Delight In God's Goodness Now

Deuteronomy 28:2-6 

"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken 

unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and 

blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, 

and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase 

of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy 

basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou 

comest in, and blessed shalt thou 

be when thou goest out"

    These opening verses contain the Beatitudes of the Old Testament. They have their counterparts in the New. Remember that God bends over your life, rejoicing to do you good, and finding pleasure in whatever may enrich your life or flow through it to enrich others. Ask especially that in His great power and grace He shall smite your enemies before you, and establish you unto Himself, and open to you His good treasure. If you are in Christ, all things are yours. Possess your possessions,
    Notice that the blessings are placed before the curses. God is slow to anger, but swift to show mercy; He has said it, and sworn, that He would much rather we would obey and live than sin and die. It is His delight to bless. Both the promises and the threatenings are designed to bring and hold us to our duty, yet it is better that we be attracted to that which is good by a devoted hope of God's favor and delight in God's goodness, Now!!
    We as Christians should be just as determined, to stand up, step out, and spread The Gospel of Jesus Christ; no matter what is before us, or what we must suffer in the name of Jesus Christ and The Glory of God!  
Amen!!

Reading: (Deut. 28:1-19)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Faith Brings Peace

Galatians 5:22-23  

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, 

gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:

against such there is no law." 

    Christ has freed us from the Law as a means of salvation, however it does not free us from moral restraint, but brings us under the constraint of a higher law, the law of love. We do not keep this law to be saved; but, being saved, we keep it out of love toward Christ. The power of the new life is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Unite yourself with His life that you find rising up within you. Live in the Spirit.  As we live and walk in the Spirit, we are safe.
    Faith in Jesus brings peace with God.  What a remarkable contrast it is through Jesus Christ, we have total and complete peace with God.  We are no longer at war with ourselves.  Through Christ we also have access to God.  This means that we can come to God in prayer and expect our prayers to be answered.  It also means we have access to the eternal plan God has for every human life, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them," (Eph 2:10).  God has made you for a reason, and He has a purpose to accomplish in your life.  Our faith justifies us before God, and it also gives us access to the continuing grace of God as we live our lives on earth. 
Amen!

Reading: (Gal. 5:13-26)
Re: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

A Goal For Living

1Timothy 4:9-11  

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we 

both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, 

who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
These things command and teach." 

    Salvation is and should always be our goal in living.  Too many people have limited goals in their lives.  They want earthly wealth or fame, perhaps earthly power.  For the child of God, these are puny.  If we were to gain all the wealth in the world, what would we have compared to the glory that will be revealed when Jesus returns?  The gold of the earth is paving material in the new Heaven to come. I think about the times I would brag on how much concrete I had around my house and the backyard.  It was silly then and it is silly now to rejoice about the things of this world.  Our rejoicing should be in the hope of the glory of God!   
    Nothing counts apart from God. Prayer implies that all our gifts and efforts cover only a small part of our efficiency. There are infinite resources in God, which He is waiting to employ in human affairs, and of which we fail to make use. The Christian worker, therefore, must not only labor and strive, but must hope in the living God, whose saving grace is at the disposal of our faith. The faith exercised by the average man results in obtaining only natural things; the supernatural is secured by the faith of those who have made profounder discoveries of God, and can therefore make demands on His resources, which are hidden from the princes of this world. In all Christian service we must set our hope on the living God.  
Amen!!
Reading: (1 Tim. 4:9-16)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

 

Approved Unto God

2Timothy 2:13  

"If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: 

he cannot deny himself"

    The Apostle explains the experiences of the elect soul. It must endure, suffer, and die with Christ, that out of its surrender may come the truest, richest life, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal," (John 12:25). There is no path to lasting success save that of the cross and grave of Christ. It has been allotted to the redeemed in the divine program; each must tread it separately and with resolute purpose. 
    But there is no doubt as to the sequel of a true life. The world of men may count it a failure, but God pledges Himself that as the pendulum swings here in the dark, it shall swing equally in yonder world of light. Three things are impossible with God, to die, to lie, and to fail the soul that trusts Him. Even when we cannot muster faith enough, His word of promise cannot be frustrated in the case of those whose faith is weak and trembling as the smoking flax.
    The one gold for us all should be to stand approved before God. We must hold a straight course in the word of truth. Our testimony should resemble, and construct something in our life; something which will be a permanent addition to the well being of the world, so that when we stand before Him, the Master may say that He is "Well Pleased." 
Amen!

Reading: (2 Tim. 10-18)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

God's Love, Accepted or Rejected

John 3:12  

"If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how 

shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"

    Even though our Lord was physically on earth, He was in touch with the realities of Heaven. He was living among them and bore witness to them. Notice the "must" in Joh 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:" He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and the divine purpose of redemption would fail unless He fulfilled His part in the eternal plan. 
    That which had been resolved upon before the foundations of the hills were laid "must" be carried out in all its terrible detail. He "must" be accounted as a sin offering, and go forth as a scapegoat. He "must" tread the winepress alone, and pour out His soul unto death. Yet He was not rebellious, nor did He turn back. He rejoiced to do the Father’s will. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the Cross "for us." 
Amen!

Reading: (John 3:9-21)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Sharing The Light Of Fellowship

1John 1:2  
"For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear 
witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was 
with the Father, and was manifested unto us;"

    As the aged Apostle began to write he was living over again his first happy experiences with the Savior. He heard the voice, saw the person, touched the very body in which Deity Tabernacles. It was too great a joy to be enjoyed alone, and John tells us that we may enter into the same close partnership with the Father and the Son. But no impurity or insincerity is permissible to those who enter that fellowship. Our one aim should be to maintain such a walk with God that the union with God may be unimpaired. 
    If there are still sins of ignorance, the blood of Jesus will continue to remove them. Sin differs from sins, as the root from the fruit. God does not only forgive, He cleanses. He is faithful to His promises and just to His Son. Notice the "ifs" of these verses 6-10 and in 1John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" they are a treasury of the blessed life. 
Amen!

Reading: (1 John 1:1-10)
Ref:( HG SB)

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry

 

Push Leads To Change

Exodus 13:17 

"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led 

them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although 

that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people 

repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:" 

    After all those years of longing to leave Egypt, when the time came, many of them probably did not want to leave! How can that be?  The reaction of the Israelites represents a fundamental part of human nature: Most of us resist change. We fear the unknown. As much as we dream of making changes in our lives, when the opportunity comes to change them, we often hide in fear.

    This is where Pharaoh stepped in. Sometimes, God helps us take those first steps toward change by giving us a push. The push usually comes in the form of a villain, such as a difficult person or a challenging circumstance. It could be a lost job or a broken relationship. We may resent our new situation, but ultimately, difficulties are what get us to change. 

    You see, sometimes we have to be pushed so that we will spread our wings and fly. We are afraid to spread them on our own. When Pharaoh let Israelites out of Egypt, they had to step out in faith. They had no choice but to place their trust in God. And because of that, they were able to go on and receive the Ten Commandments and inherit the land of Israel.

    Next time life gives you a push, remember that the children of Israel on the eve of their departure from Egypt, were also afraid and uncertain. God isn’t trying to push you down; He wants you to fly!

Amen!

Reading: (Ex. 13:17-22)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry

One Day At A Time

Exodus 16:4  

"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; 

and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may 

prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no" 

    One month after the Israelites left Egypt, their food ran out. Once again they complained and panicked. And once again, God reassured them and performed miracles on their behalf. The next day, the children of Israel woke up to find the ground covered in a pearly white substance that would become their food for the next 40 years. The people had never seen such a thing before and they ask, "What is it?"  "And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground, (Exodus 16:14). That’s how the heavenly bread becomes known as manna, Egyptian for "what is it?" 
    With this heavenly gift came a challenge. When the manna fell, the Israelites were only allowed to collect what they needed for their family for that day. Storing any leftovers was forbidden. They had to trust that there would be more the next day. In addition, on Fridays, a double portion of manna would fall. Each family was required to take a double portion. No manna would fall on the Sabbath because gathering it would be a desecration of Sabbath law. 

    The details of the manna teach us three very relevant lessons regarding our sustenance from God. They are lessons that help us cope with lean times and give us much needed perspective in abundant times. "What is it?" God always sustains us, but it’s not always in the ways that we would expect. Sometimes God provides for us in mysterious ways and we say, "What is this? That’s not what I was expecting!" But we have to be open to all of God’s gifts. 

    The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. While we would all like to have bank accounts swollen enough to last a lifetime, that’s not always how God wants it. He wants us to rely not on our money, but on Him. So God gives us what we need, but sometimes just one day at a time. 

    "Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none," (Exodus 16:26). The Sabbath reminds us that God is the ultimate Creator. We work and create for six days, but then we stop; we recognize that success doesn’t come from our work, but from God’s blessings.

Amen!!

Reading: (Ex. 16:13-26)
Ref: (What Does Manna Mean? Parshah Focus

Chabad.org)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

On Wings of Eagles

Exodus 19:4  

"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and 

how I bare you on eagles' wings, and 

brought you unto myself."

    Between June 1949 and September 1950, Israel ran a secret operation known as Operation Magic Carpet. During that time, 380 flights were made between Yemen and Israel, rescuing more than 49,000 Jews from Arab countries where they were being oppressed. When the Jews being rescued boarded the planes that would airlift them to Israel, they were sure that the messiah had come. They had never seen planes before, and to them, these were the "eagles" prophesied about in the book of Isaiah: "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31). To the Jews of Yemen, those airplanes were God’s eagles that would carry them home. And that’s how Operation Magic Carpet became more popularly known as Operation Wings of Eagles. 
    The Jews of Yemen weren't completely wrong. Although they were still waiting for the messiah, they were experiencing the miracles foretold by the prophets. The Jewish people were on their way home, and like eagles, they took flight. 

    Like an eagle, no one is higher than God. And like an eagle, He protects His children with love. When God took the children of Israel out of Egypt, He placed the "Pillar of Cloud" between them and the Egyptians. The Egyptians would have to get through the cloud if they wanted to reach the Israelites. But God would not let them. He miraculously kept them safe from harm.
    Today, God continues to bring His people back to their ancient homeland. And He continues to do this "on wings of eagles," with miracles, compassion, and love. 

Amen!

Reading: (Is. 19; 40)

Ref: (HG SB)

Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)

June 1949 and September 1950 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Kindness All The Time

Psalm 106:3  

"Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he 

doeth righteousness at all times." 

    This verse teaches us that, with the right perspective, everything we do can be turned into acts of charity and kindness, including taking care of our own children. It all depends on how and why we do what we do. Even taking care of our own self can be kindness if our ultimate goal is to better serve others.

    Do I eat to indulge in pleasure, or to give my body energy in order to help others? Do I sleep in order to indulge in laziness, or to be able to wake up refreshed, ready to serve God? When our ultimate goal is to help others, everything we do, even the things we do for ourselves, is counted by God as an act of charity. Indeed, it is possible to be engaged in kindness all of the time!

    What are you doing today? Or more importantly, why? Let’s make it our goal to help others. If we earn money, share it. If we relax and re-energize in the morning, help someone out in the afternoon. We can transform every single moment of the day into an act of charity and love.

Amen!

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister R. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Looking Up

Exodus 17:11 

"And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, 

that Israel prevailed: and when he let down 

his hand, Amalek prevailed." 

     The children of Israel were not out of Egypt very long when they faced their next enemy: The nation of Amalek. In describing the battle that took place, the Bible explains that as long as Moses had his hands up, the Israelites were winning, but when his hands came down, the battle favored the Amalekites. How can it be that the course of the battle was determined by the motions of Moses’ hands? Moses’ hands was not responsible for the tide of the battle; the people’s hearts were. And their hearts were connected to the hands of Moses. When his hands were up, they looked up, literally and figuratively, to God as their hope and savior. When his hands were down, their faith faltered. Without faith, no amount of arrows in the world could penetrate the enemy of Amalek.

    You see, Amalek was not like any other nation, and this battle was not just any other battle. Amalek represented the evil in the world. More specifically, the nation of Amalek symbolized a "godless world," where things happen randomly and there is no such thing as reward and punishment. In a godless world, anything goes and anything can happen. We would be at the mercy of the role of the dice.

    This is why the battle against Amalek had to be fought with faith: It could only be won with faith. The antidote to the evil embraced by Amalek is the faith taught and lived by Israel. Jewish Tradition teaches that Amalek and Israel will be locked in battle until the end of time. Amalek says God is nowhere; Israel says God is everywhere. The two ideas are mutually exclusive, and only one will emerge victorious.

    The battle between Amalek and Israel rages on today, only it’s a spiritual fight, fought in the deep recesses of our minds and hearts, v16. God’s Providence extends to every detail of our lives on earth and nothing happens without His knowledge. The more we integrate this message into our everyday lives, the more we will weaken the remnant of Amalek. When our faith is complete, we will have finished the battle that began with Moses and ends with each and every one of us. 
Amen!

Reading: (Ex. 17:8-16)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

The Consequences Of Sin

2 Samuel 12:9

"Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord,

to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite

with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy 

wife, and hast slain him with the sword

of the children of Ammon."

    Nathan said a parable unto David, and the consequences of David's great sin became evident to him. Observe how skillfully Nathan used his parable to bring David to condemn himself. David had violated four of The Ten Commandments in one act of sin: "thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not still, thou shalt not commit adultery, and thou shalt not covet your neighbor's wife." Although it was about a year later, that David sincerely repented of his sin, "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." Selah (Ps. 32:5). 
    While his repentance brought about forgiveness from God, it did not prevent him from suffering the consequences of his sin. God revealed that because of David's sin, "the son born from his adulterous relationship would die, and the sword would never depart from his house, and that evil would come from his own family, and his wives would be publicly shamed."  The important lesson to learn from these events is that even the best of men sin. Also, true repentance does bring forgiveness from God, but does not eliminate the consequences of sin.
Amen!

Reading: (2 Sam. 12:1-23)
               (Ps.32; Ps. 51:1-19)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

   

   
 

Breaking Dominating Power

Galatians 1:4  

"Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us 

from this present evil world, according to the 

will of God and our Father:"

     Who can break this dominating power?  The answer is Jesus Christ, for by Him and through Him we can preach and teach deliverance to the world.  Some may say deliverance from what?  I am talking about slavery to sin and the so called small sinful habits.  We find this out in the most ridiculously small ways;  "Oh, I can give that habit up when I like."   You cannot, just give up sin and it's habits, you are born in sin and your sinful habits absolutely dominates you because you yielded to it willingly.  It is easy to say,  "I will get saved one day and change my life"  and at the same time your living a life of obvious slavery to yourself.  The only way is through the Blood of Jesus Christ.  Accepting Jesus Christ will break every form of slavery in any human life.   
AMEN!!!

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

We Are Believers

Ezekiel 29:7 

"When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break,

and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon

thee, thou brakest, and madest all

their loins to be at a stand."

     During the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy, Israel was about to be captured by the Babylonians. Israel had already become a ruling state to the emerging Babylonian empire and was obligated to pay taxes to the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Egypt was in a similar position. It had lost many territories to the Babylonians and the enemy showed no sign of letting up.

    Egypt and Israel shared a common enemy and that led them to form an alliance. However, when the Babylonians came to attack Israel, Egypt looked the other way. Egypt deserted Israel in her time of need. The prophet Ezekiel described it this way: "When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand," (Ezekiel 29:7).

    Ezekiel came to scold the Jewish people for placing their trust exclusively in the Egyptians and not in God. At the same time, he lashed out at the Egyptians for deserting Israel and prophesied their decline. This was both a punishment for Egypt and a reminder for Israel: "And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD,” (Ezekiel 29:16). Egypt’s weakened state served as a lasting reminder to the Jews that it was foolish to trust in lowly man; only God Almighty was deserving of their, and ours as well.

    Today, Israel continues to struggle between trusting alliances with countries and having faith in God. But a video posted during an Israeli offensive several years ago,  Operation Pillar of Defense  indicated that Israelis are finally learning. In it, soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces are dancing and singing as they waited at the entrance to Gaza. The words that they sang went as follows: "We are believers and the sons of believers, that there is no one on whom to rely, except for our Father – our Father in heaven!"

    My Friends, let us learn what some of Israel’s greatest soldiers already know. When it comes to the uncertainties in life, there is only one source of strength and one source of security: the Lord our God. Let us trust in Him and rejoice in our faith. For He will do miracles for us, just as He did in Egypt long ago. 
Amen!

Reading: (Ezek. 29:1-21)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Keeping His Commandment of Love

1 John 2:1-2

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. 

And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 

Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation 

for our sins: and not for ours only, but also 

for the sins of the whole world."

    It is clearly possible to be kept from known and presumptuous sin. We shall be tempted, for that is a for sure part of life in this world; but we may be perfectly kept by the indwelling Spirit. Yet if we should be overtaken by some sudden gust of temptation, let us not despair; our Advocate ever makes intercession for us. The evidence that we have a saving knowledge of our Savior is obtained, not by the memory of a rapturous experience, but because we are conscious of doing, for His sake, things which we should otherwise evade.
    Let us continue to do such things, because by the path of patient obedience we shall enter into the Paradise of perfect, love. Our outer walk in Christ is the best evidence to ourselves and others that there is an abiding union between us and Jesus. Light involves love; and love, light. Love and you are in light. Indulge in hatred or ill-will and you will begin to grope in darkness.
Amen!

Reading: (1John 2:1-11)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

I Believe!

John 3:18  

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he 

that believeth not is condemned already, because 

he hath not believed in the name of 

the only begotten Son of God." 

    We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus to life, will also raise us up with Jesus and take us, together into His presence. As God's grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving.  For this reason we never become discouraged.  Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day.  And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble.  For we fix our attention not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen.  What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.  

 AMEN!

Reading: (John 3:15-21)

Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr

The Cross Life Ministry

God's Mercy Is Different:

Exodus 33:19
"And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the
name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy."

 

 God’s mercy is not like our mercy. To us, mercy is merely the removal of the cause of pain or suffering, even if it means destroying the good together with what’s bad. To many people, it is better to end life than to allow suffering. To many people, it is better not even to allow life to begin than to allow suffering to happen.
     To God however, it isn’t merciful to destroy what is good or beautiful even if it means putting an end to something that is bad. God will keep what is good even if it means suffering for it. He came down from heaven to suffer and to die for us so that when He rises again, He could also draw us all into His saving love!
     We have all suffered from sin. But God, instead of destroying us all, saved us. Even if all that remains within our souls is a little spark of love, He will not let it be extinguished! He will purify us until He could save all that could still be saved. Thank You God For Your Mercy!! 
Amen!

Reading: (Is. 30:18-22)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry