of life and prosperity You have for me in Christ Jesus. This IS what I truly desire. Help me to make this my desire!

Esther resigned herself to face death at the end of Chapter 4, but three days later marches into the King’s presence with a plan. What happened? What changed? Three days of prayer and fasting!

We invite you to watch this week’s devotional video, in which Laura’s teaching focuses on the faith of Esther, the pride of Haman, and the sovereignty of God.

… Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time,
and he walked faithfully with God.
Genesis 6:9b

Noah is introduced to us in Genesis 6:9 for the first time. In just a few words, much is added to his spiritual resume. Noah is righteous and blameless. He does right things, He is a man of virtue who makes good choices. He is guiltless and without fault.

The phrase “among the people of his time” is perhaps added to make his character all the more remarkable. He lived among a wicked and perverse generation. Verse 11 describes his culture as “corrupt in God’s sight” and “full of violence.”  His choice to go against the culture is akin to “swimming upstream.” He stood out. His righteous/blameless character was a sharp contrast to the corruption and violence of the world he lived in.

You and I are declared righteous and found blameless when we place our faith in Christ. We are justified by grace. And, like Noah, we too can live differently and live counter to the culture. Paul said that we “shine … like stars in the sky.” (Philippians 2:15).

The darker the world becomes, the greater our opportunity to shine for Jesus!

The phrase that stands out most for me today is:

He walked faithfully with God.

Noah’s choice to walk with God (rather than walk with the world around him) is what made him righteous and blameless. “You are what you run with,” my mama used to say. One of our teaching pastors recently said, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”

Righteousness wasn’t the prerequisite but the result of walking with God.

I’ve read this passage many, many times since I became a student of the WORD as a young adult, but today (as there always is) I find fresh manna at God’s table!

Hidden here in Genesis 6:9, an Old Testament verse, is a New Testament truth. It’s the gospel. The good news. Our identity with Him brings change. But we must choose to go Him. We get what we are looking for – what we truly desire. We place ourselves in His presence, abide in His Word, we come to Him faithfully.

Faithfully.

That one little adverb packs a lot of punch. Noah’s walk with God wasn’t weekly – he didn’t have a Tuesday morning or Friday afternoon outing with God. His walk was not monthly or seasonal. Faithfully suggests a continual walk.

The Hebrew word for walk here is hālak. It carries the meaning, “to walk as a lifestyle.”

Some translations just say walk, but my NIV adds faithfully, perhaps trying to convey the rhythm and consistency denoted by hālak.

Do you see the challenge here? Are you willing to embrace it?

Are you taking an occasional stroll with God? Is your time with him a weekly (or monthly) 15-minute outing?

Are you ready to commit to walking faithfully? If faithfully is your intention, these adverbs might help shore up what that looks like:

• Intentionally
• Sacrificially
• Purposefully
• Deliberately
• Preferentially

Choosing to walk faithfully will not bring a reward of an extra 30 minutes to your day. You are still limited to 24 hours. Where does the time come from? How will it happen?

More than giving God 10, 20 or 30 minutes a day, perhaps faithfully means bringing Him into all of it. Every single minute. A conscious awareness of His presence will being to transform all the nitty gritty daily actions and decisions.

Walking faithfully make be exactly what Jesus was inviting us into when He said, “abide in me.” (John 15)

Lord, show me the next best step to walk faithfully with you today.

In this week’s teaching video, our study in the book of Esther has arrived at a crisis: God’s people are facing annihilation. After asking her to keep her Jewish heritage a secret, now Mordecai calls on her to plead for her people.

Esther agrees and calls for three days of prayer and fasting to prepare. Her example challenges us to engage in prayer, as well. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, there’s a prayer for that!

We invite you to watch now as Laura reminds us that whatever situation we find ourselves in, there’s a prayer for that! If you would be interested in joining our Bible study in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, or online, please reach out to us via email for more information.

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 we pray that the children in our lives would love God wholeheartedly, it means ALL IN. Not half-way, not half-heartedly, and not Sundays only.

When a mama asks her teenager to take out the trash, she doesn’t expect to see the trash sitting by the front door. It must make it all the way to the curb.

When a wife wants a faithful husband, she doesn’t mean 364 days a year – she expects 365 (and some years 366)!

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 the children in our sphere of influence 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 the children in our lives (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 God enter my thought life on Tuesday morning or Friday afternoon?
• Do I ask God about what I buy, read, and watch?
• Has Sunday morning 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 God?
• Do my posts, tweets, and social media comments indict me as a woman of God?
• 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 your child, grandchild, nephew or niece, a student in your class or church, or a young person in your neighborhood.

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 love You most and best and with a wholehearted devotion.

Our Write the WORD verses for the month of October all include the word, WALK. Spanning both the Old and New Testaments, these verses will challenge us to consider our spiritual walk with Christ.

In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura reflected on our spiritual WALK … our journey of sanctification. We invite you to listen as Laura introduces the coming month’s topic. Then, visit our Downloads page for your own copy of the October Write the WORD bookmark.