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