The Responsibility Of Privilege

Romans 2:1  

"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: 

for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; 

for thou that judgest doest the same things."

   The Jew believed that everyone was destined for judgment except himself. It would not be any special goodness which kept him immune from the wrath of God, but simply the fact that he was a Jew. He thought that he occupied a privileged position. God might be the judge of the heathen, but he was the special protector of the Jews. Here Paul is pointing out to the Jew that he is just as much a sinner as the Gentile is and that when he is condemning the Gentile, he is condemning himself. He will be judged, not on his racial heritage, but by the kind of life that he lives.
   The attitudes among believers and non-believers today are not different than from the Jews and Gentiles. For example, Some believers think, that everyone is destined for judgment except themselves. It would not be any special goodness which kept them immune from the wrath of God,but simply the fact that they are believers. The non-believer is constantly against religious rights and just flat out denies that there is a God. 
   We must remind ourselves, the same as Paul reminded the Jews. He told them bluntly that they were trading on the mercy of God. He asks them: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 
(Rom. 2:4). 
   My Friends, Let us think of it in human terms. Suppose a young person does something which is a shame, a sorrow and a heartbreak to his parents, and because they love him, he is freely forgiven, and the thing is never held against him. He can do one of two things. He can either go and do the same thing again, trading on the fact that he will be forgiven once more; or he can be so moved to wondering gratitude by the free forgiveness that he has received, that he spends his whole life in trying to be worthy of it. It is one of the most shameful things in the world to use love's forgiveness as an excuse to go on sinning. That is what the Jews were doing. That is what so many people still do. The "Mercy and Love of God" are not meant to make us feel that we can sin and get away with it; they are meant so to break our hearts that we will seek never to sin again. 
Amen!

Reading: Rom. 2:1-11
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

  

Christ Strengthens Me

Philippians 4:12-13  

"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where 

and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, 

both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things 

through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

   This power can satisfy. It was not that he was dissatisfied with his own state, for he had learned the gift of content. We must understand that contentment is not complacency; it is containment. The abiding Christ within Paul's body assured him of his satisfaction. 

   Which brings us to two kinds of Christians: (1) The thermometer believer. His satisfaction is totally dependent upon outside circumstances. He simply registers the prevailing spiritual temperatures. (2) The Thermostat believer. His satisfaction is totally independent of the outside circumstances. He is not only unaffected by it, but actually controls that area surrounding him.

   This Power can Supply. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  So Lets just summarize what it means to be in Christ. My Friends, To be in Christ means Salvation. To work through Christ means sanctification. To live for Christ means dedication. To surrender to Christ means consecration. To be with Christ means glorification.  I close with this, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:19). 

Amen!

Reading: Phil. 4:10-19

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You 

And Your Family 

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry

    

   

 

The Love of God

John 3:16 

"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."  

   This tells us the width of God's love. It was the world that God so loved. It was not a nation; it was not the good people; it was not only the people who loved him; it was the world. The unlovable and the unlovely, the lonely who have no one else to love them. The man who loves God and the man who never thinks of him, the man who rests in the love of God, all are included in this inclusive love of God. 
   My Friends, God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love." and that's the way we should love Him. Why? Because each day is a new beginning and things of yesterday are gone. "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day," (2 Cor 4:16).
Amen!

Reading: Devotional Scripture
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Look Out To God

Romans 1:21-22  

"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. Professing 

themselves to be wise, they became fools," 

    What did the sinner do? Instead of looking out to God, he looked into himself. He involved himself in vain speculations and thought he was wise, while all the time he was a fool. Why? He was a fool because he made his ideas, his opinions, his speculations the standard and the law of life, instead of the will of God. The sinner's folly consisted in making "man the master of things." He found his standards in his own opinions and not in the laws of God. He lived in a self-centered instead of a God-centered universe. Instead of walking looking out to God he walked looking into himself, and, like any man who does not look where he is going, he falls.
   My Friends, let us not be all about ourselves, and how we do things in life, or what we think we can gain by having our own standards concerning life as we see it. For we are mere sinners saved by  God's Grace. No matter what our calling may be from God, it will all be done under the same Grace.
Amen!

Reading: Romans 1:18-22
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry  

Paul's Last Journey (PT-3 Paul Sails To Rome)

Acts 28:11-12 

"And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, 

which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor 

and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, 

we tarried there three days." 

   In the early Part of the Spring, they board a new boat and sail for Rome. Paul is met by some Roman Believers both at Puteoli (forty three miles from Rome. And (35 miles from Rome at the Three Taverns he was met by believers again. Note the phrase in (v-28:15), "to meet us." is the same word found concerning the Rapture of all Believers in 1 Thessalonians. 4:17, where we read, "to meet the Lord in the air." It is a term regularly used of the official welcome given by a delegation who went out to meet a visiting official and accompany him into the city.

   When Paul arrives in Rome he is granted great freedom, by being guarded by only one soldier. Soon after his arrival he assembles the local Jewish leaders to explain who he is and why he is in Rome appealing to Caesar. The Jews are curious to hear his strange message about Christ. After his sermon, some accept the Savior, but of course, many do not. 
   This would be the last of seven recorded defenses of his ministry by the apostle. Here are the other six. Before the Jerusalem mob (Acts 22:1-23, before the chief captain (Acts 22:24-30), before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-10), before Felix (Acts 24:10-23), before Festus (Acts 25:8-12, and before Agrippa (Acts 26:1-32.
   To the unbelieving Paul quotes the words of Isaiah, "And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed," Is. 6:9-10). 
    Luke ends his remarkable account with the following words: "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him, (Acts 28:30-31). 
   My Friends, Paul did not stop here. It was during this time that Paul wrote , Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians. However it is believed by many that Paul was released after the two years and traveled around once more preaching Christ before his final arrest and martyrdom in Rome. It was probably during this time that Paul wrote 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. 
   Paul was one of the most Godly person in the Bible except for Jesus Christ. Paul was a believer that never gave up no matter the situation he was in, or the pain he had to ignore. I pray that we all stand firm for our beliefs and serve our Lord with every ounce of strength we have. 
Amen!

Reading: Acts 28:11-31
Ref: HG SB, WGTTB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Paul's Last Journey (PT-2 The Shipwreck)

Acts 27:44  

"And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken 

pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, 

that they escaped all safe to land."  

   After Paul told them to be of good cheer; he says, "for I believe God that it will be just as it was told to me. Then He warns everyone to stay on board and not attempt to lower the life boat, and encourages everyone to eat by publicly saying grace over his bread. Soon after the entire 276 souls on board begin to eat, (v-27:36). 

   At daybreak the ship hits a sand bar and runs aground. Julius the centurion denies the soldiers request to kill the prisoners even if they could escape, and orders all to swim for the nearby island of Melita. Soon every single person is safely ashore. The people of Melita treated the shivering survivors with kindness, built a bonfire on the beach to get them warm. Paul is suddenly bitten by a poisonous serpent which has hidden itself among the firewood that Paul help to gather. But to the amazement of all, he suffers absolutely no discomfort whatsoever.  

   My Friends, This event was a direct fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy in Mark and Luke, "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover," (Mark 16:18),  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you," (Luke 10:19).  Note: Paul did not pick up the serpent directly, the serpent was within the wood that Paul picked up. "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God," (Matt 4:7). During the three month stay on the island, Paul heals many including the father of Publius, governor of the island. Tomorrow (PT -3 Paul Sails To Rome).
Amen! 

Reading: Acts 27:39-44
               Acts 28: 1-10
Ref: HG SB, WGTTB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

  

Paul's Last Journey Begins

Acts 27:2
  "And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, 

meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, 

a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us."

   Luke now joins Paul who is placed aboard a ship sailing west with some other prisoners in the custody of Julius, a member of the imperial guard. This Roman official would later treat Paul with great Kindness and respect, (Acts 27:1-3). After some difficult sailing, they arrived at Fair Havens on the southern side of Crete. The time was around about late autumn. In those days it was the dangerous season  for sailing was from September 14 through November 11. After these dates all navigation on the open sea was discontinued. In spite of this knowledge, and over the protest of Paul  who had already been through a least three shipwrecks, "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep," (2 Cor. 11-25), the boat Captain set sail for Phenice, and stay the winter there.
   Soon however,  they are caught up in the grip of a winter typhoon. One of the must vivid accounts of a storm in recorded history is described by Luke. The ship is blown far out to sea completely out of control. The terrified sailors band the ship with ropes to strengthen the hull. the following day as the seas grow higher they throw the cargo overboard. The next day all the tackle and loose objects are are also discarded. After fourteen frightful and desperate days Luke writes, "And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we souls be saved was then taken away," (Acts 27:20).
   Paul,this fearless apostle of God appears and standing on the water soaked deck, Sirs, if you had listened to me, and not sailed from Crete we would not have gained this harm and loss. (v. 21). Then Paul tells them to be of good cheer for there will be no loss of any man's life, only the ship. For there stood beside me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, "Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee," (Acts 27:24.) We will continue with (PT-2) The Ship Wreck  Tomorrow.
Amen!

Reading: Acts: 27: 1-38
Ref: HG SB, WGTTB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry