Our Best Is Enough

Proverbs 21:8

"The way of a man is froward and strange:

but as for the pure his work is right."

         If I did not accomplish any of the things the Lord has called on me to do, I know that I shall be rewarded as if I had fulfilled everything, because He sees the intention with which I began,

 and even if He called me to Himself today, the work would not suffer at all, because He Himself is the Lord of both the work and the worker.

        People can often set up standards we could never meet. Even if we do our very best, and even if we have the best of intentions, everything would still be inadequate for them and all the work we do would be unappreciated and unrecognized. Not so with God. It is our intention that is important to Him, whether we fail or succeed in doing what we ought; because we can find confidence in God’s pleasure if we have done everything we could to do His will.

        God knows what we can and cannot do. He does not expect us to do something beyond what we are capable of. If ever He intends to use us to accomplish things beyond our power, He will give us all the power we need and fill whatever is lacking in us.

        Thank the Lord for compassion! Praise Him who knows us well and recognizes all our efforts to please Him. Blessed indeed are those who serve Him because He understands our weaknesses and supplies all the strength we need to accomplish His will.

        Amen!

Reading: ( Prov. 21)

                (2 Tim. 2:14-26)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Why Did God Set Me On A Shelf?

Isaiah 30:21  

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, 

This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to 

the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

        Paul was Chosen by God to be His apostle. But he spent fifteen years on the shelf before he began his first missionary journey. He began his ministry as an "old man,"  in his late 40's.  At the outset of Paul’s ministry, he called himself a Pharisee, a Hebrew among Hebrews. After sitting in a dark Roman jail cell, he confessed to young Timothy that he was the "chief of sinners." Paul wasn’t just placed on the shelf, he was stashed in a dark, hole in the ground, and the letters he penned in that prison changed the world.

        Abraham and Sarah waited a century for a son, the heir God promised them eons before.  One could argue the ancient pair were not only on the shelf but they were still in touch with God. Even Jesus was a smash at twelve when he wowed the teachers of the Law in the Temple. He then spent eighteen years hammering and sanding until He was thirty. Only then, in God’s time, did Christ step in the Jordan to be baptized by John. Why does God wait? Why does He set us aside?

        God is not in a hurry to take you off the shelf.  "It takes God one hundred years to make a mighty oak. He can turn out a squash in six weeks, which do you want to be?”  Sitting on the shelf causes our self-confidence to die and our God-dependence to grow. We shouldn’t rush that process. When you are on the shelf, shut up and listen. In the quiet of God’s dark pantry, His still small voice may reveal to you His heart in ways you have never known.

        When God "shelves" you, He may be shaping you for a different, even more powerful ministry.

 God’s "ripened" servants make the most dynamic impact in the Kingdom. Wait for Him. Don’t despise the shelf. He knows when you are ready. 

        Amen!

Reading: (Is. 29:9-14) 

                 (Is. 42:1-9)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Master's Touch

John 1:4  

"In him was life; and the life 

was the light of men."

        As a thought must be clothed in words before it can be known, so God clothe Himself in flesh.  John's mystical statement declares beyond question the absolute, eternal deity of the Lord Jesus as well as the manner and the meaning of His entry into human life. He is eternally God!  "In the beginning was the Word" and the word was with God, and the word was God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1;3). Therefore God's touch is event today as it was in the beginning. He has all power in Heaven and Earth. 

        He walked upon the blue waters of Galilee.  The winds and the waves obeyed His command.   He healed the sick and raised the dead. He gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf.  He cast out demons and made the lame to walk.  He turned water into wine, and fed five thousand with the lunch of a lad. Some people might say, well that was then.  No! it is not just then it is now  and forever.  Just look around you, your life your family; Our God is a The Living God And His Touch has never changed.

        Jesus is man yet He is more than man. He is not God and man, but the God-man. He is God in human flesh.  His two natures are bound together in such a way that the two become one, having a single consciousness and will. God's touch came through the man know as God's Son Jesus Christ , during his lifetime this world had the fiscal touch from God. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have the eternal Spiritual touch. Through righteousness and faith and accepting Christ as our saviour the eternal Spiritual touch will never be broken. He will never leave or forsake us.  

