The Light Of Home Is Before You

2Co 4:16-17 

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish,

yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light

affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh

for us a far more exceeding and

eternal weight of glory;"

    In life a man's bodily strength fades away, but all through life, a mans soul should keep growing. The sufferings that leave a man with a weakened body may be the very thing which strengthens his soul. From the physical view of life it is a down hill slope to death. But from the Spiritual view of life, it is an up hill climb to the presence of God. No man should  fear the years ahead, for they don't bring us nearer to death but nearer to God. 

    Any suffering we go through in this life, will never compare with the glory we will enjoy in the next life. Jesus never foretold his death without foretelling his Resurrection. He who suffers for Christ will share his glory.God's own honour is pledged to that. 

    For that very reason, a man's eyes must be  fixed, not on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen. The things that are seen, the things of this world, have their day, then they cease to be; the things that are unseen, the things of heaven, last forever. 

    My friends, even with the sufferings in this life God is always with us, and the light of home is before us. "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed," (Deut. 31:8). 

Amen!

Reading: 2 Cor. 4:1-18

Ref: HG SB 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

  

      

Christian Toolbox

Deuteronomy 30:9 

"And the LORD thy God will make thee

plenteous in every work of thine

hand, in the fruit of thy body," 

    Why do we need a Christian Toolbox, and what's in that toolbox? Where can this Christian toolbox be found, and what's the price of this toolbox? The answer to why we need a Christian toolbox is simple. Let's use this as an example: Anyone who builds or makes changes to make things better for others carries a toolbox daily. But their toolbox's are all different from each other and have different tools in them. This makes their task easier and fun and gives them a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done. Their toolbox helps them reach their goal; "Pay Day at the End of the Road."  
    We too as Christians are working toward a goal, therefore we need tools to reach our goal. God gave us, a free gift and He gave us a Blueprint on how to get that free gift alone with a toolbox that's full of tools that God put there Himself. 
    My Friends, The Christian Toolbox is our Bible. Inside is a blueprint, the blueprint is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our tools are, The Word of God, The Plan of Salvation, Wisdom, God's Mercy. Teachings on Worship, Sin, Obedience, Fruitfulness, God's Faithfulness, Forgiveness etc. The Christian Toolbox is loaded with tools, but it's not heavy, the burden of sin is heavy."Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30). It's all in one book called The Holy Bible, and it was written for every person to reach their goal. "Pay Day At The End Of The Road."
Amen!

Reading: Read God's Word Daily
Ref: The Holy Bible

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Making Plans

Mat 6:31-32  

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?

 or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do 

the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth 

that ye have need of all these things.'   

Making plans is something that we all do every day. But what do we plan first? Oh' of course it's get up kiss the spouse and go to work. Why, because that's what we were taught, we must provide for our family. Then the extras come to mind. "Vacations, Holidays, School Expenses, College Tuition, Food, Clothing etc. Your answer maybe, that's why I go to work every day, but every day and every year is not going to be the same. My Friend, you can work as hard as you want, but just providing food, shelter, clothing and love is not enough. 
    Making plans for this life is not the only life we need to plan for. We need to plan for eternity! My friends, if  we seek God and His righteousness and grace, by believing and accepting the "life, death, and resurrection of  Jesus Christ. He carried my sins, your sins and the sins of the entire world! "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," (Matt. 6:33-34). 
    The good news is the plan is already made. It's called the Plan of salvation, and it's a free gift from God. Your travel plans start with leaving the old life of damnation behind and walking your new life in Jesus Christ. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving," (Col. 2:6-7).  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God," (Eph 2:8). "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus," (Gal. 3:26).  
Amen!

Reading: Ponder On Devotional Scriptures
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

 
                    

Are You Imprisoned

Matthew 5:42-44

  "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them

 that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

    Forgiveness is liberating, but it is also sometimes painful. It is liberating because we are freed from the heavy load of guilt, bitterness, and anger we have harbored within us. It is painful because it is difficult to have to face  God, ourselves, and others with our failures.

