Little things matter

In Pulpit Digest William H. Willimon used this illustration; "Philip Haille wrote of the little village of Le Chambon in France, a town whose people, unlike others in France, hid their Jews from the Nazis. Haille went there, wondering what sort of courageous, ethical heroes could risk all to do such extraordinary good. He interviewed people in the village and was overwhelmed by the ordinariness. They weren't heroes or smart, discerning people. Haille decided that the one factor that united them was their attendance, Sunday after Sunday, at their little church, where they heard the sermons of Pastor Trochme. Over time, they became by habit people who just knew what to do and did it. When it came time for them to be courageous, the day the Nazis came to town, they quietly did what was right. One old woman, who faked a heart attack when the Nazis came to search her house, later said, 'Pastor always taught us that there comes a time in every life when a person is asked to do something for Jesus. When our time came, we knew what to do.'"

Philippians 4:9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Everyone is busy today. We have one or the other thing to do. If not at some kind of work, we are fiddling with our phones or watching TV to stay occupied. Perhaps the word like hobby has no meaning for this generation. The little time we have after our studies or work is taken by the gadgets. We need to realize that the things that we watch, hear and feel has its own influence on us. In a very soft way it determines our worldview and most importantly the understanding of God.

As apostle Paul writes to the friends at Philippi in the letter carrying joy as its central theme, he reminds them to be full of good things. Perhaps the Church in Philippi too had gadgets and things of their time to keep them occupied. But Paul reminds them to  spend time in things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely,admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Well, can you pause for a minute and look into your schedule. If you are not filling yourself with good things, then you are bound to bring out rubbish. Little things matter.

 

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

He will see you through

An average person's anxiety is focused on :

1. 40% -- things that will never happen 
2. 30% -- things about the past that can't be changed 
3. 12% -- things about criticism by others, mostly untrue 
4. 10% -- about health, which gets worse with stress 
5. 8% -- about real problems that will be faced

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

In a world of unending needs and never dying challenges, anxiety and worry has become a forceful companion for most of us. Every time we think and plan of something, we tend to be worried about it and are so anxious. It is a very common phenomenon now and is pretty much accepted as part and parcel of our lives.

As Apostle Paul wrote to the folks in Philippi, he understood their struggles and realized that we will always have struggle.

Bible never denies the harsh realities of life. Issues of life are indeed very hard to face and the journey becomes very painful when there is one challenge after another. We are reminded to pray and entrust it to God’s hand at every juncture. The simple reminder to us is that our journey thus far is because of God, and so will be the days ahead. When we realize that God is leading us and He will provide at every moment, then nothing can rob our joy. When in midst of crisis we have praise in our mouths and faith in our hearts, the devil is frightened and God is glorified. He will see you through.  

 

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

You are good when the team wins

The Carnegie Technological Institute has stated that 90% of all people who fail in their life's vocation fail because they cannot get along with people.

Philippians 4:3 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

It is often seen that people with brilliant skills and high expertise are unable to work within a team. Individualism often takes the lead and that makes them dominate others. They always want to set the highest standard. It is different thing to lead from the front, perhaps disappointing to expect everyone in the team to perform like them and be effective. A selfish nature and a lazy attitude with lack of discipline is also another extreme of individualism in a team. Paul while writing to the Church in Philippi addresses to the issue of accepting and working with people who are different from us.

It takes humility to work with others, especially if they are not of your kind in some way or the other. Yes, it’s hard to see folks not being able to produce results as you can or cannot. But that’s what the kingdom of God is about. We have people from different backgrounds and different skill set coming to one place. So Paul reminds them to have the same mind in the Lord. Causing conflicts and having issues in the team, will only hamper your growth in the Lord and also affect the work of the kingdom. Perhaps when you have the same mind of the Lord it’s easier to accept people as they are and love them. So Jesus was fine with Judas Iscariot on his team and even the doubting Thomas. You are good when the team wins.       

 

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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

A good example

David Wheeler tells of a funeral procession that illustrates a leader’s influence. David officiated at a funeral. In accordance with custom, after the funeral, the attenders filed out of the funeral home and into their waiting cars to form a processional to the cemetery. The hearse led the processional, followed immediately by David the preacher, then all the deceased’s family and friends. During the drive to the cemetery David needed to stop at a restroom. He could not wait much longer, and, even if he did try to wait, few cemeteries have public restrooms available. So, as the processional came upon an old, abandoned roadside picnic area that included an outhouse, David veered into the picnic area to use the outhouse. He assumed the remainder of the processional would follow the hearse to the cemetery, then he would catch up. He assumed incorrectly. When he emerged from the outhouse, he discovered the long line of cars patiently waiting!

People follow leaders. We must ask before placing people, where will this person lead? Will he lead me to the Cross or to an outhouse?

Philippians 3:17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.

Knowingly or unknowingly most of us model our lives on one or the other person’s life. It can be the way we talk, do things, the way we think, our understanding and decisions. Such is the impact one has over those in the influence area. My mother has on several occasions reminded me that as a teenager I was crazy about a Youth leader and was very influenced by his life and ministry.

God has helped me observe several men and women of God who have taught me one or the other thing. It has surely helped me learn a lot of things and I continue to be impacted by many.

It is so important that we find the right kind of examples in front of us. Apostle Paul makes it clear from his life and ministry that, look for people who are really passionate about God and are concerned. Sadly we often take our advices from those, who might not know God and His love. On other occasions we go to people who neither have a burden for us nor have anything to do with the consequences of the decision. Let us be able to have the right kind of example before us so even we can become a good example.    

http://xfiloz.blogspot.in/

Stanley Thomas Isac

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