We Are Open Letters for Christ

2 Corinthians 3:3  

"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle 

of Christ ministered by us,written not with ink, but 

with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables 

of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."

     This is a great truth here, which is an inspiration and an warning. Every man is an open letter for Jesus Christ. Every Christian, whether he likes it or not, is an advertisement for Christianity. The honour of Christ is in the hands of His followers. We judge a store manager by the kind of goods he sells, we judge a craftsman by the quality of his crafts he makes, we judge a Church by the kind of men it creates, and therefore men judge Christ by His followers. 
    My Friends, When we go out into the world, we have the inspiring responsibility of being open letters, advertisements, for Christ and his Church. However the greatest handicap the Church has is the unsatisfactory lives of professing Christians. "What Kind Of Message Do You Send?" 
Amen!

Reading: 2 Cor. 3:1-3
Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail

The Cross Life Ministry

Will The Real Christian Please Stand!

John 3:16-17  

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, 

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have

everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the 

world to condemn the world; but that the 

world through him might be saved." 

    Before I get into the devotion today I want all of us to look at the second Scripture above. I know we are all familiar with John 3:16, but as we read John 3:17 I want us all to stop and ponder on the words might be saved. Now that we have pondered for awhile let's talk about the leading word might. First might has two meanings. Past tense of may, and used to express liberty, probability, or possibility in the past. It also means Maybe. Now that I have you confused, Let me say there is nothing wrong conditional or uncertain about the word might. It is simply a difference in the manner of speaking.     

    What do you  really believe? I'm not talking about what you put on your facebook page or what religion you claim. What do you put your faith in? What is your identity? We all have ready made answers to these type questions, but when it gets down to it, are we being truthful or is it a load of crap? 

    If you're anything like me you grew up in a house that had a Bible or two in it, and one or both of your parents were Christians. I grew up thinking there was a God, however the older I got and in High School, I just let the idea of God just fade away. But I still wanted to display the Christian image. Many years later it all changed and I finally started to see. The Bible isn't a rule book. It's a love letter. It's not about my performance. It about Jesus.' 
    My Friends, Grace isn't there for some future you, but for the real you in any situation. The Lord is not waiting until you clean yourself up, because He will clean you up from the inside to the outside.  The truth changed my life, and I'm convinced it will change yours. 
Amen!

Reading: John 3:15-21
Ref: HGSB
Heritage Dictionary p.863

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

       

"Cruise Control" Obedience

1 Corinthians  9:24  

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, 

but one receiveth the prize? So run, 

that ye may obtain."

    We have to discipline our bodies; it is one of the neglected facts of the spiritual life that very often spiritual depression springs from nothing else than physical unfitness. If a man is going to do his best work in anything he must bring to it a body as fit as he can make it. We have to discipline our minds; However, many believers today practice the "Cruise Control" approach to obedience.
    We all know what cruise control is because most likely we use every time we're out cruising down the highway in our vehicles. We set a speed we want, ease back and relax a little. We don't have to watch our speed because the cruise control is doing for us, and we don't get that tired and numb feeling from pressing down on the gas pedal for a long period of time. It's very convenient and relaxing. 
    However we tend to obey God in the same way. What happens is this; we press the pedal of obedience until we have brought our behavior up to a certain level of "speed."  The level of obedience is most often determined by the behavior standard of other Christians around us. We don't want to lag around behind them because we want to be as spiritual as they are. At the same time, we're not eager to forge ahead of them because we wouldn't want to be different. We want to just comfortably blend in with the level of  those around us. Once we reach the comfortable level of obedience, that's when we push the "Cruise Control" button in our hearts, then sit back and relax. But what we must think about is this; We may be Comfortable with our level of obedience, but is God comfortable with our obedience. 
    My Friends,  We need to know our goal. A distressing thing is the obvious aimlessness of the lives of so many people; they are drifting anywhere instead of going somewhere. "Are you not going anywhere; or are you just going." Remember, to go just anywhere is the certain way to arrive nowhere."  We need to know the worth of our goal. Certainly we cannot serve others until we have mastered ourselves; we cannot teach what we do not know; we cannot bring others to Christ until we ourselves have found him. The Goal is Life Eternal, and surely it is worth anything to win that. 
Amen!

Reading: 1 Cor. 9:24-27
Ref: HGSB; BDSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr. 

The Cross Life Ministry

Loving God And Man

Matthew 22:36-40  

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, 

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 

and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And

the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 

    Here Jesus laid down the complete definition of religion.  Religion consists in loving God. The verse which Jesus quotes is (Deuteronomy 6:5), "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." What Christ said in plain English is this; 

It means that to God we must give a total love, a love which dominates our emotions, a love which directs our thoughts, and a love which is the dynamic of our actions. All religion starts with the love which is total commitment of life to God. 

    The second commandment which Jesus quotes comes from (Leviticus 19:18). "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." Our love for God must issue in love for men.  We must notice in which order the commandments come; it is love of God first, and love of man second. It is only when we love God that man becomes lovable. 

    The Biblical teaching about man is not that man is a collection of elements, and not that man is part of the brute creation, but that man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). It is for that reason that man is lovable.  Take away the love of God and we can become angry at man,we become the unteachable; we can become pessimistic about man the unimprovable; we can become callous to man. "My Friends, We must remember, The love of man is firmly grounded in the love of God." 

Amen!

Reading: Matt. 22:34-40

Devotional Scriptures

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Conformity Is A Lifelong Process

Galatians 5:17  

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:

and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye 

cannot do the things that ye would." 

    No man was ever more conscious of the tension in human nature than Paul. Not only Paul but, we can see from the pattern of Jesus' life that conformity to Him is a lifelong process. I realize that not all Bible believers regard the tension described in Romans 7:14-17; as a descriptive of a normal Christian experience, let alone someone who is vigorously pursuing holiness. " For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." 

    Yet what honest Christian would not admit to the frequent gap between his or her spiritual desires and actual performance? Which of us would not agree that "When I want to do good, evil is right there with me" The presence of sin in the believer involves conflict in his heart and life. No one can say that this conflict is not normal. If there is still sin to any degree in one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, then there is tension, and contradiction, within the heart of that person. 

    My Friends, The deeper our understanding of the majesty of God, the greater the intensity of our love to God, and the more persistent our yearning for the attainment of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Amen!

Reading: Rom. 7:14-25

               Gal.  5:16-26

Ref: HGSB

Discipline of Grace

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

      

The Goal

Ephesians 4:24  

"And that ye put on the new man, which after God 

is created in righteousness and true holiness." 

    Paul said our new self is created to be alike, in true righteousness and holiness. The Author of the Book of Hebrews stated that God disciplines us so that we may share in His holiness. Christ likeness is God's goal for all who trust in Christ and that should be our goal also. 
    How can we know whether we are being transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ? Start by studying Christ' character. "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;" (Heb. 1:9a). Jesus did not just act righteously, he loved righteousness.  In His humanity, He loved equity, fairness, justice, and upright dealings with others. At the same time He hated wickedness. Jesus hated sin as sin. We often hate the consequences of sin; But I suspect we seldom hate sin as sin.
    Why would I say make a statement like that? Because sin is rebellious against God's authority and a defiance of His commands. Do we truly hate sin when we see in our own lives because of the despicable nature of it? To the extent we do, because we are being transformed into His likeness.
    My Friends, Jesus' entire goal in His earthly life was to do the will of His Father, even though Jesus knew that He would lay His life down for His sheep. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.  And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day," (John 6:38-40).
Amen

Reading: John 6:35-71

               Eph. 4:1-32
Ref: HGSB
Discipline of Grace 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Regeneration

Ezekiel 36:26-27 

 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: 

and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give

you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, 

and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall 

keep my judgments, and do them."  

    Sanctification actually begins at the time of our conversion, when by an act called regeneration, or the new birth, the principle of spiritual life is planted within us. This work of regeneration is promised in The Old Testament prophecies, "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33).

    In the New Testament, Paul described regeneration in 2 Corinthians. 5:7 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." and again in Titus 3:5  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

    We must pay attention to the radical change that is described in each of these scriptures. God will put His law in our minds and write in on our hearts. That is, He will give us a new disposition that, instead of being hostile to God's law, we actually delight in it. The law which before was merely external, is now written in our hearts by the Spirit of God so that we are moved to obedience.

My Friends, "Renewing grace works as a great change in the soul as the turning of a dead stone into living flesh" (Matthew Henry).

Amen!

Reading: Devotional Scriptures
               John 3:6,8
Ref: HGSB
Discipline of Grace

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Sanctification

2 Corinthians 3:18  

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 

are changed into the same image from glory to glory, 

even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 

    There are a lot of things in the  spiritual realm that remains a complete mystery to me. How can a person who is indifferent or hostile toward God become a deeply committed follower of Jesus Christ? How can a person who is a slave to destructive sinful habits become a person who is self controlled, gentle,and compassionate? How can a self righteous Jew named Saul of Tarsus become the humble, Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.

    Apostle Paul calls it "being transformed" in other words as the scripture tells us we "are changed." So in the English language it means "metamorphosis." The idea of transformation refers to an invisible process in Christians which takes place or begins to take place already during their life in this age. Now the process of transformation is called sanctification. This is a very important scriptural word that we ought to become familiar with if we desire to pursue holiness. Sanctification is the word of the Holy Spirit in us whereby our inner being is progressively changed, freeing us more and more from sinful traits and developing within us over time the virtues of Christ like character.

    My Friends, However, though sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. It does involve our wholehearted response in obedience and the regular use of the spiritual discipline that are instruments of sanctification. 

Amen

Reading: 2 Cor. 3:1-18

Ref: HGSB

       Discipline And Grace 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr

The Cross Life Ministry

           

Grace Teaches Us To Say No!!

Romans 1:18  

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 

all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, 

who hold the truth in unrighteousness"  

    Grace first teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions. Ungodliness is equal to wickedness, and it basically comprises and disregards God, by ignoring Him, or not taking Him into account in our lives. It is a lack of fear and reverence for Him. The wickedness portrayed by Paul in Romans 1:18-32 all starts with the idea that although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God or give thanks to Him.  "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened," (Rom. 1:21). 

    My Friends, When we trust in Christ as our Saviour, we bring with us a habit of ungodliness into our Christian lives. Why would we do that, because we were accustomed to living without regard for God. As unbelievers, we did not care for His will or His glory. Basically ,we ignored Him. But now that we have been delivered from sin the dominion of sin and brought under the reign of grace, grace teaches us to renounce this attitude as well as actions of ungodliness. We all know that God's training don't happen all at once. In fact, God will be rooting out ungodliness from our lives as long as we live on the earth.

Amen!

Reading: Rom. 1:18-32

Ref: HGSB

       Discipline of Grace

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry  

Salvation And Discipline Are Inseparable

Philippians 1:6  

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which 

hath begun a good work in you will perform 

it until the day of Jesus Christ:" 

    Another truth we see in Titus 2:11-12, is that salvation and spiritual discipline are inseparable. The grace that brings salvation to us also disciplines us. It does not do the one with out the other. That is, God never saves people and leaves them alone to continue in their immaturity and sinful lifestyle. Those who He saves, He disciplines.
    This is very encouraging to all Believers, because it assures us that our spiritual growth is not left to our initiative, or is it dependent upon our wisdom to know in which areas and in which direction we need to grow. It is God Himself who initiates and looks over our spiritual growth. This is not saying that we have no responsibility to respond to God's spiritual training in our lives, I am saying He is the one in charge of our training.
    Of course, God will have others, such as our Ministers and other mature Christians, as His agents and He will use various means, primarily His Word and circumstances, to discipline us. But He is the one who takes the ultimate responsibility. And as the one who is infinite in wisdom, He knows exactly which means to use in our lives at any given time.
    My Friends, Our response should be to trust Him and obey Him, and to pray that He will work in us what is pleasing to Him.  "Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Heb. 13:21).
Amen!

Reading: Titus 2:11-12
               Heb. 13:12-21
Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Disciplined By Grace

Titus 2:11-12  

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, 

we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, 

in this present world;" 

    The title of this devotional study may seem to some people to be, clearly confusing, or bittersweet. Discipline to them, suggests restraint and legalism, rules and regulations, and a God who frowns on anyone who has fun. Grace, on the other hand, seems to mean freedom from any rules, spontaneous and unstructured living, and most of all, a God who loves us unconditionally regardless of our sinful behavior. Such thinking reflects a misunderstanding of both grace and discipline.

    Discipline includes all instruction, all reproof and correction, and all hardships in our lives that are aimed at building spiritual growth and godly character. Therefore, in the spiritual realm we remain under God's discipline as long as we live.

    My Friends, So we see that the very same grace that brings salvation also trains us to live lives that are pleasing to God. All of God's discipline processes are grounded in His grace, His unmerited and unconditional favor toward us. We tend to place discipline on the same level with rules and performances standards. God places it with firm but loving care for our souls, "That Is Disciplined By Grace."

Amen!

Reading: Titus 2:10-15

Ref: HGSB

The Discipline of Grace

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Sin's Reign And Dominion

Psalm 51:5 

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and  

in sin did my mother conceive me." 

    David spoke of his legal reign and consequent dominion of sin in our lives when he said, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me, (Ps 51:5). The only reason David would said that he was sinful at birth, before he has actually committed any sin, was because he realized he was born under Adam's guilt and so experienced the dominion of sin in his life.

    To die to sin then means, first of all, to die to it's legal or penal reign  and, secondly as a necessary result, to die to its dominion over us. Therefore, deliverance from guilt and its penal consequence, brings deliverance from sin's dominion. In God's plan of salvation these two deliverances are necessarily connected. There is no such thing as salvation from sins penalty without an accompanying deliverance from sin's dominion. This does not mean we no longer sin, but that sin no longer reigns in our lives. 

    My Friends, A believer cannot continue in sin. We no longer live in the realm of sin, under its reign and dominion. It is this deliverance from the dominion of sin through union with Christ in His death that ensures that a true believer will no have this type attitude, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may a bound?" If a person does have such an attitude, it is a likely indication that the person is not a true believer, no matter how much he or she professes to have trusted in Christ for salvation."

Amen

Reading: Rom. 6:1-16

               2 Cor 5:21

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

A Challenge

Isaiah  41:17  

"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, 

and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD 

will hear them, I the God of Israel 

will not forsake them." 

    Life is not easy for any of us, if we regard external conditions only; But from God's Word we learn the divine secret. Rivers flow from bare heights, fountains arise in sterile valleys, and the desert blooms like the forest-glade. To the ordinary eye there might appear no outward change in the forbidding circumstance; but faith’s eye always beholds a very paradise of beauty where other eyes see only straitened circumstances and a trying time.
    Let's look at the opening verses of the chapter. The idols are asked to say or do something to prove that they are divine. "Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob," (Is. 41:21). There is no response; with the result that a crushing verdict is passed on them as recorded in Is.41:24. On the other hand, the prophet of the Lord is prepared with His predictions of Cyrus “the one from the East,” (see Is.41:2 and Is. 44:28) which would be fulfilled before that generation had passed away. Let us give heed to the sure word of prophecy. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" (2 Peter 1:19).
Amen!

Reading: Is. 41:17-29 
Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr

The Cross Life Ministry

The Promises Of God (PT-2)

Isaiah 41:10  

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; 

for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, 

I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with

the right hand of my righteousness."  

    "The Lords Help" The scope of God's Promises, is to silence the fears and encourage the faith, of the servants of God in their distresses. Perhaps it is intended, in the first place, for the support of God's Israel, in captivity; but all that faithfully serve God through patience and comfort of God's Word may have hope.  Is. 41:10, will lead off The Promises of God today.  "The Fathers Love"  I will come against many things that will try to separate me from the love of God. However, I am certain that I can withstand through faith and prayer. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord," (Rom. 8:38-39). "My Daily Needs" The wealth of God is open to those who love Him and love their fellow-men. He who gives makes himself richer, for his own gift opens to him the gifts of God. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:19). 

    "The Forgiveness of Sin" God has promised that He will never despise the contrite heart and He will not break His word. If we humbly and sorrowfully confess our sins, He will forgive. The very fact of making excuses and seeking for self-justification hinders us from forgiveness, because it hinders us from penitence; the very fact of humble confession opens the door to forgiveness, for the man with the penitent heart can claim the promises of God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,"(1 John 1:9).  

    "An Answer To Prayer"  With God we have freedom of speech. He is always listening, more ready to hear than we are to pray. We never need to force our way into His presence or compel Him to pay attention. He is waiting for us to come. We know how we often wait for the knock of the postman or the ring of the telephone to bring us a message from someone whom we love. In all reverence we can say that God is like that with us. "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John :14-150.

Amen!

Reading: Devotional Script

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

                    

  

The Promises Of God (PT-1)

1 Kings 8:56(c) 

"there hath not failed one word

of all his good promise." 

    These promises of God, He first gives in the name of all Israel, then to the everlasting honour of the divine faithfulness, and the everlasting encouragement of all those that build upon the divine promise; "Other words all who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, and believe that He is the Son of God, that came to cleanse the world of sin."  

    Now lets look over The Promises of God: "My God's Presence:" Where ever I go God is before me I will never be alone. "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). "My Eternal Security:" God gave me eternal life and no one can take it away. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28). 

   "The Guidance I Need:" Where would we be without God's daily guidance? We must start our day and finish our day with God! "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path," (Prov. 3:5-6).  

   My Friends, Take these first four Promises of God and ponder on them starting with the Post Title; The Promises of God (1 kings 8:56). As you study these promises and began to understand them; "Make Them Yours"  claim them every day, because no one can take them away. We will finish with part two tomorrow.

