As the calendar get more full, our ingredient lists need to be less so! If you’re scanning for a simple recipe for your Christmas event, here you go! In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shares her recipe for Bumble Berry Cobbler, which only has three ingredients, goes together in a snap, and is absolutely delicious! Give it a try … and have fun changing it up, if you like.
“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.” Nehemiah 12:43
Nehemiah wrote, “…God had given them great joy.” Joy then (and joy now) can only come from God.
Joy, like every good gift, comes down from God above. And when we recognize it as coming from Him, our response when we receive joy is to give it back. The gift of joy (then and now) prompts joyful worship.
The passage also teaches us that joy from God prompts not only worship, but sacrifice. By its very definition, sacrifice is just that: a sacrifice. It should cost us something. And the more valuable our offering, the greater the sacrifice and, perhaps, the more profound the worship.
When we think of giving something to God, our minds automatically think of money. But for those of us living a life of blessing in the western world, time may be a greater sacrifice than writing a check. Our sacrifice may be our time, our talent, our treasure, or a combination of all these. The bottom line is that the more we overflow with joy, the greater our longing to give back worship and sacrifice.
In fact, sometimes the worship itself is the sacrifice. When we choose to worship God from a place of difficulty, challenge, or hardship, our praise is a choice and a commitment. It may even be offered up with tears. The Psalmist calls this a “sacrifice of praise.”
When our son Luke was young, he and his best buddy Karl had a little game they played called, “The Useless Item of the Week.” When they would visit each other, they would bring a gift of something deemed useless: an old billiard ball, a lone card to an unknown game, a piece of electrical wire, and a foreign coin (to name a few). Luke kept his “gifts” in an old Boy Scout popcorn can (appropriate for our Eagle Scout!) and enjoyed a good laugh with the addition of each new item received from Karl.
Are our offerings to God those things we find useless or unwanted? Do we worship God only when its convenient or when we feel like it?
Would you consider – especially during seasons of uncertainty and challenge – that joy still flows? That God is still on His throne and still providing? That we have hope because, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (John 1:14).
May the reality that God became man and came to us bring you great joy, no matter what your circumstances. And may that truth prompt a response of worship and sacrifice.
May your Christmas be joyous, worshipful, and sacrificial!
We invite you to watch and listen to this week’s devotional video, as Laura unpacks Psalm 51:12, one of our December verses on JOY:
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12
King David prayed the words above following his great sin with Bathsheba. I always assumed David lost his joy because he sinned, but I now believe it is equally true that he sinned because he lost his joy.
Maintaining our relationship with Christ keeps us experiencing joy (a fruit of the spirit). But it is also vital for keeping us safe and protected from sin. When sin reigns, there is no joy.
Salvation brings the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which, in turn, produces fruit: love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
We sustain that joy by abiding in Christ: placing ourselves in His presence, reading His Word, regularly spending time in prayer. You most likely could add other spiritual disciplines to the list.
The life of an abiding believer is characterized by a daily time set aside to be with Jesus. You may call it your devotion (time devoted to Jesus) or your quiet time (time to silence the distractions of the day and focus on Him). Whatever we call it, making this time holy — deliberately setting it aside each day — is key to sustaining our walk with Christ.
Every relationship requires an investment of time to grow. Our relationship with Christ is no different. Joy comes with salvation, but it is sustained by devotion.
And yet, we are human. We become distracted. We read the words while our minds think ahead to the tasks of the day. Our commitment wavers. We skip a day. Then another. We are out of fellowship and vulnerable to sin.
It happened to King David. It can certainly happen to us!
When we wander far and yield to temptation, David’s prayer can become ours: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation…” Easy words to pray. Powerful words when prayed sincerely, because repentance brings the restoration of joy.
But we mustn’t forget that the prayer came in two parts. David also prayed, “…and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.” You and I can also ask God to transform our hearts and minds — to give us the “want-to” (what David called, “a willing spirit”).
Sustaining our joy is all about maintaining the relationship. And perhaps sustaining is most challenging (and never more crucial) than when life is exceedingly full or particularly hard. Like during the holidays. Like living through trials and tribulations. Like when life is lonely or sad or desperate.
Whatever your status in relationships, finances, or health … whatever the balance in your checking account (or the total of your unpaid bills) … whether your calendar is filled and overflowing or all white space … the real question is: what’s your joy status? Are you abiding in Christ? Every day? Moment by moment? Are you in a sustain-joy mode or a restore-joy mode?
Whether life is full or not full enough, are you abiding in Him? If there is no Jesus, there can be no joy. But if you know Jesus, you know joy!
I pray that your December is filled with joy because you are abiding in Him. May you have the “want-to” — the willing spirit — to sustain your relationship with Jesus. Likewise, I hope this month’s Write the WORD bookmark might help, and I invite you to download this free resource and begin writing and studying God’s WORD with us every day.
Our guest speaker at this week’s Bible study, Lindsey Taylor, shared a timely message for the Christmas season. Using a “Screwtape Letters” style with her own Christmas twist, Lindsey convicted and challenged all of us to not allow distractions to rob us of JOY.
We invite you to listen and be blessed by what Lindsey shared with us!
Visit our Downloads page for your own copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, focusing on JOY. You will also find additional free resources to help you balance your busy life with your heart for God, as we move into this Christmas season.
For seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete. Deuteronomy 16:15
The fruit of our labor – whether we harvest literally or figuratively – is a result of God’s blessing and provision. The farmer’s toil is rewarded with a literal harvest, while the tradesman celebrates a completed project, and the author, a published book. A mother may rejoice that potty training has been successfully navigated, a student delights in the completion of finals week, and homeowners celebrate when the flower beds are weeded and mulched.
Work brings satisfaction, and the completion of work brings joy. The resources to do the job coupled with our personal capacity to lift, walk, labor, think and produce – all are the blessings of the One who gave us life and endowed us with resources.
All we are and all we have are a gift from Him.
As we are wrapping up the Thanksgiving season, we can recall certain words that point to this annual season: harvest, gratitude, thankfulness. And, as we prepare to replace the pumpkins and cornucopias with Christmas trees and holly wreaths, and as orange and yellow give way to red and green, we are poised to usher in a new set of seasonal words: peace, joy, merry, noel.
But as we re-read the verse above – one we might label as a “Thanksgiving” verse because of the harvest theme – we note it concludes with JOY.
We need not relegate JOY to celebrating Christmas only (any more than we need to assign thankfulness only to Thanksgiving). Life is a rhythm … an ebb and flow of seasons, work, and satisfaction that prompt thankfulness, joy,and grateful praise to the God who provided all of it!
Let’s make JOY the end result of every season!
Our Write the WORD bookmark for the month of December was conceived to help us focus on JOY, a word that appears in each daily verse. As you read, write, ponder, and pray God’s WORD this month, it is my fervent hope that you will then be prompted to speak it, tell it, and live it. May your joy be complete!
Be sure to visit our ‘Downloads’ page for your own copy of this month’s Write The WORD: JOY bookmark and S.O.A.P. Bible study pages.
In this week’s devotional video, Laura issues a challenge to add thanking and praising “bookends” to the beginning and end of each day. Inspired by both I Chronicles 23:30 (duties for the Levites) and the life of Brother Andrew (The Practice of the Presence of God), we pray this challenge will be accepted – and change up our “why” for all we do during the holiday season and into the new year.
You can order your copy of The Practice of the Presence of Godhere (and Cross My Heart Ministry might even receive a few pennies from Amazon when you do). And don’t forget to visit our Downloads page for the December Write the WORD bookmark, S.O.A.P. study pages, and more.
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” II Corinthians 9:8
What a great verse! God is able to bless you and bless me—and to do it abundantly.
It’s a wonderful time to meditate on this verse, as we move into this week of celebration and thanksgiving for the abundance that our Heavenly Father has given us.
Blessing is defined differently in God’s economy than in the world. Our culture measures blessing in dollars, square footage, or social media views and likes.
But when God blesses us, it’s about what we get to be part of, not what we get.
Blessing from God is “catch and release.” He blesses us so that we can bless others. And when you get that—when that becomes the desire of your heart—everything changes. You gain a new perspective on who you are, the purpose for your life, and why you were created.
Not just blessing, but abundant blessing.
Not just some times, but all times.
Not just a little, but all that you need.
And not a few of our works, but every good work.
Because of God’s provision, we are blessed with everything we need: the presence of His Spirit, the gift if of His Word, and the daily gift of time and people to love on.
Because of God’s presence and provision, we can abound at ALL times and in EVERY good work. Does that truth stir your heart, friend? Does it light your fire? Does it spur you on, as it does me?
The word abound means to be over and above, to exceed the ordinary, to overflow, and to have a surplus.
What a promise! What a God! How good He is to us! He is the God of unlimited resources—the creator and sustainer of our universe and the lover of our souls.
Reading this verse on my birthday just last week, I chose to receive it as a great gift from our very good God. It’s a gift for you, too! But like any other gift, we must open and use it before we can truly own and appreciate it.
As we head into Thanksgiving week, are you ready for some abounding—some “catching and releasing” of God’s abundant blessings? I know I am! Thank you, Lord!
Paul gets very personal in the lesson from this week’s teaching video. We hear his testimony and it can be summarized:
• I was… • But God… • And now…
We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks this powerful story of Amazing Grace and hope Paul’s story spurs you on to tell YOUR story—and that others will hear that story and glorify God!
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Cross My Heart Ministry!
Looking for a new recipe to jazz up your holiday breakfast table? Maybe something yummy for the neighbors, the office, or to drop off for the church staff? We got ya covered with a quick and easy recipe that incorporates one of the favorite flavors of the season: cranberry!
Watch Laura make this delicious Christmas Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Bake, and then dash out to buy cranberries while they’re available! You can visit our YouTube channel to download a printable copy of today’s recipe, too.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. Romans 12:9
Paul makes a declaration about love at the beginning of verse 9: Love must be sincere. He then follows up with several ways we can walk that out. The first two applications address how we respond to GOOD versus how we respond to evil.
Paul maintains that love, then, is active—not passive. Love is more than a noun; it’s also a verb.
Words are cheap. How easy it is to wax poetic, say the right thing, and tell folks what they want to hear. Everyone longs to be loved, but don’t we also want the love we receive to be genuine … real … authentic?
Pretended love is fabricated. It is manipulative, self-seeking, and opportunistic. It’s not really love at all, but a cheap counterfeit. Love is proven real by what it does. How it is lived out.
Do we love others because of what they can do for us … what we can get from them?
Do others love us with less than honorable motivations?
In our flesh—our human condition—we are predisposed towards selfishness, pride, and insincere love. We default to making it “all about me.”
Do I love others … so that I will be filled up?
Do I love others … so that I will be needed?
Do I love others … so that I will feel love in return?
If our emotions are never returned in kind, how do we respond? Irritation? Disappointment? Anger? All those could indicate an insincere love.
Sincere love expects nothing in return. It releases love without the expectation of being lifted up, fawned over, or even thanked. If my love boomerang doesn’t come back at me, do I stop playing the love game?
The NASB version for Romans 12:9 reads, “Let love be without hypocrisy.”
Do I love hypocritically? Do I say one thing with my lips but hold a different attitude in my heart and mind? Sincere love is consistent from the inside all the way to the outside!
Sincere love is a fierce love; it actively hates evil. It fights against, defies, and seeks to eradicate evil. And it simultaneously clings to the GOOD. Even when it’s hard to do it, we keep holding on … clinging to the good!
What does loving sincerely—by hating evil and clinging to good—look like in your life?
If you’re following our ministry this month, we’re all getting a double dose of GOOD!
The Write the WORD bookmark for November is focused on New Testament verses that all include the word “GOOD” and our weekly ladies’ group is studying the book of Galatians—where Paul relentlessly defends and proclaims the GOOD NEWS.
We invite you to listen to this week’s teaching video as Laura talks a little about the good news of the gospel. We hope it inspires you to Write the WORD with us during November. There are still two weeks left in the month, and you can down the free bookmark with verses from our Downloads page!
“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?
Visit our Downloads page today for your copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, optional S.O.A.P. study pages, and other free resources!
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.
Thanks to our friends at Walmart, there is a way we can systematically do good by rounding up our purchases to support a local charity. In this week’s Martha Monday video, Laura shows you how to sign up — and when you do, we hope you will consider supporting Cross My Heart Ministry.
And while you’re thinking about doing good, we also invite you to Write the WORDwith us this month, as we focus on (you guessed it!) verses featuring the wordGOOD. We invite you to visit our Downloads page, where you’ll find our free bookmark that includes one New Testament verse for each day this month. While you’re there, be sure to check out the November Do It! List and other free resources, as well.