Amen!

Reading: (John 1:18)

                (Matt. 28:18)

                (Ps. 37:28)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Broken Pieces

Exodus 25:10

"And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits 

and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and 

a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and 

a half the height thereof." 

        Beyond the practical information that was needed for that generation who actually built the ark, why do we need to know for all eternity that the Ark was “two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high”? However; even in the details that seem as meaningless as measurements, we can find God’s guidance.

        One in particular is that there is a message behind the fact that all the measurements for the Ark are partial units; two-and-a-half or one-and-a-half. The Ark was designed to carry the Ten Commandments. However, in order to be an appropriate receiver of God’s Word, it had to be formed out of “broken” units and not complete ones. This teaches us that if we, as human beings, want to receive God’s Word, we, too, have to be “broken.” Someone who feels completely whole and already perfect has no room for God. Humility is a prerequisite for receiving God's Word.
         Friends, we are all missing something if we haven’t found God. But we can only find Him if we recognize that our lives are incomplete without Him. Let’s embrace our brokenness and humbly acknowledge our shortcomings. As we recognize what we are missing, we will open a space for God and then He will truly complete us.

        Amen!

Reading: ( Ex. 25:1-22)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Tarry And Watch

Matthew 26:38

Then said he unto them,"My soul is exceeding 

sorrowful  even unto death: tarry ye 

here and watch with me." 

        For Jesus the entry into Jerusalem, lead to the agony of Gethsemane, the shame, the humiliation, and alienation of the cross, and finally to the triumphant Resurrection and glorious Ascension. During this time Jesus experienced rejection from the crowds, and betrayal from friends, and denied by those closest to Him as well as false accusations arrested and convicted by the Religious Community. 
        It is humanly impossible to know or even imagine the depths of His suffering or the agony of His pain. For God's people throughout the ages, Jesus has been and continues to be our Forerunner model and pattern. 
        There are times in our lives when we have faced periods of darkness, sufferings, trials, prosecution and temptations. There are times we have doubted because of fear, and due to our circumstances unsure how to move on. In times when all hope seems to have gone, when darkness surrounds us, in our anguish and torment, we experience that moment of Jesus on the cross when He cried out saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 
        Amen!

Reading: (Matt 26:36-56)
               (Matt: 27:1-56)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

                 

Fully Equipped To Serve

Hebrews 12:28

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot 

be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may

serve God acceptably with reverence

and godly fear:"

      

        God is the God of peace. Even in the most troublesome and distressing situation, he can bring peace to men's souls. In any fellowship where there is division, it is because men have forgotten God and only the remembrance of his presence can bring back the lost peace. When a man's mind and heart are distracted and he is torn in two between the two sides of his own nature, it is only by giving his life into the control of God that he can know peace. It is only the God of peace who can make us at peace with ourselves, at peace with each other and at peace with himself.

       God is the God of life. It was God who brought Jesus again from the dead. His love and power are the only things which can bring a man peace in life and triumph in death. It was to obey the will of God that Jesus died and that same will brought him again from the dead. For the man who obeys the will of God there is no such thing as final disaster; even death itself is conquered.

        God is the God who both shows us his will and equips us to do it. He never gives us a task without also giving us the power to accomplish it. When God sends us out, he sends us equipped with everything we need. 
        Amen!

Reading: (Heb. 13:1-19)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

 And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Visualize A Better Tomorrow

Ezekiel 43:5

"So the spirit took me up, and brought me

into the inner court; and behold, the

glory of the Lord filled the house"

        Considering the context of this vision, and God’s commandment for Ezekiel to share his vision with Israel, it is strange that it centers on the Third Temple. At this time, the Jewish people were well into their 70th year of exile in Babylon. Once the 70 years were up, they would return to Israel and build the Second Temple. However; it seems to make more sense that this vision would be about the Second Temple, not the Third. Why is God set on providing Israel with a vision of something that they would never achieve?

        The Second Temple would stand in a world very far from perfection, but the Third Temple will be built in a perfected world. The Second Temple would improve the situation, but the Third Temple will represent the ideal situation. The Second Temple was only temporary, but the Third Temple will stand forever.

        By giving the people a vision of what was ultimately possible, God intended for them to "be ashamed of their sins," (V-10), which caused the destruction of the First Temple, and to be motivated to repent so that they could achieve the vision of a perfected world. The glimpse into the future was also meant to soothe their souls. By showing them how great things would be in the end, God was teaching the people to look past their current difficulties and focus on the larger picture, (V11).

        This lesson was not just for the Jews of Ezekiel’s time, but also for us today. When we find ourselves in difficult times, it is helpful, even essential to visualize a better future. This is true on a global level and also in our personal lives. When we paint a picture of how life can be, it not only will motivate us to work toward a better tomorrow, but will also give us the strength to bear the burdens of today. Only then can we appreciate that our challenges are just temporary difficulties on a path that will ultimately lead to a better place.

        Amen!

Reading: (Ezek. 43:1-27)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

 

A Wise Heart

Exodus 28:3

"And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have 

filled with the spirit of wisdom,that they may make Aaron's 

garments to consecrate him, that he may minister 

unto me in the priest's office."

        God called these workers "Wise of heart" because it was into their hearts, not their heads, that He placed such knowledge and understanding to make them fit for such a holy task. So why do we tend to think of our brains as the source of knowledge?

        It’s because our brains do contain a lot of knowledge. Somewhat like computers, our brains are able to store facts and information. Our minds are incredible tools that God gave us to be able to remember important things like how to do math, spell tough words, or remember the date of a special anniversary. But none of that information, as important as it might be, is wisdom. Wisdom is something deeper and broader. It doesn’t just pull up useful bits of knowledge; it tells us what to do and how to live.

        The heart has reasons that reason does not understand. The wisdom of the heart comes from a place to which the mind cannot always relate. Some call it intuition; others call it God. The heart accesses wisdom that the mind cannot. Whenever we have an important decision to make, it is so important that we go to the seat of wisdom for our answers. While our minds can provide us with important and indispensable knowledge and facts, we must always remember that the real source of wisdom comes from our heart.

        The Bible tells us that the High Priest wore a special garment called the breastplate over his heart. Whenever the nation needed guidance from God, the letters on the breastplate would form the answer, "And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually" (Exodus 28:30).

        We may not have the breastplate today, However; we can still receive God’s guidance through our hearts. Remember to pray to God for answers whenever your seek guidance, and then listen with your hearts to the wisdom which God sends to all that will listen!

        Amen!

Reading: (Ex. 28:1-43)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry

The Secret Of Joy

Psalm 126:3

"The Lord hath done great things for

us; whereof we are glad."

        Have you ever started your day, and you thought you show Joy.  Your answer is must likely "Yes! If it was anything like this example, it was fake Joy.  The sort of pretend joy that plasters a smile on your face while inside you there is no joy.   Joy is not real if you are imposing joy on others by going up to someone who that moment discovered his best friend had a car accident and telling him to “rejoice in the Lord always,” to which the understandable reply might be, “Let me punch you in the nose and see how much rejoicing you’re doing then.”

         My friends, joy is not a matter of temperament it is your natural predisposition, an experience that must be manufactured for yourself and other people "faking it" or something so deep that it is not really happy. It's where the smile goes down rather than up. "Real Joy" this joy is a result of being "restored" by God not happy because of your genetics but happy because of what God has done for you. This joy is based upon an objective, real, God-given restoration. And those who have this joy are like those who dream.  

        The ancient world, when it referred to dreams, did not, first of all, mean a daydream. They meant an actual dream, the sort of dream you have when you are asleep. So when the psalmist says this was like dreaming, he is comparing joy to a very good actual dream. He is saying that this joy is like that. This joy is so good that when you experience it you think, “I am living the dream.” Such is the joy that this psalm is talking about.

So throw away all ideas that joy is found in things apart from God, or that God is the serious, gloomy, despondent, negative, critical sort of religious freak who will smack you over the wrists with a wooden ruler as soon as you step out of line. This psalm, first, describes the dream and then, second, tells you how that dream comes true.

        Amen!

Reading: (Ps. 126)

             (Acts 12:9)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

 

Our Soul Is God's Candle

Proverbs 20:27  

"The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, 

searching all the inward parts of the belly."