Amen

Reading: Devotional Script

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A.Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry   

Don't Be A Victim

Matthew 5:11-12  

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, 

for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: 

for great is your reward in heaven: for 

so persecuted they the prophets

which were before you." 

    When someone finds themselves in an abusive situation; They frequently hear what I call, "The Victim Speech. That's when they hear the rude comments and accusations from their spouse, a family member or friend. Let me give you some examples: "You Can't Do It!" Your mind is empty as a hollow log,"  "Your Not Worthy!" You don't deserve anything, or You will never be able to handle anything. You are just not good enough and, just why do you think you deserve what you are getting." 

    My Friends words like these above are harsh and can scar a person for life. What can we do in a situation of this type of persecution against us? The first and only thing that can be done is this. We must take action to change those words of deft and stand and say,"The truth of the matter is, I'am a joint heir in Christ Jesus of all God's benefits. There is no words or actions that anyone can say or do in this world, that could destroy All God's Benefits In Heaven, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. 5:10). 

Amen.

Reading: Matt. 5:1-12

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Responsibility Is The Other Side Of Privilege

Luke 10:2-3  

Therefore said he unto them, "The harvest truly is great, 

but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord 

of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers 

into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send 

you forth as lambs among wolves."  

      This passage describes a wider mission than the first mission of the Twelve. The number seventy was to the Jews symbolic. It was the number of the elders who were chosen to help Moses with the task of leading and directing the people in the wilderness. It was the number of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews. If we relate the Seventy to either of these bodies they will be the helpers of Jesus. 
    It was held to be the number of nations in the world. Luke was the man with the universalist view and it may well be that he was thinking of the day when every nation in the world would know and love his Lord. 

    To have heard God's word is a great responsibility. A man will be judged according to what he has had the chance to know. We allow things in a child, we condemn in an adult. We forgive things in a savage, we punish in a civilized man. Responsibility is the other side of privilege. 

    My Friends, It is a terrible thing to reject God's invitation. There is a sense in which every promise of God that a man has ever heard, can become his condemnation. If he receives these promises they are his greatest glory, but each one that he has rejected will some day be a witness against him.

Amen!

Reading: Luke 10:1-16

Ref: HGSB; BDSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Looking In The Mirror

Luke 15:18-19  

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, 

Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 

And am no more worthy to be called thy son:

make me as one of thy hired servants." 

    In a striking way, the Lord describes the turning point. Literally, He tells us that young man "came to himself," or as we would say came to his senses. There is an insanity to sin, and this boy suddenly saw himself as he really was. So what did he do? He looked in the mirror and seen his true self.

    The first step to spiritual sanity is repentance, a return to a realistic understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. The young man realized that his choices had been sinful, against God and against his father. In accepting the responsibility for his action and recognizing the wrong he had done, he embraced truth. 

    My Friends, just like many of us, when that young man demanded his share of everything the only thing on his mind was,"I Gotta Be Me. I Gotta, Find Myself."  There is often more truth in a pigpen of consequences than in the halls of revelry. 

Amen!

Reading: Luke 15:11-19

Ref: HGSB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Motivated By Love

2 Corinthians 5:15  

"And that he died for all, that they which live should not 

henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him 

which died for them, and rose again." 

     Apostle Paul wrote that Christ died that we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him. To live no longer for ourselves but for Him is the essence of discipleship. That phrase sums up all that we could include under the heading of discipleship, holiness and service. But what it is that will motivate us, not to live for ourselves but for Him? It is the Love of Christ! "For Christ love compels us." 

    We as believers need to be challenged to a life of committed discipleship, but that challenge should be based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not on duty or guilt. Duty or guilt may motivate us for a while, "only the sense of Christ's Love will motivate for a lifetime".  

    My Friends, A sense of obligation and duty never stimulates such a desire within us. Only love does that. If we are going to persevere as committed disciples of Jesus Christ over the course of our lives, we must always keep, "The Gospel of God's Forgiveness Through Christ Before Us." 

Amen

Reading 2 Cor 5:6-15

Ref: HGSB 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

  

Knowing What Hurts God

Luke 15:4-5  

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,

doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,

and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 

And when he hath found it, he layeth

it on his shoulders, rejoicing."  

     In Jesus' day the Pharisees and scribes just could not understand why Jesus would hang around sinners, eat with them, and heal them as well as cast out demons. If you have the same mind set and have doubts about the power and the Love of God, "then you don't know what hurts God and gives Him Pain.  If that's the case, "How can you say you love God?" 

    How can we say we know God, if we don't know what gives Him pain and brings Him joy? The Lord wants us to see that the Father's heart hurts for the lost and rejoices when the lost are found. That's why He uses a concept we all can understand. That is the example of these three parables in Luke Chap:15.

    When something is lost , we do not despise it, we search for it, and rejoice in the finding of it.  Every person on this earth is that way, and guess what; God is that way also. That is the point of the three parables. They tell us not so much about a lost sheep as a seeking shepherd, Not so much about a lost coin as a searching woman, and not so much about a lost son as a loving father. And all these speak of our Father in Heaven. My Friends, "Knowing And Loving God Is Knowing what causes Him Pain!" 

Amen!!

Reading: Luke 15:1-32

Ref: HGSB

Minister Notes 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

  

   

We All Are Still Sinful

Luke 5:31-32

And Jesus answering said unto them, 

They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  

"I came not to call the righteous, 

but sinners to repentance."

   We must remember that the Gospel is for the sinner. The Gospel is meaningful to us only to the extent that "we realize and acknowledge that we are still sinful." Although we are new creations in Christ, we still sin every day in thought, word and deed perhaps even more in our motives. To benefit from the Gospel every day, "We must realize we are sinners."

   As Christians if we were to regard the sinner not as a criminal but as a sick man; and if we were to look on the man who has made a mistake not as someone deserving contempt and condemnation but as someone needing love and help to find the right way, "We Could Make This World A Better Place to Be Until Christ Returns."

Amen!

Reading: Luke 5: 27-32

Ref: HBSB

God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Bad Day Good Day

1 Peter 2:24  

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,

that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: 

by whose stripes ye were healed." 

    "If I do certain things, then I can get God to come through for me." Does people really think this way? Would you be less confident on a bad day than a good day? Would you find it hard to believe that God would Bless you and use you in the mist of a bad Spiritual day? If you answered yes to those questions you have lots of company among Believers. Is such thinking justified? Does God work that way? The answer to both questions is NO!

   Have you ever felt like you had forfeited God's favor for a long or short period of time? If so did you feel like God would not use you during that time to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone "on your bad day?" My Friend, You're not by yourself.  I believe we all have failed God at sometime or many times in our lives; by saying, I Am not worthy today, or I Am afraid I Will say the wrong thing. 

   So, what should we do when we have a bad Spiritual day feeling guilty and nothing is going right. My Friends, We must go back to the Cross and see Jesus there bearing our sins in His own Body. We must by Faith accept the blood of Jesus Christ that will cleanse our guilty consciences, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14.

Amen!

Reading: Heb: 2:18-25

Ref: HGSB 

God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

A Look Inside

Luke 18:29-30  

And he said unto them, "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, 

or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, 

Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, 

and in the world to come life everlasting." 

    Do we ever live in the present? Maybe we need to ponder on this for a while. Most of us spend our time with our mind on what happen yesterday and what we hope might happen today and tomorrow. SO HOW CAN WE LIVE IN THE PRESENT? By Faith In Our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ! The first thing one might say is; "what will that give me?" The Answer; Is "A Look Inside Your Heart!" In other words there should be happiness; "In serving Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." However that can't happen with out the Pursuit of Holiness, and this requires vigorous effort. It allows no room for intolerance, or halfhearted commitment and no lazy eye or thought even toward the smallest sins.
    Pursuit of Holiness demands the highest priority in  the life of a Christian, because to be holy is to be Christ Like, which is Gods goal for every Christian. Let us not forget that the Pursuit Of Holiness must be Anchored In The Grace Of God; if not it is doomed to failure. As we look at the worlds population today and I mean every human being on this earth, we must look at this the same way God does. God Looks at us in two categories "Sinners and Believers"! There is no in between!
    Some think that the Grace of God and The Pursuit of Holiness is theatrical. And to some The Pursuit of Holiness sounds like legalism and man made rules. To others, Grace opens the door to irresponsibility, sinful behavior based on the notion that God's Unconditional Love means we are free to sin as we please. My Friends, an understanding of how grace and personal, vigorous effort work together is essential for a lifelong Pursuit of Holiness. And yet many believers do not understand what it means to live by Grace in there daily lives, and they certainly don't understand the relationship of Grace to Personal Discipline. Let me leave you with this to ponder on. Our Personnel Discipline reflects on our daily Discipleship fr God. 
Amen!

Reading: Luke 18:18-30
Ref: HGSB
       Personnel Notes

God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry