Cross My Heart Ministry

“You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalm 16:11

Though he lived long before Jesus came to earth, David looked forward as through the veil and saw God’s plan and provision. His words – penned hundreds of years before the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus – articulate the confident faith we can know more fully this side of the Cross.

The path of life we seek, the path every human heart cries out to find, can only be found in Jesus Christ. That path of life, as David beautifully makes clear, leads to joy and eternal pleasure.

David spoke with assurance looking forward, as through a spiritual fog. Though he could not see God’s plan completely, he makes a declaration of truth with knowing, confident faith.

The fog has cleared more for us. We have Scripture. We have historical truth. We know Jesus came. We can look back and connect the dots to see more than David saw. But we also look forward with confident, joyful hope.

Our eternal destiny is secure because of Jesus. Amid the fun and family, the eating and celebrating, the gifting and receiving, don’t allow the Christmas happy to usurp the Christmas JOY. The presents bring a little happy, but only His presence brings abundant JOY. (I can almost see my kids rolling their eyes … maybe the pun is cheesy, but it is oh-so-true!)

In these last few days leading up to celebrating the joyous news that God became man, I encourage you to make some time to ponder and to praise the indescribable truth:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…
John 1:14

Give up trying to reach God. God came to us! Let your heart marvel at this truth. Celebrate! Worship! Rest and revel in it! Come into His presence with thanksgiving and praise, and allow Him to fill you with Joy!

Worship and celebrate Jesus: He alone is our life and joy!

Merry Christmas
from all of us here at
to all of you!

Have you seen Friday’s YouTube video? I hope you’ll take a moment to watch as I share thoughts on Matthew 28:8, a verse about two women who were afraid, yet filled with joy:

“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.

(Check out this video on the Cross My Heart YouTube channel, for a contrast on JOY and HAPPINESS: https://bit.ly/2JY77Kq )

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 only those things that are useless or unwanted? Do we worship God when its convenient or when we feel like it?

Would you consider – especially during a season of pandemic and unprecedented challenges on many levels – 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!

While we’re taking a break from the weekly Romans study, I hope you’ll enjoy last Friday’s video as I share about anticipating JOY!

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“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 the prayer is a two-parter. 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 needed — than when life is exceedingly full or particularly hard. Like during the holidays. Like living in a pandemic. 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 is 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. I hope this month’s Write the WORD bookmark might help, and I invite you to download this free tool and begin writing the WORD every day. The focus for December? JOY!

If you missed last week’s Martha Monday video, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out my introduction to the monthly ‘Do It’ List — another free resource that you can only find here from Cross My Heart! If you’re like me, you probably find that December is often hectic, which makes it perfect time to jump into the ‘Do It’ List and learn some of my hard-earned strategies for taming chaos at home.

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22

There are lots of reasons crushed defines many of us these days.

When we look around at the political, medical, cultural, and meteorological happenings in our world, even the calmest among us may become anxious. The world has been all-but-stopped by the global pandemic. We have now started our third pass through the alphabet with tropical storms. The west is plagued by forest fires and the military has been called into Louisiana to fight mosquitoes. We are simultaneously shocked and horrified at what has become acceptable — both morally and legally.

And that is just all the “out there” stuff.

Individually we are battling loneliness, financial challenges, medical issues, and relational struggles that might be too personal to share. We are depressed (some even clinically). We are exhausted. We are outraged. We feel powerless to stop the advance of evil.

Whatever emotion a human can experience, we have individually and collectively experienced it in 2020.

We can identify when the author of Proverbs writes, “…a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  

Thankfully, he also gives us the antidote: a cheerful heart.

A cheerful heart is good medicine…

A cheerful heart is not one that simply chooses to grin and bear it — or one that checks out of reality. And certainly, it is more than simply the practice of positive thinking.

My NIV translation uses “cheerful” and the King James Version says “merry” … but when I pulled out the NASB, I read “JOY” — and my first thought was: Bingo. That’s it!

A joyful heart is indeed good medicine. But how to get it? Where does it come from? For the prescription, we flip over to the New Testament book of Galatians and scan down to Chapter 5, verse 22:

…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
 patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…

When listing the nine characteristics of the fruit produced by the Spirit, second on the list is JOY. We cannot manufacture joy on our own. Joy is a product of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Circumstances might make us happy, but only Jesus can give us joy. And the mature believer comes to realize that it is possible to be simultaneously unhappy and joyful.

We look around and may indeed feel crushed, but we look up and find joy. It does not mean our circumstances have changed … but it does mean that God can change us in the midst of those circumstances.

Now that’s good medicine!

If you missed this week’s teaching lecture from the Romans Bible study, I invite you to take a few moments out of your Sunday to watch today:

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have faithfully read, watched, encouraged, and supported Cross My Heart Ministry (and me personally) in the call to encourage women to love God and love His Word this past year. Without you, this ministry would not be possible, and I am profoundly grateful for each of you.

Well…what Jethro actually said was, “What you are doing is not good.” Exodus 18:17

One of the many tasks that fell to Moses as leader of the Israelites was serving as judge. Exodus 12:37 tells us there were 600,000 men, a count that did not include women and children, in the wilderness with Moses. A million people (even God’s chosen people — or perhaps especially God’s chosen people!) would have disputes and disagreements that must be settled to keep law and order.

While Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) was visiting, he observed Moses sitting to judge the people from early morning to evening. Jethro questioned the system and concluded it was not healthy for Moses or the people, declaring, “You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” Exodus 18:18

As an outside party coming in, Jethro offered a fresh perspective. He identified the problem and then went on to offer a solution. What he recommended was essentially an appellate court system, with judges presiding over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Only the most difficult cases would be referred to Moses.

Jethro also advised, “Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.” Exodus 18:20

As a side note, it is also interesting to see the character traits that were recommend for these judges:

• Capable
• Fear God
• Trustworthy
• Hate dishonest gain

All these years later and that continues to be good criteria for our leaders.

Learning to let go and allow others to carry responsibility can be challenging — whether you are a mom delegating laundry, a committee chairman handing over program planning to a member, or a CEO entrusting your team with a marketing plan. Every area of life offers opportunities for us to train, teach, and mentor … and then release others to go forth. Even Jesus did it!

Are there areas of life, ministry, or work where you are struggling — feeling overwhelmed and “under the pile”— today? Could God be calling you to take some advice from Jethro and do some training and subsequent delegating?

If home management is one of those areas, perhaps the free ‘Do It’ List could help! Both pre-filled and blank versions are available on our ‘Downloads’ page. I hope you will consider using these tools to delegate essential tasks to your children, and that you will receive the same blessing Jethro declared to Moses:

“If you do this and God so commands,
you will be able to stand the strain,
and all these people will go home satisfied.”
Exodus 18:23

Sounds like a win/win. And that’s good.

Are you familiar with the free monthly ‘Do It’ List? If not, I invite you to learn more about the list — and some of this month’s tasks to help make the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday more manageable — in this video:

And if you find this helpful, I hope you’ll take a moment to subscribe to the Cross My Heart YouTube channel! You can also sign up for my ministry newsletter and be among the first to know when I publish something new on the blog. (Please note: I am committed to protecting your privacy, and will never share or sell your email address!)

“As for me, far be it from me that I should
sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.
And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”
I Samuel 12:23

The passage above is just a brief excerpt from Samuel’s farewell address to the people. It is one verse, with two sentences.

At first glance, those two sentences offer two true — but somewhat unrelated — ideas.

Does Samuel change topics mid-verse? Not at all.

When I reflect on this passage, some initial take-aways from I Samuel 12:23 include:

• Failure to pray is a sin
• A good leader must first be a praying leader
• Praying must precede teaching
• The content of a leader’s teaching must highlight what is good and right

Given these observations, we can then work in reverse to see the seamless truth Samuel conveyed to the people then — and, by extension, to us now.

If the end goal is to teach what is good and right, the only way to discern what qualifies is through wisdom from God Almighty. We cannot find good and right on our own; only God can reveal it to us! And, like all truth, you must know it before you can teach it. God often — and in fact, almost always — requires a leader to eat what he or she serves.

Leaders, make no mistake, include not just those who stand at a podium, but those who raise children, chair committees, lead a team, or are sought out for advice. Every one of us can lead someone and can influence the thoughts, actions, attitudes, and behaviors of others. Are we stewarding that influence well? Are we consciously wielding our influence with purposeful intention?

If we are to teach what is good and right, we must know it … to know it, we must receive it from God … to receive it from God, we must ask God. Asking God means praying to God. And if I am attempting to fulfill my call to invest in/love on/teach others without prayer, I am sinning!

Are you connecting the dots? Do you see the relationship between praying and teaching? Are you convicted? Are you challenged? Will you commit now to PRAY for those you are called to TEACH – whether formally or informally, whether with a microphone or with an example?

Samuel’s words to the nation of Israel were weighty then, and they are weighty now. May we hear … and may we heed.

It’s not too late to begin this month’s Write The Word, as we read, write, and dwell on Old Testament verses with the word, “good.” You can download the free November bookmark and S.O.A.P. Bible study pages HERE.

Are you a subscriber to the Cross My Heart email list and YouTube channel? If not, I hope you’ll take a moment to sign up for both today, so you can be among the first to know when we share a new blog post or video!

You won’t want to miss this week’s teaching lecture from our study on Romans!

“You intended to harm me,
but God intended it for good to accomplish
what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Genesis 50:20

As he interacted with his brothers, Joseph was able to set aside any personal feelings of pain, anger, and rejection. (See Genesis 37 for the tragic story of jealousy and betrayal that resulted in Joseph being sold into slavery.) Only by looking to God and seeing an eternal perspective was Joseph able to squelch the all-too-human desire for revenge or retribution against the brothers who betrayed him.

God used those years of one man’s suffering to provide deliverance for an entire nation. Joseph, the one who suffered, set aside his own pain to acknowledge and celebrate God’s provision.

Joseph embraced an eternal perspective.

An eternal perspective can only be developed over time … and it requires a heart and mind open to the possibility that God can work to bring good from difficult, challenging, and even heartbreaking circumstances.

Are there bitter events in your past that God has worked for good — or could work for the good? Do those past experiences empower you going forward to adopt a better-not-bitter attitude going into the next struggle?

As our faith muscle is exercised and grows, our past experiences bolster our faith going forward. We can then face our present and future challenges with the expectation that God can use today’s harm for tomorrow’s good.

My prayer today is that these words will be a blessing to you! If you have not yet subscribed to the Cross My Heart newsletter, I hope you’ll sign up today to receive notice when I publish a new post.