Cross My Heart Ministry

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation
and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death.
II Corinthians 7:10

Sadness, regret, anguish, despair, depression … all of these come to mind when we try to describe sorrow. But while each descriptor may be used to identify the degree of sorrow, we may have never considered there are two different types.  

In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul distinguishes godly sorrow from that which is worldly. He explains the former brings life and the latter, death. Sounds like these two types are polar opposites! 

Since godly sorrow brings repentance, it means it is a response to conviction and confession. It leads to turning from sin.

Worldly sorrow, in contrast, might only grieve the consequences of the sin, but not the sin itself.  

Godly sorrow focuses on God, while the worldly version fixates on self.  

Initially, Godly sorrow brings new life in Christ. We cannot know Jesus as our Savior until we acknowledge we are sinners in need of being saved; godly sorrow is the first step that ushers in that new life in Him. It also begins a new life of growing in Him and abiding in Him, as we continually confess, repent, and renew – all part of a healthy, growing life that exercises godly sorrow.   

As life pushes and pulls us out of alignment with God, godly sorrow brings us back onto the path of fellowship with Him. In short, repentance straightens us out.  

Life with Christ means every day can be a “New Year’s Day” or “first day of school” … a new beginning with fresh resolve, ripe with possibilities.  

Sin keeps us immobilized, marginalized, and incarcerated. Repentance is our ticket out. We can’t break or buy our way out, but through Christ the cell door is thrown wide. Repentance brings freedom in God’s economy.  

Our new identity in Christ is permanent. We are His. Nothing and no one can change whose we are and who we are in Him. Life in this mortal body brings challenges, hard things, difficult circumstances. When we mess up, we may move out fellowship … but we never lose our place in His family. 

It’s as if our lives are defined by two circles: 

1.  The Salvation Circle:  this is permanent, unchanging. We are sealed as His for eternity; the ups and downs of daily life don’t affect our adoption into the family of God.  
2. The Fellowship Circle:  we can hop in and out of this one a zillion times a day! Sin drives us out. Godly sorrow, which leads to repentance, pulls us back in.  

Inside the Fellowship circle is peace, joy, and worship. Outside? Misery, tears, and loneliness.  

As we grow and mature in Christ, perhaps we will find we run out of the fellowship circle less frequently, and are prompted to repent more quickly so we jump back in. Worship will help keep us in.  

Godly and worldly sorrow are weighty topics, but can make for substantive dialogue with your loved ones. The next time you’re seated around the table with your children or grandchildren, try throwing this question out: What’s the difference between sorrow that is godly, and the type that is worldly?  You might be surprised at the perspective and insights you hear in response. 

In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces July’s Write the WORD topic: FREEDOM. We Americans love to talk about our freedom – declaring it, proclaiming it, and (particularly during the month of July) celebrating the freedoms afforded to us by our nation. But for the follower of Christ, freedom is so much more! We invite you to listen as Laura unpacks some thoughts on freedom. Then, visit our Downloads page for your own Write the WORD verse list, optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other free resources.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7

Where, and to whom, do our feet carry us? What kind of message is delivered when we arrive? 

Our feet may be manicured, exfoliated, moisturized, and flawlessly painted, but still far from beautiful in God’s sight if they carry us to gossip, condemnation, criticism, and self-indulgence.  

According to Isaiah, truly beautiful feet carry us to: 

• Deliver good news 
• Proclaim peace 
• Bring good tidings 
• Proclaim salvation 
• Declare, “God reigns!” 

Have your feet taken you a journey to deliver a salvation message? Instead of a guilt-ridden duty, do you see delivering the gospel as a delightful privilege? 

Delivering good news can be fun! 

My Aunt Judy (my Mom’s sister) and my Aunt Linda (my Dad’s sister) were best friends in high school. They also shared the same favorite teacher. They raced each other to school to tell their favorite teacher that their sister and brother were going to have a baby. As high school best friends, they were very excited about being aunts to the same baby. While one won the race tell their teacher the baby was coming, the other won the honor of sharing, “It’s a girl and her name is Laura Ann!” (I’m sure you guessed by now – that baby was me! They both still call me Laura Ann. We southern girls often have two names!)  

Neither forced herself to drag in to deliver the message. They wanted to share, they were excited to share, and it was a joy to be the first to share.  

Truly good news is like that: 

• I’m getting married! 
• I got the job! 
• The biopsy was negative! 
• My son got the scholarship! 
• I’m going to be a grandmother!  

Aunt Linda and Aunt Judy had good news about a baby … but the baby who brought the best of all news was named Jesus. The messenger who announced His arrival proclaimed, “Good news…great joy…for all people!” 

The Prince of Peace was born for a mission: to die so others could live. He purchased salvation for others, at the great price of His own death.

There was no other way.  

A college professor once explained it this way: “Man should, but cannot. God can, but should not.” 

Jesus, the God/man, was uniquely qualified and satisfied the righteous requirement of the law.  

Mankind sinned, so man must pay. A perfect sacrifice was required, and only God was perfect.  

Jesus died the death we deserve. He took the death penalty for us. He became death for us. At the death of Jesus, the sky turned black, despair settled over His followers, the earth shook, and rocks split. (Matthew 27:51). Even the Roman guards declared, “Surely he was the Son of God!” 

Those who believed were devastated. Those who didn’t previously believe suddenly did. But (they thought) it was too late, that they had missed their opportunity. Someone good and great had lived and walked among them, and they missed their chance – they thought they blew it!  

As despair, defeat, and depression settled over the earth like a dense fog, the world was without hope. Only Satan and his minions rejoiced. But theirs was a short celebration. It lasted only three days. Because then the unbelievable happened: the One who was dead came back to life! He conquered sin and death with His resurrection power! Jesus who was dead is now alive! 

Mary Magdalene was awarded the holy privilege of having the first beautiful feet to deliver the good-news message. Jesus told Mary, “…go…and tell…” in John 20:17.  

She obeyed. Mary’s beautiful feet carried her to the disciples where she declared, “I have seen the LORD!”  

The Greek word here for seen means to “look away from one thing and to see another.” A change in focus. And that’s precisely what good news does: it changes our focus, and our attitude. Transforms our sadness to joy, our pain to praise, our rejection to acceptance.  

Good news brings hope where there was none.

Good news is often a delightful surprise.  

Good news is a privilege to share.

Just ask Aunt Judy, Aunt Linda, or Mary Magdalene. They all had fun sharing what they knew with someone who didn’t know.  

Where, and to whom, will your beautiful feet take you to have that kind of fun today? 

In this week’s video devotional video, Laura and her friend, Stacey, discuss John 8:32: Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. We invite you to listen as Stacy shares her personal testimony of God’s patience through her own salvation and learning-to-trust story. We hope you will be blessed and and challenged to keep on praying!

“But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
Psalm 13:5

David begins Psalm 13 by asking four times, “How long…?” His questions are more of a lament, giving insight into his pain and frustration: 

• He feels forgotten by God.
  
• He feels God is hiding from him.
  
• His thought life is not peaceful.
  
• His heart is filled with sorrow.
  
• He feels defeated by his enemy.
  

If Job’s wife had been around to advise David, she would have said, “Just give up. Curse God and die.” 

Self-righteous acquaintances might have looked on condescendingly, asking, “Is there sin in your life that you need to confess?” 

When you find yourself in a similar slump, you may have friends who try to distract you by suggesting a good movie, a hot fudge sundae, taking a vacation, or splurging on clothes or a new pair of shoes.  

But David doesn’t run to his friends (or to the mall). He does what he often does through the Psalms: he processes the pain as he worships the Lord.  

David’s words are gritty, real, and unvarnished. They give us permission to be equally blunt as we pour out our own lament.

Why do we assume we have to get our act together first, THEN go to God?

Do we only pray when we are anger-free, worry-free, and sorrow-free? If so, it may explain why we do so little praying! 

David’s brings himself – negative emotions and all – before God. No filters. His honesty is both startling and refreshing. Most importantly, it gives us permission to do likewise. 

Though experiencing a crisis, he refuses to allow it to shake his faith. And that reveals much about real faith: it is immune to circumstances, unaffected by difficulties. 

We can claim David’s prayer and make it our own:

“But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
Psalm 13:5

Notice that it begins with “but.” When we pray that prayer, we are not saying the hard things aren’t real, or that we expect their pain to just magically disappear when we reach “Amen.” 

What we are declaring is that in spite of … no matter what … come what may … my circumstances will not change the reality of who I am and whose I am! We can choose to trust in His love and rejoice in His salvation even in – especially in – a time of pain and struggle. 

When your life seems filled with hardship and uncertainty, it’s helpful to declare what you do know and what you do believe: 

• God is faithful.
• His love never fails.
• I’m choosing to remain steadfast.
• I know my salvation is a done deal.
• Even if He doesn’t fix what is broken right now, He has provided what I need most of all: salvation.

Come what may, when the last earthly page of your book (and mine) is finished, the most important thing of all is not what’s written on the pages of my journal, in the margins of my Bible, or in messages sent to loved ones. No, the most important thing is that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Is your name there, my friend?

Do you know – beyond a shadow of doubt – that you are HIS? 

David wraps up this Psalm by doing what he does best. He praises God: 

“I will sing to the LORD for He has been good to me.”
Psalm 13:6 

David prays and praises himself out of the pit, and to a place of peace and joy.

Do you need to do the same today? Are you looking around when you need to be looking up?  

Will you choose today – regardless of your circumstances – to trust in His unfailing love and rejoice in the salvation He has provided? 

In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura welcomes her friend, Donna Kemp, for a conversation about I Peter 1:3-5. This passage reminds us of what we already know – we have a LIVING HOPE in Christ. We invite you to listen as Donna and Laura unpack key words from this passage: praise, salvation, living hope, and inheritance.

My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and
my savior— from violent people you save me.
II Samuel 22:2-3

These verses are part of a long Psalm of David recorded in II Samuel 22. If they sound more like one of David’s Psalms than a verse found in a book of history, you will find it interesting to note that these words in II Samuel parallel those from Psalm 18. 

This is a song of praise, so we can imagine David (the singer/slinger/warrior/king) playing his harp and offering these words in worship to our great God.  

As David praises God, he not only highlights many of God’s attributes, but he also celebrates how God is personal to him. Note the repeated use of the pronoun “my”: 

My Rock  …

My deliverer …

My salvation …

My stronghold …

My refuge …

My Savior.

God provided for David physically and spiritually. As David’s rock, deliverer, salvation, stronghold, refuge, and savior, God played both offense and defense in David’s life. He protected David from his enemies (bears and lions in the wilderness, Goliath in battle, Saul when on the run, the Philistines, and even from his own rebellious son, Absalom).  

He not only protected David from, but brought him to a solid place — a place of salvation and refuge. 

Whether you are calling on God today to protect you from an enemy or to take you to a place of safety and security, you can call to Him with the same “my” pronoun used by David.  

Because of the presence of God, our rock, we can remain steadfast, confident, and unwavering in the midst of whatever challenges today brings. The ebb and flow of daily life brings irritations, challenges, and bumps in the road with marriage, friendships, employment, parenting (and grandparenting), care-giving, church responsibilities, and many other areas. It may bring extraordinary challenges, as well: serious illness, prodigal children, marital struggles, family estrangement, financial setbacks, loss of loved ones, or any number of devastating circumstances.  

As we look over David’s list and recount the many ways God provides for us, it’s reassuring to note the best is saved for last: He is our Savior. In providing our salvation, our Lord demonstrates His power over death and victory over sin.  

My greatest enemy of all is ME. My sin, my choices, and my rebellion disqualify me from heaven and bring eternal consequences. But through Jesus — my rock, my deliverer, my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior — the slate is wiped clean. He doesn’t just mark “paid in full” over my debt; my record is expunged. Gone. Just as if it were never there! 

Have you allowed Him to rescue you? Are you living like you are free? Can you lift your voice to heaven and join with David in exalting God as your savior? 

Thank you, Jesus, for saving me from me.
Thank you for the gift of salvation!

This week’s devotional video features Laura’s conversation with her friend Tracy, who shares insight from Ephesians 6:17, the passage that inspired this month’s bookmark. We think you’ll be inspired by Tracy’s personal testimony about salvation and the Word of God as she shares thoughts on this passage!

The woman of God puts on her helmet and takes up her sword…every day!

“Take the helmet of salvation…”
Ephesians 6:17

Last month, we introduced our first study of elements of the Armor of God from Ephesians 6. After focusing on the Belt of Truth during May, we are continuing in June with the Helmet of Salvation.

The word salvation, like many others, is a “churchy” word we use frequently, but we might find it hard to pin down a definition if asked to explain what it means to someone outside the faith.

As I pondered the meaning of salvation and its implication to my life, the classic Star Trek TV series came to mind. When Captain Kirk needed to return to the Starship Enterprise, he would speak into his communicator to his chief engineer, “Beam me up, Scotty!”

If you’re a fellow Trekkie, you already know that phrase is one you might use as a humorous way of saying, “Get me out of this situation!”

The older I get, the more I realize that life itself is a bit of a situation. We seem to be perpetually in a jam, coming out of a jam, or heading into a jam. Perhaps, then, we can think of exiting earth and entering heaven as the time we get to “beam up.”

Our salvation – our acceptance of Christ as our Savior – means that when we leave this world, heaven awaits us. Our hope for eternity on that day is all about Jesus.  That’s the good news of the Gospel.

Because of the Gospel, we have confident hope for that day.  We have steadfast assurance for that day. We know we do not grieve without hope, and we know there is life beyond this one here on Earth. That is indeed good news … great news! The best of news!

But is the Gospel more than that? Is it not just for that day, but for THIS day?  If the only purpose of salvation was to get us to heaven, why wouldn’t God just “beam us up” the moment we accepted Christ as our Savior?

Does – or should – the gospel change my today?

Does – or should – the reality of my salvation affect my words, thoughts, actions, attitudes, and behaviors in THIS life and on THIS day?

As we Write the WORD this month, let us celebrate our life in Christ, lean into renewed gratitude for our salvation, and ponder its implications for living in this world as we await getting “beamed up” for eternity.

Visit our Downloads page for your copy of this month’s Write the WORD bookmark, optional S.O.A.P. Bible study pages, and other free resources to help you balance your heart for God with the demands of a busy life and home.

In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces our new bookmark for June and unpacks David’s powerful words from Psalm 13:5: But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. We invite you to watch her introduction and hope you also accept her challenge to read, write, and commit to memory this truth-packed verse.

Stand firm then,
with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…
Ephesians 6:14a

As followers of Christ, we put on the armor of God daily so that we can take our stand against the enemy. Ours is a spiritual battle. We know we stand against the enemy. We also stand behind the truth.  

When we don our spiritual armor, the belt of truth goes on first. Perhaps that is to remind us that truth is the foundation of everything else. Jesus described Himself as, “the way, the truth, and the life” in John 14:6 and John 17:17 says, “…your word is truth.”  

Is God’s Word your source for truth? Is it your GO-TO for answers to life’s questions? 

When the world argues there’s some gray in a decision, God’s Word may reveal clearly what is black and white.

When the world tries to push, pull, and tug us off course, the Word of God is our compass pointing due north.  

The Psalmist describes it as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We need that illumination to live well and stand firm in today’s world—and we need to understand the importance of modeling that truth for our children, grandchildren, and those in our sphere of influence.  

And it’s a daily choice: Get up. Put on your belt of truth. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. 

Yesterday is gone. If you sought truth from scripture yesterday and walked in the light of that truth, good. But today, the battle begins all over again. 

Each day is a fresh start—for good or otherwise. Protect yourself from the lies of the enemy today, by choosing to believe what God says. 

Yesterday, putting on the belt of truth may have covered your core. But that was yesterday.  

Today is a new day. Time to suit up … and it starts with the belt of truth.

Are you buckled up for today?

In this week’s devotional video, Laura and her friend, Rhonda Gentry, discuss I John 1:6-8:

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

We invite you to watch as Laura and Rhonda talk about sharing fellowship in truth and light, and how we can each lean in to walking in fellowship with Jesus and those around us!

“Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 25:4-5

David makes three requests of God: 

• Show me your ways 
• Teach me your paths 
• Guide me in your truth 

Acknowledging the need for direction, teaching, and guidance requires a heart of humility. In making these requests, David simultaneously admits both his own need and identifies God as the One who can provide.  

Only a teachable spirit can learn. Only a humble spirit acknowledges the need for guidance. When we place ourselves in a position to learn from God, we choose to be under His authority and leadership. We are protected from the world’s ways and even our own flesh.  

God’s truth is really the only truth. And without His truth, we have no hope. Those who would argue about “my truth” and “your truth” fail to realize that by its very definition, the truth is objective. It is exclusive. It is absolute. That’s what makes it truth! That’s how we distinguish it from lies. Only by clinging to the truth do we have genuine hope. 

In declaring, “You are God my Savior,” David admits he cannot save himself. He is totally dependent on God, and his only hope is in Him.  

Does that describe you, beloved? Is your only hope in God?  

Our hope is placed in Jesus when we call on Him and give our lives over to Him for salvation. It ensures we will enter heaven on that day in our future. But Jesus also provides hope for this day in our present circumstances. We can experience peace and joy in the here and now. We need not wait for heaven.

As we deliberately and consciously place our hope in Him all day long, He is ever faithful to show, teach, and guide us.  

Do you see the connection between truth and hope? And will you allow His truth to guide you and provide for you all day long on this day, as you await heaven on that day?

In this week’s devotional video, Laura welcomes her friend, Hannah Millsap. Together, they explore the meaning of the word “truth” as spoken by Jesus, and what it means to be “free indeed!” We invite you to listen for ideas of how to apply the passage to your life in new ways.

It’s not too late to join us for the rest of May, as we learn about the Belt of Truth, one component of the Armor of God (Ephesians 6). Visit our Downloads page for this month’s bookmark, S.O.A.P. study pages, and other valuable resources to help you balance your heart for God and others, with the demands of a busy life.