Adhere To God This New Year

Haggai 2:14 

"Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so

is this nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is

every work of their hands; and that which

they offer there is unclean."

    This Scripture involves the teaching of holiness. Personal holiness comes only by conscious effort, However sinfulness spreads and increases in our life unless it is quickly and effectively combated as well. This was evident in the lives of the Israelites. Their sinfulness in certain areas had effected all their activities as we see in Hag. 2:14.

    Since the Israelites had repented and laid the foundation for the temple in obedience to the message Haggai had delivered earlier. God asked them if they were ready for a harvest, because God was now going to bless their fields and orchards. "Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you," (Hag.2:19).

    My Friends, right now, Our Nation and it's people (all of us) must adhere to what God is saying here. God knows every sin our nation commits and every sin each of us commit in every area of our lives. But God said He would bless us and our nation if we repent of our sins.  However we can not be slothful in our service. We must renew our vigor in accomplishing the task God has called us to do. In our service to God we must remember to perform every task keeping in mind that God desires diligence and integrity. "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart:" (Eph. 6:5-6).

Amen!

Reading: (Hag. 2:7-19)

Ref: (HG SB)

Happy New Year

May God Bless You

And your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

He Has Shown Thee

Micah 6:8  

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what 

doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, 

and to love mercy, and to walk 

humbly with thy God?"

    God has shown here what He requires, and His answer is not to a group of the people, or to the people of Israel; but a single man, that consulted with God, and put questions to Him; particularly what he should do to please the Lord, and what righteousness He required of him, and would be acceptable to Him. And though he was a King, (King Balak of Moab) he was but a man, and God would have him know that he was no more, than a man. What a lesson we learn from Balak when God informed him of his duty to Him. That being doing that which was good, and avoiding that which was evil, which is no other than the work of God written in the hearts of the sinners, by which they are directed to do the good and to shun the evil.  
    Our Creator and Benefactor, from Whom we receive  all the blessings of life, and are dependent upon Him; and therefore, as a believer we should behave with humility towards our Creator, acknowledging our distance from Him, and the obligations we have to Him. No Matter who we are, our God and Creator is above all. 

    My Friends, It is the  King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to Whom we owe our loyalty and love and are accountable to Him. We must "walk humble" as opposed to "walking in pride," which most people of the world are apt to do; but God can humble them, and bring them low, just as Heathen kings have been brought down many years ago, "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
that know understanding," (Dan 2:21). 
Amen! 

Reading: (Micah 6:1-16)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Counsel Of The Heart

Proverbs 20:5  

"Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; 

but a man of understanding will draw it out." 

    Pure and undisturbed, but secret, hidden; such are the things of the spirit of a man. The thoughts of his mind, the devices of his heart; which, though easily known by the searcher of hearts, are not easily penetrated into by men, and it is not easily gotten out of them what is in them, especially in some men, who are very closed and reserved. This is true of wicked men, who seek sleep to hide their counsel; and of good men, especially learned men, who have got a great deal of wisdom and knowledge in them, but not very communicative and silent in conversation;
    But a man of understanding will draw it out; he will find ways and means to discover the secret designs of wicked men, whether against church or state; and, by asking proper questions, an understanding man will get out useful things from men of knowledge. However, some men must be pumped, and a good deal of pains must be taken with them, to get out anything from them. It's like getting water out of a deep well, which when got is very good. 
    My Friends, that wisdom and knowledge can be drawn out by a person with understanding and a true heart. It is a challenge to any man in the world to prove himself sinless. Only saints in heaven, who “have seen Him as He is” and been made like Him, can say it. Though the believer, through the work of the Spirit, is pure from the sins of many others, yet each one still has sins that easily beset him—sins of omission and sins of commission which they have to continually confess in order to maintain unbroken fellowship with Christ. 
Amen!


Reading: (Prov. 201-30)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry

Prayer A Resource In Every Need

Psalm 64:1

"Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve

my life from fear of the enemy." 

    In our devotions we should use our voice and speak audibly. However; even mental prayer has a voice with God, which he will hear. Moses had spoken with his lips at the Red Sea, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:" (Ex. 14:15).

    Notice how often David turns to prayer. It is our duty to constantly turn to prayer; it is our battle-axe and weapon of war, we must pray under every pressure, whether it is inward sin or outward wrath, foreign invasion or domestic rebellion. 
    My Friends; "We would be wise if we make prayer to God our first and best trusted resource in every hour of need." God preserves our life from fear of the enemy. With all our sacrifices of prayer we must offer our "true faith." 
Amen!

Reading: (Ps.64:1-10)
Ref: (HG SB)

May God Bless You 

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross life Ministry

 

In The Word Of God I Trust

Isaiah 12:2  

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: 

for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and 

my song; he also is become my salvation."

    Our Saviour, who is Christ, appointed by the Father, provided in covenant promised in the word, sent in the fullness of time, and is the author of salvation in which no other creature could be. The word "behold," is a solemn declaration, affirming Christ to be Saviour of God's Church (His Children). 

    Therefore, "trust" in Christ for salvation, be confident of enjoying it, and look upon Him to be safe and secure from all wrath and condemnation, and from every enemy; and do not be "afraid" of sin, Satan, the world, death, hell, or wrath to come. Because you as a believer in Christ are covered by the blood.

    My Friends, "behold," in the word of God my salvation I trust, and shall not be moved:'' Salvation is wrought out by Christ, and believers have it in them, and they know it, and believe it, and so are already saved in him. 

Amen!

Reading: (Is. 12:1-6)

Ref: (HG SB) 

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry  

 

The Real Reason

Luke 2:11

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord."

    During this Christmas let's all reflect on the real reason for the season. Not the reason to give or receive gifts, but to recognize the "Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I know we all have read or been told that Christ was not born on Christmas but in early spring. If we do research we will find that He was born around that time, and not in the winter. My Friends, the bottom line is, no matter when Christ was born "He Was Born"!
    It is a wonderful thing that the story should tell that the first announcement of God came to some shepherds. Shepherds were not liked by the people of that day. They were unable to keep the details of the ceremonial law; they could not observe all the meticulous hand-washings and rules and regulations. Their flocks made far too constant demands on them; and so they were looked down on.
    It was to simple men of the fields that God's message first came. We have already seen how in the Temple, morning and evening, an unblemished lamb was offered as a sacrifice to God. It is most likely that these shepherds were in charge of the flocks from which the Temple offerings were chosen. It is awesome to know that the shepherds who looked after the Temple lambs were the first to see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, there in a stable in Bethlehem.
    All through these readings we must have been thinking of the rough birth of the Son of God. You would think that, He would be born in a palace or a mansion. My Friends, We have a God who knows the life we live because He too lived it.
Amen!

Reading: (Luke: 2:-20)
Ref: (HG SB)

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

TO ALL

                                                                        

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry 

A Gospel Worth Suffering For

 2 Timothy 1:8 

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,

nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the

afflictions of the gospel according

to the power of God;" 

    It is the gospel of power. Any suffering which it involves, is to be borne in the power of God. The gospel was, and is, power, power to conquer self, power to master circumstances, power to go on living when life is unlivable, power to be a Christian when being a Christian looks impossible.

    It is the gospel of salvation. God is the God who saves us. The gospel is rescue. It is rescue from sin; it liberates a man from the things which have him in their grip; it enables him to break with the habits which are unbreakable. The gospel is a rescuing force which can make bad men good. It is not simply rescue from the consequences of past sin; it is a summons to walk the way of holiness.

    It is the gospel of grace. It is not something which we achieve, but something which we accept. God did not call us because we are holy; He called us to make us holy. If we deserved the love of God, our situation would be helpless and hopeless. The gospel is the free gift of God. He does not love us because we deserve His love; He loves us out of the sheer generosity of His heart.
    It is the gospel of God's eternal purpose. It was planned before time began. We must never think that God just laid laws down on His people, and that only since the life and death of Jesus, He has  forgiving love. From the beginning of time God's love has been searching for men, and His grace and forgiveness have been offered to them. Love is the essence of the eternal nature of God.
    It is the gospel of service. It is this gospel which calls us to be teachers of the faith. It did not leave Paul a comfortable feeling that his own soul was saved or that he did not need to worry any more. It laid on him the task of serving God and of his fellow men, an example well set for all Christians.
Amen!

Reading: (2 Tim 1:8-11)
Ref: (HG SB; DSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry