Saul And Samuel Together

1Samuel 9:6  

"And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, 

and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: 

now let us go thither; peradventure he can 

shew us our way that we should go."

    As a king was demanded by the people, one was selected to suit their taste “a choice young man, and a goodly!” But the king after God’s own heart was selected for other qualities, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart," (1 Sam. 16:7).  Saul’s character lacked important elements. His ignorance about Samuel was surprising; even his servant knew better. This did not promise well for a successful reign, "but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits," (Dan. 11:32b.)
    But how should Saul and Samuel be brought together? A succession of trifling and ordinary events prove to be the links in the divinely constructed chain. The lost the prolonged search, the fear of the effect of anxiety upon Kish, the timely suggestion of the servant and his possession of a few coins which would serve as an introduction, the greeting of the young girls on their way to the well, what accidents they seem! No, but they are Providences! All things work together to execute God’s purpose. Nothing is too trivial to be part of the divine plan. Let us follow the indications of God’s will, they lead to the waiting seat, the reserved portion, and the ultimate throne. 

Amen!

Reading: 1 Sam. 9:1-17
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr

The Cross Life Ministry

Motive Can Make Our Actions Sinful

1 Samuel 8:7

" And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice 

of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they 

have not rejected thee: but they have rejected 

me, that I should not reign over them."

    Like Eli, Samuel neglected to discipline and teach his sons properly. Perhaps, like servants of God today, he was away from home too often, and to occupied with helping others. Just like the personal failures of individual ministers lead many to reject the whole concept of the Church, the failure of Samuel's son's lead the people to reject their authority as judges, as well as to reject God.
    So the Israelites request for a King is condemned by God. What is it that made the request a sin? God knew that someday Israel would desire a King. In Deut. 17:14-20, He had given guidelines that were to be followed by the people and by the Kings that would reign over them, Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11.  It seems equally clear that there was nothing wrong with the time of their request. The Kingdom would not be proper until the coming of the Messiah, so it seems that the motive of the people making the request was what made their actions sinful: though on the surface their motives seem to be justified: they wanted to avoid further military losses and to be rid of the corrupt leaders of the future, the sons of Samuel and Eli. 
    Samuel saw their request to be a rejection of himself, but God affirmed that they had actually rejected Him. They rejected God because they wanted to be like the other nations, not a peculiar, set apart as the chosen ones of God. What they wanted was a visible deliverer, a man that they could trust. They wanted to walk by sight, not by faith.  My friends let us always place our trust in our Lord and walk by faith and not by sight.
Amen!

Reading: 1 Sam. 8:1-22
Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Christmas Eve In Heaven

Isaiah 7:14  

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; 

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, 

and shall call his name Immanuel." 

    It was Christmas Eve in Heaven, and all was joyful with singing around God's Throne. Then all at once there was a silence in Heaven, as if time had stopped all around. A deep voice came from God's Throne, and this is what God Said. "Son Bring MY Children Home"!!
    Jesus turned to ready Heaven for all God's children to come home, the dead in Christ will come first followed by the living in Christ. But wait, a voice was heard from the souls singing around God's Throne. The voice cried out, "My Lord My God," O' please not yet, I have loved ones that have not yet ask Jesus to forgive them for all their sins. "They don't know, The Saviour, your Son Jesus Christ"! Please wait a little longer before You send Jesus down to bring our brethren home.
    A voice came from the throne saying, "Time was given enough for the wicked to seek Salvation, and some had many chances." So God told Jesus to go,
"Bring My Children Home On This Christmas Eve"!! 

God Bless Us All 

On This Christmas Eve

Minister Robert Lail

The Cross Life Ministry

The Plot Of Joseph's Death

Gen 37:13  

"And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed 

the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send 

thee unto them. And he said to him, 

Here am I."

 
    From head to tow, Joseph was a very remarkable type of our Lord. The first mission of the beloved Joseph was to check on the well being of his brethren, which reminds us of the advent of God’s Beloved and Only Begotten Son, who brought us the Father’s greeting, and came to see and know by personal inquiry how we fared.
    Dothan was in the northern portion of the land, and the journey must have taken time and strength; but he persisted until he found them, and came where they were. Their plot against their helpless brother was as the plot of Caiaphas and the rest against our Lord. Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered Jesus into his hands.  
    The pit Joseph's brothers put him in was probably one of the rock hewn cisterns that were all around in Palestine, to catch water but there was no water in it. Joseph’s life was not sacrificed; and there he awaited what was a kind of resurrection. The scene at the pit’s mouth was recalled by Joseph, "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come," (Gen. 42:9), and was never forgotten by the others,  "And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required," (Gen. 2:21-22). 
Amen!

Reading: Gen. 37:12-24
Ref:

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

Keep The Trash Out

Proverbs 15:14  

"The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: 

but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness."

 

     It want be long until, millions of people are glued to their TVs watching the 2017 Super. However, it’s interesting to note that studies have shown while roughly half the audience is watching because of the football game, the other half actually watches for the commercials. Companies create ads so  that what is typically perceived as an interference in our entertainment, is actually seen as entertainment itself.

    But we all know the real reason why companies put together such ads, it’s to increase their sales. In fact, companies spend a whopping $5 million for a 30 second time slot during the Super Bowl and about $8 million for 60 seconds. All this proves what ad companies already know: what we see profoundly impacts what we do.

    Or as we sometimes say, "garbage in, garbage out." Whatever goes in, must come out. So if a wise person hungers for knowledge and consumes knowledge, he or she is going to make wise decisions about how to act. On the other hand, a fool "feeds on trash." A fool is drawn toward foolishness and, as a result, acts foolishly. What are we feeding ourselves?  

    Our Lord warns us about chasing after what our eyes see and desire. What we see is what we ultimately consume, and then it eventually consumes us. Just as it is important to be careful with what we ingest physically so that we might have a strong and healthy body, we need to be vigilant in what we see and digest in order to keep a strong and healthy soul. Don’t be fooled into thinking that what we see doesn’t affect how we think and what we do. If that were true, no one would pay $5 million dollars for a 30-second ad!

    What we look at matters. What we pay attention to matters. So we better guard ourselves from consuming trash. Instead of watching garbage on television, use your eyes to fill yourself up on God’s Words. Don’t listen to trash talk; instead listen to inspiring Bible classes.

It’s been said "you are what you eat" Perhaps a more accurate statement is we are very much the product of what we see, hear, and think.

Amen!

Reading: Prov. 15:1-33

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr. 

The Cross Life Ministry

Having Everything Means, I Have Exactly What I Need!

Genesis: 33:11

"Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; 

because God hath dealt graciously with me, and 

because I have enough. And he urged 

him, and he took it."

    Jacob sent his brother Esau extremely generous gifts in hopes of winning his friendship, even though the two had been enemies for years. Thankfully, Esau reacted positively to the gesture. Not only did he extend his hand in friendship, but he even declined to take any of Jacob’s possessions. "And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself."
(Gen. 33:9).  Jacob insisted: "Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it," (Gen. 33:11).

    At first glance, it seems that the brothers were saying the same thing: "You keep the gifts, I don’t need them!" And while both men acted admirably, there is something profoundly different in what each one said.  Esau said, "I have enough;"  Jacob said, "I have everything."

What’s the difference? Having enough implies that while I’m fine with what I have in life, there is always room for more. I would prefer more. But having everything means that I have exactly what I need. I don’t need less and I don’t need more. God has given me exactly what I need to succeed in the place I am in my life right now. My cup is already full and I feel truly blessed.

    Who is a wealthy man? He who is satisfied with his lot. What we have doesn’t determine how wealthy we are; how we perceive what we have, does.

Today we live in a society where the average person enjoys a standard of living that exceeds what the wealthiest people enjoyed just a century ago. But does the average man feel exceedingly blessed? Unfortunately not. We are constantly reminded by billboards and ads of how much we still lack. Though we might acknowledge that we have enough, few people feel that they have everything.

    My Friends, It shouldn’t take a devastating event to remind us of what we have. Look around you and notice your many blessings. We have freedom. We have abundance. We have each other. With That, "We have everything!"
Amen!

Reading: Gen. 33:1-17 
Ref: HG SB 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr. 

The Cross Life Ministry

Under Any Circumstances

Obadiah 1:1  

"The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; 

We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is 

sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us

rise up against her in battle."

    Esau had the privilege of growing up in the holy home of Isaac and Rebecca. He had perfect role models in his parents and was given a loving and nurturing upbringing. Obadiah, on the other hand, grew up among the depraved Edomites. After converting to Judaism, he lived with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, arguably the most wicked king and queen ever to rule Israel (See 1 Kings18:3-16).    Esau, in spite of his envious upbringing, ended up living an evil and immoral life. But Obadiah, despite the evil influences around him, remained righteous and good.

    By examining the lives of Esau and Obadiah, we learn that while our life experiences definitely affect us, we are ultimately responsible for the paths we choose in life. We cannot control what happens to us in life, but we can always control how we react to those events.

    My Friend, for every circumstance in life, we choose the consequence. We can let our circumstances weaken us; we can let them harden our hearts; or we can use them to become better. Obadiah chose to become better.

How do you react to life?  Do you let the circumstances in your life bring you down, or do you use them as a springboard to reach higher? The choice is always our own.

Amen 

Reading: Oba.1:1-21

                1 Kings 18:3-19

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry