Blessed to Bless

The entire book of Psalm is about worshipping God and singing praises to his name. Even the word Psalm is defined as a sacred song sung in praise or worship of God.

Psalm 1 opens as a gateway to the entire book of Psalm. It opens by stating what is required the most by a true worshipper of God.

1. Psalm 1: 2:- but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

   

    A true worshipper embraces and loves the law of the Lord. Meditating the covenants and instructions written in the word of God day in and day out and following them would be a lifestyle to him. This is something that we see all through the book of Psalms; the law of the Lord as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

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2. ‎Psalm 1: 3:- He is like a tree planted by the streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and it's leaf does not wither.

   Here, the psalmist talks about a fruit bearing tree. When a man follows the law of God and is rooted in them, he will become a fruit bearing tree. Trees bear fruit not for themselves but for all those who are in need of its fruits. A faithful worshipper would be a blessing to not just himself but to others around him too. He will benefit and work for the goodness of those who surround him.

Let's be genuine worshippers, delighting in the law of our Lord and being a blessing to all around us.

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Ansu Susan Oommen

Ansu is a student of Delhi University and a youth leader in Crossway. She can be reached at ansususan9828@gmail.com

Nothing else

When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did.

Joshua 23:8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.

Joshua reminds his people to stick on to the Lord. In his last words to the leaders of Israel, he makes sure that they don't forget that God is the only source of victory. There can be no other alternative than God.

Those under Joshua had seen enough wars and victories. They had a good exposure and a very considerable experience. It was possible for the leaders of Israel to start depending on their own strength and end up again in a situation like Ai. But Joshua the true leader exhorts them to trust God and God alone.

Many a time after a few years of walking with Christ, we tend to become puffed up. Instead of growing in the Lord, we grow in the flesh. That's the ultimate disaster for a Child of God. Whether it's been a day or several years of following God, let our trust be always on God. Nothing else.  

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Be courageous to obey

The Prussian king Frederick the Great was widely known as an agnostic. By contrast, General Von Zealand, one of his most trusted officers, was a devout Christian. Thus it was that during a festive gathering the king began making crude jokes about Christ until everyone was rocking with laughter--all but Von Zealand, that is. Finally, he arose and addressed the king: "Sire, you know I have not feared death. I have fought and won 38 battles for you. I am an old man; I shall soon have to go into the presence of One greater than you, the mighty God who saved me from my sin, the Lord Jesus Christ whom you are blaspheming. I salute you, sir, as an old man who loves his Savior, on the edge of eternity." The place went silent, and with a trembling voice, the king replied, "General Von Zealand--I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon!" And with that, the party quietly ended.

23:6 Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.

Joshua continues to speak in his farewell address to the leaders of Israel. With all his experience and the respect he commanded, everyone must have been taking down notes. In v.6 Joshua talks to them about being Courageous. Now from a military point of view, this meant to sweat and blood it out on the battlefield and defeat the enemy. But Joshua knew every battle was first fought in the spiritual realm. That can be won only by obeying the Lord. And it takes courage to obey. He told them to obey the book of the law without any compromise.

In this day and age, we are living in a time of convenience. We obey what we like and ignore what we dislike. Perhaps that is what is the need of the hour. Either you are a follower of Christ or you are not. There's no middle ground. It's not about convenience, it's about obedience. Be courageous to obey.

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

All glory to God alone

John III Sobieski, king of Poland in the late 17th century, is best remembered as the man who saved central Europe from invading armies of Turks in 1683. With the Turks at the walls of Vienna, Sobieski led a charge that broke the siege. His rescue of Vienna is considered one of the decisive battles in European history. In announcing his great victory the king paraphrased the famous words of Caesar by saying simply, "I came; I saw; God conquered."

23:3 You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.

Joshua in farewell address gathers all the leaders of Israel and gives them a nutshell of his life. He could have taken this moment to seal his place in the history as the greatest. He knew this was being recorded and could have taken all the glory by himself. But in spite of all the victories and accolades he could see in his lifetime, deep down he knew it was God who brought him thus far. So without missing a beat, he confesses, that it was God who gave the victory. In saying this, he went a step ahead in expressing his courage. It takes a courageous man to honor God for the victory. In the process of giving glory to God, Joshua was covered by God’s glory. He was now more famous than ever. A warrior, A true champion in the hands of God.

Many times, we tend to blame God for all the bad and take credit for all the good. Whereas God is too good to hurt you. Daddy wants his children to be blessed. When we win a battle, let’s be able to give glory to our Lord and in that process, we will shine for the Lord. Let’s remember He is the God of victory. All glory to God alone.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

For He satisfies

In the Philippines, a local Church pastor used the following parable to illustrate Christ's offer of rest (Matt. ll:28) and the response of people who won't trust Him completely: The driver of a carabao wagon was on his way to market when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon. Gratefully the old man accepted. After a few minutes, the driver turned to see how the man was doing. To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight, for he had not taken the burden off his shoulders.

23:1 After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man.

We are always looking for a rest from the challenges that we face and the issues that we go through. Infact one thing after another is always there to bother us. Just when we think, this one is settled and things are fine, our hands are full again. Perhaps that’s the way of life for most of us who want to keep going in life and want to make an impact in the world around us.

Joshua and his people kept on fighting battles after battles. They faced one enemy after enemy. Though they were in the battlefield and sweating it out,  It was God who was leading them and giving victory after victory. The enemies would have remained, the territories would have stayed unconquered, BUT GOD.

Joshua and his men were skilled and were expert in war and all the other strategy, but for victory they had to always depend on God. They could find rest only when they completely depended on God. They could enjoy the blessing only when it was given by God and they took it from God. For He satisfies.

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Set your Focus

Eagles are birds that have a strong vision and can focus on something upto a distance of five kilometres. When an eagle spots its’ prey, it focuses on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacles it faces on its way, the eagle will not shift from the focus.

Focus in its literal sense refers to a centre of interest or activities. If someone is truly interested in something, they would not leave it aside amidst their path. When we have a set of fixed priorities, our focus will not depart. So must be our focus on God.

We all know the story of Samson. He was the final judge of Israel. God had raised and set him apart to deliver Israel from the Philistines. God blessed him with great strength even so much as to fight against large armies single-handedly. But Samson did not channel it right. His focus shifted from God who made him a lifelong Nazarite and he broke every one of his vows. Allured by his surroundings, Samson drifted away from God. Samson lost his strength, still God heard his prayer and used him to save Israel.

Proverbs 4: 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.

Remember, our father always loves and blesses us in spite of our shortcomings. But we will have to bear the consequences if we drift away from the right path.

So let's list our priorities, set our focus and stay on it!

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Ansu Susan Oommen

Ansu is a student of Delhi University and a youth leader in Crossway. She can be reached at ansususan9828@gmail.com

It’s Not about Giving but TRUSTING

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work

As we conclude the lesson on giving, let’s realize that the real topic is not giving. Giving is only an indicator of what is there in your heart. We don’t give because we fear and what we fear is the reflection of what we trust.

Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Old widow gave more because she gave sacrificially. It cost her everything.

 

Matthew 6:12 - For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The real intention is not for you to give per say, but it is to help you reflect in your heart on what do you trust?

Israelites got silver and gold before they reached Canaan. They used the same gold to build a calf.

Peter had a boat sinking load of fishes and then he was called.

Abraham was super wealthy in gold and in silver and livestock and was a friend of GOD. Job had 14000 sheeps, 6000 camels, 1000 yoke of oxen and 1000 donkeys yet was a righteous man in GOD’s sight. David gave 224,000 pound of gold,  525,000 pound of silver as his personal offering for the building of temple and was a man after GOD’s heart.

And Judas was corrupted in 30 pieces of silver and betrayed Jesus. It is never about the wealth but heart.

Can you trust that the salary is not from your company but God is the provision?

The problem is the condition of our heart and giving is just an indicator.

See you don’t have to give but can you ask yourself, if you are trusting God in every aspect of your life? And if you have the desire to trust in Him completely, then will you ask Him to help you in your struggle? Let’s dwell and not just visit the Lord.

Excerpt from the Sermon Notes of Bro. Samuel V Thomas - Sunday 17th July 2018, Crossway.

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Prosperity is not hoarding but giving

In our effort to learn about giving, today we will talk about How to give?

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

When we understand the nature of God, one of His attributes is self-emptying. In the Kingdom, God wants us to have a lifestyle where we give lavishly because He gives lavishly.

Verse 7 says God loves a cheerful giver. Because when we give cheerfully, it pleases His heart because we are walking in His nature. That’s why Paul says, give cheerfully and not out of compulsion.

I believe we are called to be prosperous but understand the meaning of Kingdom prosperity. Prosperity is not in the amount of wealth that you acquire but is the amount that you are able to give. Don’t hoard - Prosperity is not hoarding but giving.

In Exodus 16 God provided manna to the Israelites as their food. But they were supposed to collect what they could eat and not store or hoard. Even if they would, it would rot off. God was teaching the Israelites to trust in Him for the provision, every day. So they were specifically asked not to hoard.

Don’t hoard, can we trust in Him for our daily provisions. That’s why in the prayer we ask, give us our daily bread.

Excerpt from the Sermon Notes of Bro. Samuel V Thomas - Sunday 17th July 2018, Crossway.

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Giving is a blessing

As we continue to learn about giving let’s put the record straight. We often feel that we should give in order to receive. Yes and Amen to that, you will receive when you give. But there’s far more greater truth and motif in giving.

In the past, this truth has been abused in the body of Christ to an extent where people have been hurt and offended. The problem is that when you use the principle only as a formula to become successful and wealthy, we forget that we are losing the value in being generous.

Now usually the takeaway from such stories is not how generous he was but on how much he received.

There is a value in being generous because giving in itself is a blessing.

2 Corinthians 9:12-13 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

Giving is God’s DNA

Everything that God has created gives. The land gives. The soil gives. The sun gives. The trees give. Man is the only creation that has a problem in giving.

Any financial or economic problem in the world is because man does not give. As long as money is in rotation, the economy is good. The moment hoarding happens, inflation happens and economy goes bad.

We have a problem in giving because of the fear of not having enough. It’s a cycle that we are stuck with.

Won’t give because I might not have…….

I don’t have because I have not given.……

It’s high time that we look at giving as a blessing rather than a formula, a burden or sometime a religious evil. When we give, we are just doing what the heavenly father would expect from his child. Giving is a blessing.  

Excerpt from the Sermon Notes of Bro. Samuel V Thomas - Sunday 17th July 2018, Crossway.

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Sowing and Reaping

This week we will learn about one of the important aspects of our Christian lives i.e giving. Well don’t be turned off, it will be exciting and will lead you to a breakthrough if you would hear what the scriptures are saying. I am sure this will bless your life and those around you as well.

2 Corinthians 9:6 : The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.  

Paul is writing to them about the service to the saints (verse 1). There is a need in Macedonia, and Paul is raising funds from the Church in Corinth for them. He is preparing them in advance to prepare themselves to give. Why?

2 Corinthians 9:4 - For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not ready to give, we would be humiliated (not to mention you) by this confidence we had in you.

Law of sowing and reaping (verse 6)

Sowing and reaping is a law of nature, like the law of gravity. So is somebody jumps from the terrace of this building, he/she will go down because of the law of gravity. Similarly, sowing and reaping is a law.

When you sow one seed, you are planting a tree that bears more fruits than the tree. You can count the seeds in the apple, but you can’t count the apples in on seed.

Everybody knows this principle, including the non-believers because it is a law of nature that works.

John 3:16 - For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Even God uses this principle of sowing and reaping. He sowed His Son so He could harvest many sons and daughters.

Verse 6 - So the point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Excerpt from the Sermon Notes of Bro. Samuel V Thomas - Sunday 17th July 2018, Crossway.

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Give the best

When you go to a doctor for your annual check-up, he or she will often begin to poke, prod, and press various places, all the while asking, "Does this hurt? How about this?" If you cry out in pain, one of two things has happened. Either the doctor has pushed too hard, without the right sensitivity. Or, more likely, there's something wrong, and the doctor will say, "We'd better do some more tests. It's not supposed to hurt there!" So it is when pastors preach on financial responsibility, and certain members cry out in discomfort, criticizing the message and the messenger. Either the pastor has pushed too hard. Or perhaps there's something wrong. In that case, I say, "My friend, we're in need of the Great Physician because it's not supposed to hurt there."
- Ben Rogers.

Joshua 8:27 But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.

In the victory of Jericho, the Lord had commanded Joshua to bring all the plunder into God's treasury. Perhaps it looked very selfish on God that He did not share anything with the people. But after the victory of Ai, Israelites had everything to themselves. Now, this is sometimes hard to understand that what you possess you shall lose and that you give is what you gain.

At Jericho God was just reminding the people when you give it all to me you shall have more victories. And you can keep it all. But think of poor Achan who thought of robbing God by hiding a few for himself. He not only lost his life but also put the people of God in big trouble. It takes a lot to give. But when you are able to give, you won't have enough space to keep. God gave His son, the best of heaven for you and I. That's His love for us. How do we honor him back? Let's also give the best.

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Stanley Thomas Isac

Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at stanleytisac@gmail.com

Let us rejoice

Once upon a time, there was a boy who wished to have a bicycle. He asked his parent to buy him one but they asked him to pray for it. The boy prayed, "Jesus, I wish you buy me a bicycle". The next day, the boy woke up excitedly and ran to their garage only to say that there was no cycle. So he prayed again, "Jesus, you might not have heard me yesterday. So I again wish you buy me a bicycle". But he did not receive one. He then irritably went and prayed, "Jesus, I'm warning you, buy me a bicycle", still he did not get one. Out of anger, the boy went to the chapel, left a note under the crucifix and took the statue of Mother Mary. The note states, " Jesus, I have your mother and won't return her until you buy me a bicycle".

Sounds funny huh? Let's dig deeper. Aren't our prayers also like this little boy? We might pray once, twice, thrice, sometimes even longer. But often when they are not answered it leads to bitterness and loss of zeal in prayer.

Now, moving on to another instance;
There was a woman dedicated and faithful to God. Despite being provoked and scorned by her rival, she did not fight back but looked to her God in prayer. Her being considered a curse did not abstain her from offering yearly sacrifices to God. This continued worship and sole dependence moved God.

We might end up in seemingly same moments wherein God alone is our refuge; remember, these moments are not in vain. The end result would be beyond human understanding.
Hannah who was scorned as a barren produced 6 children among which was the changemaker of that generation, Prophet Samuel.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16- 18 says, ' Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you'.

Let us also rejoice through a trial, pray without ceasing in a storm and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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Ansu Susan Oommen

Ansu is a student of Delhi University and a youth leader in Crossway. She can be reached at ansususan9828@gmail.com