    Are you still unable to forgive someone who hurt you deeply and you still bear the scars?  How long will you remain a prisoner to your unforgiving spirit? You have within you the power to forgive, to be healed, and to be set free to live your life to the fullest. If the Lord is speaking to you His words of Truth.  Please accept His message, "In Jesus Name"

Amen!!

Reading: Matt. 5:33-48 

Ref: HG SB

Have A Blessed Day 

Minister: Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Ponder Don't Wonder Around God's Word

2 Tim 2:15 

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God,

a workman that needeth not to be

ashamed, rightly dividing

the word of truth." 

    The one anxiety with us all should be to stand approved before God. We must hold a straight course in the word of truth. Our testimony should resemble our undeviating walk with Christ. We must realize that the study of God's word is the source of our testimony. Listen if we don't "ponder" on God's word as we study, we end in a state of read and repeat "wondering around God's Word."  

    My Friends, Let us construct in our life something which will be a permanent addition to our life. "Let us study and ponder on God's word, and not read, and wonder around God's Word." We must all be good disciple's for our Lord and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world, so that we may hear our Lord say, Well done my child,. "Welcome Home"

Amen!

Reading: 2 Tim 2:14-18

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Distorted Vision

Matthew 6:22-23 

"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole 

body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body 

shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in 

thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"   

    The eye is regarded as the window by which the light gets into the whole body. The state of a window decides what light gets into a room. If the window is clear, clean, and undistorted, the light will come flowing into the room, and will illuminate every corner of it. If the glass of the window is colored or frosted, distorted, dirty, or obscure, the light will be hindered, and the room will not be lit up. 

    The amount of light that gets into a room depends on the window. So, what Jesus is saying here is the light which gets into any man's heart and soul and being depends on the spiritual state of the eye through which it has to pass, for the eye is the window of the whole body. However, the Scripture also reads: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.  Translated from Greek (Haplous), means single, simplicity, absence of folds. To the christian this involves "prudence," knowing how to deal with fellow humans and the circumstances of life. Therefore we as Christians are supposed to be not only (Haplous), single without duplicity. The view we take "of people" depends on the kind of eye we have. There are certain obvious things which can blind our eyes and distort our vision. 

    Prejudice can distort our vision: There is nothing that destroys a man's judgment as prejudice does. It prevents us from forming the clear, reasonable and logical judgment which it is the duty of any man to form. Prejudice is like a blindfold it blinds us from the facts. One of the most necessary things in life is the fearless self-examination which will enable us to see when we are acting on principle and when we are the victims of our own unreasonable and unreasoning prejudices. In any man who is swayed by prejudice the eye is darkened and the vision distorted. 
    Jealousy can distort our vision: Many marriages and many friendships have been destroyed because of jealousy, and perfectly innocent incidents turned into guilty actions, and which blinded the eye to truth and fact of the matter.
    Self-conceit can distort our vision: Self-conceit doubly affects a man's vision, for it renders him incapable of seeing himself as he really is, and incapable of seeing others as they really are. If a man is convinced of his own wisdom, he will never be able to realize his own foolishness; and if he is blind to everything except his own virtues, he will never be aware of his own faults. 
    My Friends, Whenever we compare our self with others, we will do so to our own advantage, and to their disadvantage. We will be forever incapable of self-criticism, and therefore forever incapable of self-improvement. The light in which we should see our self and see others will be darkness.
Amen!

Reading: Matt: 6:22-23
               Luke  11:34-36
Ref: HG SB; DSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

  

God's Plumbline

Amos 7:8 

And the Lord said unto me, Amos what seest thou? And I

said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will

set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel:

I will not again pass by them any more. 

   What is a plumbline? A plumbline also called a plummet, is a cord with a non-magnetic weight attached to one end. When the cord is held in such a way that the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical can be determined. Painters and carpenters use plumblines to keep their work straight. It is sometimes difficult, while in the middle of a project. 

    Not only construction workers use a plumbline, but God as well. The "plumbline" was to serve as the measure of Israel's sin to reveal how far she had gone astray. Despite the fact that the Lord complied with Amos' first two request to stay His judgment, destruction is now certain, and the captivity by the Assyrians was imminent (Amos 7:17).

    My Friends, Are our sins any different from Israel's sins? Do we fall under the same Laws of God, His Grace, Our Christian walk, His measurement of our life be it saved or unsaved? The answer is Yes! As a true believer, you must daily check yourself using your "heart as your wall and your Faith as your Plumbline". If you are a un-believer, let God rebuild your wall, Let Christ in your heart, then you have a wall God and you can stand on and use your faith as a plumbline.

Amen!

Reading: Amos: 7:1-17

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

        

When God Warns; Listen

Amos 4:11-12 

"I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not

returned unto me, saith the LORD. Therefore thus will I do unto

thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee,

prepare to meet thy God, O Israel"

    Amos compares the rich and powerful of Samaria, who were living in luxury and wanting everything that they could get their hands on, to the kine of Bashan, a breed of cattle notorious for strength and stubbornness. They broke through hedges, threw down fences, trespassed on neighboring pastures, and gored lesser cattle. The judges and magistrates were in cruel collusion with the masters who oppressed the serfs, and were willing to condone breaches of the law for drink. Sacrifices and tithes were rigorously maintained, but the entire religious system was rotten.

    Already heavy judgment had fallen upon the degenerate people. There had been famine, the intermission of the rainy seasons, mildew, crops destroyed and a plague, but the people did not listen.  God being behind these phenomena was obvious from the fact that rain showers had fallen in one place and not in another. There are always a method in God’s dealings!
    My Friends, You see God's people had refused to lay it to heart what God had said and still tells the world today; "yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." I pray today that we all take something from between these lines and may find within them a clue to the mysterious succession of that may have fell upon our self and our household. 
Amen!

Reading: Amos 4:1-13

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Valley Of Decision

Joel 2:28 

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit

upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams, your

young men shall see visions:"

    Having stated the outward blessings that would follow repentance, Joel unveils the  spiritual blessings that were in store. The outpouring of the Spirit, described in (Acts. 2:16-17). This blessing is for all whom the Lord our God shall call to Himself, and as one to whom His call has come, you have a perfect right to claim your share in Pentecost. The promise is to all generation's, past, present and future! The most degraded and despised of men, become free when they yield themselves to Jesus and have an equal right to the same Spirit.
    Joel 3:1-21 refers to the last desperate effort made by the powers of the world against Christ and His people. This will be the closing scene of man’s apostasy. But the Lord will vindicate and deliver His oppressed from the hand of their oppressors; and the same judgment will bring them blessings. having cleansed His people from their sins.
    My Friends The Lords Day will come just as it was prophesied, and our home will be with God, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God,  (Rev. 21:3). 
Amen:

Reading: Joel 2:28-32; 3:1-21
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

The Open And Empty Tomb

Matthew 28:1 

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward

the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary to see the sepulcher"

    Here we have Matthew's story of the empty tomb. And there is something peculiarly fitting in that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary should be the first to receive the news of the Risen Lord and to encounter him. They had been there at the Cross; they had been there when he was laid in the tomb; and now they were receiving love's reward; they were the first to know the joy of the Resurrection.

     As we read this story of the first two people in the world to be confronted with the fact of the empty tomb and the Risen Christ, three things come to light. (1)They are urged to believe. The thing is so staggering that it might seem beyond belief, too good to be true. The angel reminds them of the promise of Jesus, and confronts them with the empty tomb; his every word is a summons to believe. It is still a fact that there are many who feel that the promises of Christ are too good to be true. That hesitation can be dispelled only by taking him as his word. 

    (2)They are urged to share. When they themselves have discovered the fact of the Risen Christ, their first duty is to proclaim it to and to share it with others. "Go, tell!" is the first command which comes to the man who has himself discovered the wonder of Jesus Christ. (3)They are urged to rejoice. The word with which the Risen Christ meets them is All hail (chairo 5463) that is the normal word of greeting; but its literal meaning is "to rejoice!" My Friends, Those who have accepted the Risen Lord as their personal Savior will live for ever in the joy of his presence from which nothing can part them any more.

Amen!

Reading: Matt. 28:1-10

Ref: HG SB; BSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry