Cross My Heart Ministry

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”
Psalm 7:17 

We have so many reasons to thank God. We thank Him for our families, our homes, and our many blessings.  We thank Him for answered prayers. We thank Him for many facets of His character: His love, compassion, grace, and mercy. 

But does it ever occur to us to thank Him for His righteousness?  

As I consider my salvation, I realize that God’s righteousness—combined with His love—is what makes my destiny for eternity a reality.  

I have thanked and praised Him often for His love, but His righteousness is equally important.

If He was loving but lacked righteousness, the requirements of the law would not be satisfied in Jesus; the law required a righteous sacrifice be nailed to that Cross. But if He was righteous only, not loving, He may have declined the Cross altogether.

It’s not either/or … it’s both/and! 

Because Christ Jesus is both loving and righteous, we must thank Him. Our Savior is perfectly righteous – without blemish – and perfectly loving. Only Jesus satisfies both requirements.  

For each of us, our natural temperament or personality may lead us to focus more on His love or on His righteousness. But, like two sides of the same coin, He is both.

Thankfully, He is both.  

Please just stop for a few moments and allow that truth to settle in. Acknowledge He is both. Choose to be grateful that He is both. Thank Him for being both.  

Only in Jesus, the God-Man, are the righteous requirements of the law satisfied. Only in Jesus do we have hope for eternity. Only in Jesus can we be declared righteous in God’s eyes.  

Thank you, Jesus, for being righteous. Thank you, Jesus, for being loving.  

Let’s proclaim with the Psalmist:  

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Our latest teaching video features thoughts from Molly Duddleston from Cross Church Pinnacle Hills, on I Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul refuted false teaching that had crept into the church at Corinth. We hope you’ll listen now as Molly addresses one of the foundational truths of Christianity: the resurrection.

Have you downloaded our March Write the WORD bookmark and (optional) S.O.A.P. Bible study pages? If not, we hope you’ll jump in today and join us for the rest of the month as we read, write, and meditate on verses about righteousness. Visit our Downloads page for these and other free resources to help you balance your heart for God and His children, with the many commitments of your busy life.

“…not having a righteousness of my own
that comes from the law,
but that which is through faith in Christ—
the righteousness that comes from God
on the basis of faith.”
Philippians 3:9

I recently searched online for houses of similar size and style. I found two 3-bedroom, 2-bath, ranch style homes – but the similarities ended there. One is located in Newport Beach, CA; the other in Bay St. Louis, MS. Their prices: $2,335,000 and $139,900, respectively. That’s $1,474 per square foot vs. $89 per square foot! 

A supply list of how many 2″ x 4″ boards, windows, doors, and shingles required to duplicate each house would, most likely, be roughly the same. The value has more to do with location. One home is declared more valuable, because of where it is. 

We are all fixer-uppers. We are all in need of some changing out and some updating. And it is our location at the foot of the cross that has us declared righteous. As Paul says, we have no righteousness on our own – it is all imputed to us through Christ. 

You and I may not feel righteous. We may not always behave like women of God…but if our identity is in Christ, that’s exactly what we are. Our location at the foot of the cross means we are sinners, but we are declared righteous. 

Our location at the cross changes everything! 

We know we are unworthy, but are declared worthy because of Jesus. In Christ, we are made righteous. In Romans 3, Paul reminds us: 

This righteousness from God comes through faith
in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and all are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

We are justified – we are declared righteous – in Christ. That’s a game changer! 

When you look at yourself (or when the world looks at you), what do you see? A woman who has messed up…again? A less-than-perfect wife and mom? A woman who is less-than striving and trying to be more-than? To get it right?  

When God sees you, you are viewed through the completed work of Jesus. You are loved and forgiven. You are righteous.  

Because we have been declared righteous, we get to live righteous! No more striving – just resting in our identity in Him and free to live loved.  

You are not who the world says you are. You are more than what you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. The world may see a sinner with a past, but God declares you to be a saint with a future! Go ahead – live like the righteous woman He declares you to be!

In this week’s teaching video, Laura addresses a topic from I Corinthians 14 that many may view as controversial: tongues. We hope you’ll watch as she lays this out – and then make some time to pray over your questions, asking to allow love to lead out as you exercise your own God-given spiritual gifts.

If you have not yet downloaded your own copy of our free Write the WORD bookmark, it’s not too late to join in as we read, write, and study verses with the word RIGHTEOUSNESS this month! Visit our Downloads page for the March bookmark, S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other free resources.

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:21 

Here is yet another verse underscoring that our relationship with Jesus makes every other relationship work. 

If I love Jesus, I will love the “one anothers” in my life. Because I have been forgiven by Jesus, I must forgive the “one anothers” in my life. And because I want to honor and revere Jesus, I will submit to the “one anothers” in my life.  

Jesus is the inspiration, the reason, and the joyful compulsion for pushing forward to release inexplicable love, forgiveness, respect, and honor.  

And, most importantly, He is also the source of the ability to get it done.  

There is no fuel in my fleshly engine to love and keep on loving, to forgive and keep on forgiving, to submit and keep on submitting. The assignment is way too exhausting, painful, time-consuming, and humiliating.  

I can’t do it. The “Laura” in me gives out, gives up, or (in many cases) never even gets started.

With some “one anothers” in my life, I just don’t want to.

With others, I’ve tried and given up.  

A horizontal view prompts a zillion reasons (…excuses?) why I cannot and should not. I can easily justify giving myself a pass. Perhaps I even congratulate myself for simply considering the release of love, forgiveness, and honor to a particular person.

But then there’s the vertical perspective. I look up. Focusing my heart and mind on Jesus brings contrition. He loves me in spite of.  He forgives me even if. He honors me no matter.  

He knows everything – all the stuff I’ve thought, said, and done. Even the ugly buried deep, He knows. And He loves, forgives, and honors me anyway.

I am wholly undeserving, and He gives anyway.  

If I hold tenaciously to anger, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness – and refuse to release love, honor, forgiveness, and compassion – perhaps it says more about my relationship with Jesus than my fractured relationship with my “one another.”  

• Do I trust He is big enough to protect me? 
• Do I trust He will see and provide? 
• Do I believe He is able to help me do what I could never do on my own? 
• Do I believe Him?  
• Is the object of my faith bigger than my what-ifs?  

Clearly, this girl has some praying and pondering to do! How about you?

Our Write the WORD bookmark for March is now available, and in this week’s teaching video, Laura takes a few moments to introduce our next topic. To prepare our hearts for Easter, we’ve chosen the word RIGHTEOUSNESS. We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks truth about righteousness — before the cross and after — and encourage you to download your own copy of our March bookmark as we get ready to read, write, and study what scripture says about righteousness in the coming month.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other,
just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 

Just because we are believers does not mean we will not hurt each other. In fact, those we are closest to have the greatest capacity for wounding us.  

When a stranger is mean, we can (literally or figuratively) roll our eyes and walk away. But when a “one another” criticizes us, tears and sleepless nights may result. Ice cream could be involved.  

In extreme cases those wounds are deeper than hurt feelings. They can bring life-long consequences. The most horrific of those behaviors cast a shameful eye on the body of Christ. The result can be years of counseling for the victim, and incarceration for the perpetrator when justice must be served.  

You and I may never (I hope) face those extreme circumstances. But we probably will encounter relationship struggles that need more than a quart of Rocky Road to overcome.  

All of us have most likely endured – and may face again – a situation where we are insulted, criticized, misunderstood, unappreciated, overlooked, condemned, maligned, or gossiped about by a fellow believer. It may come from a member of our church, our circle of friends, perhaps even our family.  

When the “one anothers” in our lives behave badly, that’s on them. They are responsible for their behavior.  

But our response to their bad behavior is on us. I am responsible for me. You are responsible for you. And one day, we will all answer to God for every bit of it. 

Are you and I holding onto a hurt … perhaps one that began years ago? Has it rooted itself in deep, growing from a tiny seed to a firmly entrenched plant of bitterness with kudzu-type tenacity?  

• Have you rounded a corner at the grocery store, seen someone at the end of the aisle, and done an oh-I-need-milk U-turn to avoid a face-to-face encounter? 
• Have you stopped going to family reunions when you know certain family members will be there?  
• Do you retrieve that scene from the iCloud storage of your mind and replay it once in a while, just to remind yourself why you’re angry … and why you have the right to that anger? 

Are you being held captive in your own prison of unforgiveness?

Would you consider the possibility that holding onto the hurt, refusing to forgive, may be injuring you more than the one who offended you? 

I heard someone once say, “We tend to judge others by their behavior, but judge ourselves by our intentions.” Might we tend to whitewash our role as we remember, retell, and replay? 

If you’ve made it this far, please accept some learned-the-hard-way counsel from a woman who has lived long enough to make far too many mistakes. I’ve cried and prayed with a lot of women who have been hurt, I have hurt people, and I have been hurt myself.  

Here’s the advice that bubbles up from those experiences: 

• Own your part of it.
  Hurts and fractures in relationships are seldom 100% one person’s fault. Rarely is one party completely blameless. If you are 2% culpable, own that 2%. Seek forgiveness, repent, do whatever necessary to make it right.
• Release forgiveness.
  The only way to be free from this thing in your past – and move forward into your future – is to forgive. Failing to do so robs you of today, and every tomorrow, until you do.

Let it go.   

Choose to let it go.  

Pray you can let it go.      

Allow the Holy Spirit to enable you to begin to forgive. Allow Him to open the door to the prison where you’ve held yourself hostage.  

A few additional thoughts on forgiveness: 

1. It is a choice – not an emotion.  
2. It is an expectation of Christ-followers. 
3. Because I am forgiven, I must choose to forgive. 
4. In the context of God’s forgiveness of us, no call to forgive is too great.  
5. Surely, our refusal to forgive each other breaks the heart of God. We are made in His image; as parents, we know how devastated we are when our children are at odds.  
6. Forgiveness does not mean the behavior was acceptable.  
7. Forgiveness is not reconciliation. (That takes time and work.) 
8. You don’t have to be asked for forgiveness to give it. (In fact, the person you need to forgive may have passed.) 
9. Forgiveness loosens the enemy’s foothold in our lives.  
10. Forgiveness allows us to move forward in our effectiveness for the Kingdom. 

Look back above and re-read Ephesians 4:32. If we are walking in kindness and compassion, forgiveness will be the natural result. I’m praying we all take seriously this call to exercise kindness and compassion.

Who is God calling you – and me – to forgive today?

This week’s Bible study focused on I Corinthians 13. We invite you to watch Friday’s devotional video, in which we attempted to answer these questions:

• What is love?
• Where does it come from?
• What does love do and not do?
• How did Jesus teach us to love?

We pray that, after watching our most recent teaching video, the familiar words of this profound passage are transformed to mean something much greater than you previously thought.

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Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:9-10

Paul talks about brotherly love in this passage. That’s good. We can embrace that. (Might adapt it for ourselves to say, “sisterly love,” as well.) We’ve released that kind of friendship-love. It feels good. It blesses others and also blesses us: It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). 

But this passage also includes a sticky caveat: be devoted. 

As I wrote this verse out during my Bible study, this sentence was in proverbial neon lights:  

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Suddenly Paul’s imperative—be devoted—is sounding less like a random act of kindness and more like an ongoing commitment.  

Does God really expect me to be “my sister’s keeper” on a perpetual basis? 

Maybe.

Possibly.

Clearly. 

Laura: This may take a lot of time.

And then I imagine Jesus responding with a great line often used by my friend Kathy’s husband, Kerry: “And your point?”  

I’m shamed and humbled as I realize I don’t mind serving when it’s a one-and-done with no ongoing commitment. I don’t mind releasing love when it’s convenient to my schedule and doesn’t interrupt my life. I might even have unconsciously (or consciously) thought, If I spend all this time loving on this “one another” in my life, when will I have time to take care of me? 

Ahhh…now we get to the crux of it, Laura. God has an answer for that, too.  In fact, it’s almost like He is listening in on my thought life, because He prompted Paul’s very next words:

Honor one another above yourselves.

Completing my be devoted assignment might mean missing my favorite TV show to support a hurting friend. It might mean carving out some time for serious prayer for the “one another” who needs help. It might mean my closet doesn’t get organized, my boxes don’t get unpacked, or my bathroom doesn’t get painted because I’m running out to pick up her grocery order, take her to lunch, or drive her to the doctor.  

Be devoted can be messy, complicated, inconvenient, and uncomfortable. There will not always be a warm, fuzzy “thank you” at the end. There will not always be appreciation and acknowledgment of the sacrifice. I may not get to see fruit from my labor.

But is it not enough that I hear and obey my Lord? 

How about a little self-assessment? On a scale of 1 to 10, where do you place yourself on the ‘Be devoted’ continuum: Where would you place these love-one-another actions on the Be devoted line?

• While loading the dishwater today, I rinsed a mug she had given me and because it brought her to mind, I prayed, “Lord, bless her today and meet her needs.” 
• I dropped to my knees and prayed for 30 minutes for this hurting woman, asking God to provide for her needs and call her to Himself.  
• I mailed her a card with a scripture verse from my quiet time that seemed perfect for what she is going through. 
• I sent a text saying, “I love you and I’m praying for you today.” 
• I babysat my friend’s children so she and her hubby could have a date night.  
• I grabbed my keys and drove to the city office where I paid my friend’s utility bill. 
• I drove to the local café and picked up two coffees before heading to her house to talk and pray together.  

The words of Scripture are often beautiful—even downright poetic—in our ears. Many are familiar because we memorized them as children. Some are woven into the lyrics of tunes we love to sing along with; we raise our hands in church and sing them loudly, sometimes even with tears in our eyes.  

And yet, it’s as if we don’t really know them, because we don’t own the truth we say we believe. 

Are you ready to really own the truth you read? Are you ready to say it, sing it, write it, memorize, it, and then LIVE IT?  

It’s time for us woman up and get down to business … to allow God to get into our business.  

Two millennia (and lot of culture, history, and geography) may separate us from the time Paul penned the words of Romans 12, but the Holy-Spirit-inspired truth is timeless and unchanging: 

• Hate what is evil. 
• Cling to what is good.  
• Be devoted to one another in love. 
• Honor one another above yourselves.  

A passage with not one but two, “one anothers.” Might mean we need to pay extra attention.  

Sure hope God is calling you out with this one, as He is me! What does be devoted look like in your life?

This week we welcomed Jennifer Estes, from Cross Church Pinnacle Hills, as the guest lecturer at our women’s Bible study. Jennifer spoke on I Corinthians 12, where Paul addresses spiritual gifts and their vital importance to the body of Christ. We invite you to watch and learn as Jennifer shares her insights on this powerful passage:

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? If not, we hope you’ll take a moment and sign up today. It costs nothing and is a wonderful way to show your support for our ministry while assuring that you don’t miss new videos as they are made available!

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet
you also should wash one another’s feet.”
John 13:14 

Some biblically-minded young suitors in our modern day have incorporated foot washing into their marriage proposals or wedding ceremonies. If you’ve witnessed this (or even heard of it), perhaps an image like this one comes to mind: This young man wants to convey both his devotion and his determination to be a servant leader to his betrothed.  

First-century foot washing was much less glamorous. Feet in Bible times became crusty, cracked, and calloused, both from wearing strapped-on footwear (or none at all) and from walking on dusty, dirty paths. No sidewalks, no automated transportation, no closed-toed shoes? Those things equal filthy feet.

Perhaps this better depicts the feet Jesus washed in John 13: Foot washing in Bible times was a stinky, thankless job, often performed by a servant. It was intended to welcome, bless, and refresh a guest upon entering a home. In ancient cultures, this was a daily ritual, as well as an expression of hospitality, honor, and respect. 

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He was demonstrating genuine love—and leaving them with a high standard for loving one another.  

I Peter 1:22 challenges us to “love one another deeply.” In washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus modeled a love so deep it required a posture of humility. Releasing this kind of love not only blesses the one whose feet are washed, but flushes away the pride of the one doing the washing.  

Jesus was clear: “no servant is greater than his master.”

Is there a job that we might view as beneath us? Have we matured beyond nursery duty, scrubbing the bathroom, or kitchen clean-up?

In the body of Christ, we should never ask or expect someone else to perform a task we would never stoop (literally or figuratively) to do ourselves.

We think of foot washing as an act of blessing for the recipient—and, of course, it was—but perhaps another Biblical truth aptly applies here, as well: It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

As we release this blessing, as we wash the proverbial feet of the “one anothers” in our world, we are Christ’s love, with skin on. We are choosing to follow the example of our Lord Jesus.  

When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, he washed 24 feet—including those of Judas. Even as He was kneeling in humility, performing this lowliest of acts, He knew the heart of the one before Him. He knew Judas would betray Him. Do we withhold the blessing because we consider the recipient unworthy? 

Knowing the truth makes us accountable to live the truth. Jesus said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17)

Obedience brings blessing … every single stinkin’ time!  

Whose “feet” need some loving care in your world today? Is God is calling you to be the one to do the washing? Don’t miss the blessing He has for you. It comes with obedience.

How is He calling you to love with actions? 

Sometimes love is better served up with a bucket and a towel, than with kind words and good thoughts.  Today, I invite you to consider how God might be calling you to modern-day “foot washing”—sacrificial actions that could bless you or someone in your life.

In this week’s devotional video, we welcome back guest lecturer Emily Brannon from Cross Church Pinnacle Hills. As Emily unpacks I Corinthians 11, she observes the orderliness of God in creation, marriages, and families, and how it all ties in to being organized in our worship. Marries ladies (and those who hope to be in the future), please watch to the end for some very practical tips on blessing, loving, and honoring your husband!

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Some of us may be too young to remember these popular 1967 lyrics from the Youngbloods: 

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

I have no idea if the Youngbloods were followers of Christ, but the sentiment expressed in these famous words seems to capture much of the focus of the one anothers in Scripture: love and unity.  

Clearly, this encouragement (or commandment) in the Bible is directed to those in the body of Christ. God uses these passages to provide guidance for how we are to treat each other and live in community.  

The one anothers in Scripture are specific and practical. Implementing them requires deliberate thought, action, and time.  

As parents, we feel blessed when our own children love each other and behave as friends. How much more must it please our heavenly Father when we do likewise?

Though we direct our acts towards those in the body of Christ, when the one anothers are lived out, they’re evangelical. As Jesus told His disciples (and, by extension, us): 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.
John 13:35 

People are watching us: our children, our unsaved family members, our neighbors. There is perhaps no greater opportunity for our walk to match our talk than in the way we choose to love our brothers and sisters in Christ.  

As you and I write the Word each day this month, let’s also commit to making every verse a prayer back to God. Let’s ask Him for a specific assignment — someone in particular to love on, be devoted to, stop passing judgment on, accept, instruct, agree with, encourage, serve, bear with, be kind to, be compassionate to, submit to, teach, admonish, spur on, offer hospitality to, or have fellowship with (and that’s just a partial list).

Tertullian, the well-known leader in the 1st-century church, recorded that pagans looked on the lives of early Christians and commented in wonder, “See how they love one another!” Let’s pray for the same observation about a few of us 21st-century believers!

In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces our February Write the WORD topic: ONE ANOTHER.

Visit our Downloads page today to find your own copy of this month’s free bookmark and optional S.O.A.P. study pages. While you’re there, we hope you’ll check out the other resources available to you. It’s our sincere prayer that they’ll be a blessing in your life!