        Life is a balancing act, now more than ever. We try to balance home life with work, family time with personal time, time with friends, while doing something generous. Many of us are juggling so many balls at one time, If we stop for one minute, all the balls will fall to the ground.

But there is another type of balance that really is the most importance balance of all: The balance between the material aspects of life and our spiritual aspirations, "between body and soul." When we get the balance right on these two, everything else falls into place.

        In Proverbs we read, “The human spirit is the lamp of the LORD.” In Hebrew, the word for lamp is literally candle. Our soul is God’s candle. Picture a candle for a moment. The flame is always flickering, always toward heaven. It’s as if the flame would leap off the wick and up to heaven if it could. But it can’t because the flame is attached to the candle, which is grounded by the force of gravity, firmly on earth. And, if the flame could escape, the candle would be no more.

        We all possess souls that are driven heavenward. This can be experienced as a drive toward a meaningful life, a passion for inspirational experiences, or the desire to escape all worldliness for a purely spiritual existence. Yet, we are bound by our earthly existence. There are bills to pay, daily task to take care of, and so on and so forth. This is the tension of the candle and the flame. Yet, we are to bring them into balance.

        When we can grasp a piece of heaven while firmly planted on earth, we can become a light that illuminates our own character and the dark places of the world. This is what it means to live in balance: to go through our lives while infusing our material living with spiritual meaning. When both our physical and spiritual aspects are in check, we can bring great light to ourselves and to the world.

        Take some time this week to check your balance. Are you giving your soul enough time and space to breathe? Are you taking enough care of your physical needs? Once you find your balance and rhythm, keep moving forward, bringing God’s light with you wherever you go.

        Amen!

Reading: (Prov.16:2; 24:12)

               (Luke 16:15) 

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Remember Our Purpose

1Kings 6:12 

 "Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, 

and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; 

then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:  

And I will dwell among the children of Israel, 

and will not forsake my people Israel."

        The building of the Temple was a monumental task. Solomon enlisted thousands of men to chop down trees in Lebanon to be floated down the Mediterranean and then transported across the rocky terrain to Jerusalem. There were stone carriers and stone cutters working in the hills. The finest craftsmen carved palm trees, flowers, and cherubs into the wood paneled Temple walls. The holiest room in the Temple was covered in pure gold.

        However, in the midst of describing how the Temple was constructed, Scripture changes for a moment to relay a message to Solomon from God: "As for this temple you are building, if you will walk in my statutes, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel." Why did God insert a reminder in the middle of an otherwise descriptive portion of Scripture? The answer is, because God knew that when we are in the middle of something, we often forget why we began a project in the first place.

        By placing this message in the middle of describing the Temple’s construction, God was teaching Solomon, and all of us that we must never get too caught up in building something lest we forget the reasons for our efforts. In Solomon’s case, God wanted to stress that no matter how beautiful the Temple was, it would only be as meaningful as the Israelites made it. If they obeyed God, then the Temple would serve its purpose. Otherwise, it would just be an empty shell, devoid of meaning.

        Whether we are building a church, a house, a family, or a career, we need to stay focused on our original priorities. A doctor must remember that their goal is to heal; a lawyer needs to keep their passion for justice. A home is most meaningful when it helps a family thrive; and a congregation must never forget its mission. What are you building in your life? Take a moment this week to consider your answer, and then, most importantly, remember the reasons why.  

        Amen!

Reading: (1Kings 6:1-38)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

 

The Way To Reality

Hebrews 8:1

"Now of the things which we have spoken this 

is the sum: We have such a high priest, who

is set on the right hand of the throne

of the Majesty in the heavens;"    

        There can be no glory greater than that of the ascended and exalted Jesus.  Jesus is the unique example of divine majesty and divine service combined. He knew that He had been given His supreme position, not jealously to guard it in splendid isolation, but rather to enable others to attain to it and to share it. 

        But we could put this another way. Instead of talking about access to God we might talk about access to reality. Every religious writer has to search for terms which his readers will understand. He has to present his message in language and in thoughts which will get home because they are familiar or at least will strike a chord in the reader's mind. The Greeks had a basic thought about the universe. They thought in terms of two worlds, the real and the unreal. They believed that this world of space and time was only a pale copy of the real world. That was the basic doctrine of Plato, the greatest of all the Greek thinkers. He believed in what he called forms. Somewhere there was a world where there was laid up the perfect forms of which everything in this world is an imperfect copy.

        In the highest that this world can offer there is imperfection. It never quite reaches what we know that it might be. Whatever we experience or achieve here in this world is nothing, compared to what is waiting for us in the real world beyond.  A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" Call it heaven, call it reality, I call it it God! 

        Amen! 

  

Reading: (Heb. 8:1-7)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

The Call Of Wisdom

Proverbs 1:20

"Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth

her voice in the streets: "

        The word Wisdom and the description of her standing at the open gates of the city remind us of our Lord, who, as the Word of God, stood and cried In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37). It is a remarkable picture of the world as it is today. Out streets filled with traffickers of evil, and Nations at war with each other, and brother against brother. However; within the crowds there is the ringing appeal of Christ to the heart of man! But the nonbeliever's still ridicule and mock, our Lord! Christians, have no fear! No matter where we are in the world; The Spirit of God will be there!

        Worldliness has no hiding place, no second line of defense, no spiritual treasure; and it will be  like a sinking ship in a tempestuous sea. "But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (Prov. 1:33).  "But wisdom is justified of all her children" (Luke 7:35).

        Amen!

Reading: (Prov. 1:20-33)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

“Lord, Heal My Soul”

Psalms 41: 4

"I said Lord, be merciful unto me:

heal my soul; for I have

sinned against thee."

        This psalm was probably composed, during the four years in which Absalom’s conspiracy was being hatched. Perhaps the anxiety induced some serious illness, over which David’s enemies exulted with undignified action. His sensitive nature was  greatly pained. But who does not realize the applicability of the psalm to the betrayal of our Lord? Ps. 41:9 is quoted in John 13:18, "I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me." 

        In the day of trouble, when enemies oppose, and friends prove false, God draws near. Look after God’s poor and He will care for you in the evil day. The blessings that you have endeavored to share will return to your own comfort in the hour of tribulation. God will make (or change) your bed in sickness, He will heal your soul, and will set you before His face forever, What a sweet conception of God as head nurse in the room where feet must be shod with velvet and voices speak in the gentlest tones! 

        Amen!

Reading: (Ps. 41:1-13)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

      

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Anger

Matthew 15:19

"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, 

murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, 

false witness, blasphemies:"  

 

         The Bible has a lot to say about anger. I don’t mean righteous anger, the kind of anger we can experience toward injustice or evil but sinful anger. Many times we may feel we are “righteous” in our anger because someone wronged us. Anger often involves our sense of justice. But it’s very easy to slide into sinful anger, hatred, and bitterness. Here are some Biblical truths and principles that God has used to help me make progress in conquering my own sinful anger.

        No one else can make you angry. Circumstances don’t cause your anger. Anger is your own sin. Our hearts are like sponges. If I squeeze a sponge and black ink comes out, it might seem that the squeezing caused black ink to come out. Yet I might squeeze another sponge and have clear water come out. So, it was not the squeeze that caused the ink to come out, but ink came out because that was what was in the sponge. The squeeze merely revealed what was there in the first place. Other people and circumstances can “squeeze” our hearts and if anger comes out, it is because that’s what was in our heart. ( Matt. 15:19).

        We tend to downplay the seriousness of anger. “I was just venting” or “letting off steam.” But Jesus said anger is murder of the heart and a violation of one of the 10 commandments.  Not only does anger fail to produce righteousness, it makes things worse. It stirs up anger in others. It stirs up strife. It has the opposite effect to what we are desiring. (Matt. 5:21-22)

        When we “let the sun go down on our anger” or fail to deal with it in a timely fashion, either by asking forgiveness, forgiving others, or working things out with them, it opens the door for Satan to tempt us to bitterness, revenge, slander, and a host of other sins. Cain’s anger at Abel led him to kill his brother. Anger is serious. We must deal with it quickly. (Eph. 4:26-27)

        These truths have helped me numerous times when I’ve been tempted to anger.  I’m not saying I’ve conquered it and I never sin in anger. But by God’s grace, understanding these things has helped me make progress. I hope you, too, will find God’s Word and Spirit help you make progress in overcoming anger.
        Amen! 

Reading: (Matt Chap 5; 15)
                (Eph Chap 4)
Ref: (HGSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Continual Need Of God's Love

Psalm 40:11  

"Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, 

O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy 

truth continually preserve me."

        To the end of our life we will continually need God’s lovingkindness, to deal mercifully with our failures and sins; for His truth, is His faithfulness. The Covenant, ordered all things to be sure, and that makes God,  the rock of our comfort, whether we are compassed by evils or overtaken by iniquities. "For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me" (Ps. 40:12).

        Our sense of sin grows with our increasing knowledge of the holiness and love of God. They who are nearest to the heart of God are least able to forgive themselves, even though they know they are forgiven. But while we think hard thoughts against ourselves, and confess ourselves to be poor and needy, we may take great comfort in God’s thoughts for us: "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God" (Ps. 40:17). God's thoughts are tender and loving.  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (Jer. 29:11). Poverty and need are never reasons for despair. 

        These things do not turn God’s interest away. They attract Him; just as a sick child will get more of the mother’s care than other members of the family that are healthy. My Friends, there is no one that is not in God's eye view. God's plan is for all to live a good life, but we must remember; "We cannot live without God's grace in this live, and you want enjoy your next life if you don't accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.   

        Amen!

Reading: (Ps. 40:1-17)

Ref: (HGSB)  

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Window Into The Heart Of God

Hebrews 6:6

"If they shall fall away to renew them again unto

repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves

the Son of God afresh, and put him

to an open shame."

         The Cross was an event which opened a window into the heart of God. It is a showing of suffering love in a moment of time, which is for ever in that heart. The Cross said to men: "That is how I have always loved you and always will love you. This is what your sin does to me and always will do to me. This is the only way I can ever redeem you. So long as there is sin, this agony of suffering and redeeming love, will always be in God's Heart. Sin does not only break God's law; it breaks his heart. It is true that when we fall away, we crucify Christ again.
        The writer of Hebrews says, that when we fall away we make a mocking show of Christ. How is that? When we sin the world will say: "So that is all that Christianity is worth. So that is all this Christ can do. So that is all the Cross achieved." It is bad enough that when a Church member falls into sin he brings shame to himself and discredit on his Church; but what is worse is that he draws men's taunts and gestures on Christ.
        In the letter to the Hebrews there are three impossible things. It is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18). It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats can take away sin (Heb. 10:4). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
         Amen!


Reading: (Heb. 6:1-12)
Ref: (HGSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Everlasting Rest, We Dare Not Miss!

Hebrews  4:1  

"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us 

of entering into his rest, any of you should 

seem to come short of it"    

        The promise of the rest of God for his people still abides; the danger is that we fail to reach it.  The Israelites long ago failed to enter into the rest of God. They did not trust God to bring them through the difficulties that lay ahead; and therefore they never enjoyed the rest they could have had. 
        In the creation story in Gen. 1:1-31; Gen. 2:1-25 there is a strange fact. On the first six days of creation it is said that morning and evening came; that is to say, each day had an end and a beginning. But on the seventh day, the day of God's rest, there is no mention of evening at all. We can say from this, that while the other days came to an end, and the day of God's rest had no ending; God's rest was and is for ever. 
        Therefore although long ago the Israelites may have failed to enter that rest, it still remains. There is more to this rest than merely entry into the Promised Land. So the final appeal comes. God still appeals to men not to harden their hearts but to enter into his rest. God's "today" still exists and the promise is still open; but "today" does not last for ever; life comes to an end; the promise can be missed; therefore, says the writer to the Hebrews: "Here and now through faith enter into the very rest of God."

        We must never think that the days of great promise and great achievement lie behind. This is still God's 'today.' There is a blessedness for you as great as the blessedness of the saints; there is an adventure for you as great as the adventure of the martyrs. God is as great today as ever he was."

In Hebrews 4:1 Through the writer to the Hebrews, and us as well; bids people beware lest they miss the promise. This Christian fear is not the fear which makes a man run away from a task; nor the fear which reduces him to paralyzed inaction; it is the fear which makes him put out every ounce of strength he possesses in a great effort not to miss the one thing that is worth it all. "And That My Friend, Is The Promise Of Eternal Rest." 

        Amen!

Reading : (Hebrews 4:1-13)

Ref: (HGSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Long Day Comes To A Close

Luke 23:45  

"And the sun was darkened, and the veil 

of the temple was rent in the midst."

        There was a great darkness as Jesus died. It was as if the sun itself could not bear to look upon the deed men's hands had done. The world will always be dark in the day when men seek to banish Christ.  Amen!!

        The Temple veil was ripped in two. This was the veil which hid the Holy of Holies, the place where dwelt the very presence of God, the place where no man ever enter except the High Priest, and he only enter once a year, on the great day of Atonement. It was as if the way to God's presence, once closed to man, was thrown open to all. It was as if the heart of God, once hidden, was laid open. The birth, life and death of Jesus tore apart the veil which had concealed God from man.

        "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father:" (John 14:9). On the cross, as never before and never again, men saw the love of God. His death did what even his life could not do; it broke the hard hearts of men. Already Jesus' saying was coming true. "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." The magnet of the cross had begun its work, even as he took  His last breath, and the Long day comes to a close.

        Amen!

Reading:  (Luke 23:44-49)

                 (Matt. 27:45-56)

                 (Mark 15: 33-41)

                 (John 19: 28-30) 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Finding Joy

Nehemiah 8:10  

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, 

and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this 

day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for 

the joy of the LORD is your strength."

         It’s not surprising to find that a lot has been written about this topic. We all want to be happy.

 In the book of Nehemiah, we read, "for the joy of the Lord is your strength." This phrase consist of two things.The first is that we can find joy in God. The second is that this God driven joy is also a great source of strength. Practically speaking, how does one find happiness through God? And what does that joy have to do with how strong we are? There is no shortage of advice on how to be happy, ranging from being more grateful to being more giving. All are fantastic suggestions, and each has its place in our Christian community.

        How do we find joy in God? When we know that God literally has our back and is right beside us, taking care of us at all times, so we can sit back and enjoy the ride of life. Even when life seems difficult or scary, we know that a power greater than us is pulling the strings so that everything works out just right. This not only gives us joy, but also strength as we can face difficulties with confidence and peace. Next time we begin to feel unhappy, remember that the Creator of the world is right there working out everything for our greatest possible good. It’s going to be a fabulous ride; relax and enjoy it. 

Amen!

Reading:(Neh: 8:8-12)

Ref: (HGSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

                                                      

Jesus Is Not Dead

Luke 24:12  

"Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulcher; and stooping down,

he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, 

wondering in himself at that which was come to pass."
 

        The all important and challenging question in this story is that of the messengers in the tomb, "Why  seek ye the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5)  Many of us still look for Jesus among the dead.

        There are those who regard Him as the greatest man and the noblest hero who ever lived, as one who lived the loveliest life ever seen on earth; but who then died. That's just not true!  Jesus is not dead; He is alive. He is not merely a hero of the past; He is a living reality of the present.

        There are those who regard Jesus simply as a man whose life must be studied, His words examined, His teaching analyzed. There is a tendency to think of Christianity and Christ merely in terms of something to be studied. The tendency may be seen in the quite simple fact of the extension of the study group and the extinction of the prayer meeting. Beyond doubt study is necessary but Jesus is not only someone to be studied; He is someone to be met and lived with every day. He is not only a figure in a book, even if that book be the greatest in the world; He is a living presence.  

        Jesus Christ is not only the pattern and the example. He helps us and guides us and strengthens us to follow that pattern and example. He is not simply a model for life; He is a living presence to help us to live. It may well be that our Christianity has lacked an essential something because we too have been looking for Him who is alive among the dead.  "Jesus Is Not Dead," He Is Alive!!  

        Amen!! 

Reading : (Luke 24:1-12)

                  (Matt. 28:1-10)

                  (Mark 16:1-8)

                  (John 20: 1-10)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry