"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws, and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied... then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Psalms 16:2, NIV) #ServeToLead#PreachTheWord#DontForgetTheBlesser#SpiritualBlessingsAndRedemption
Engaging the Hearts and Minds of All Your Employees:
How to Ignite Passionate Performance for Better Business Results (2009, 2018)
by Lee J. Cohan
Truly this is the classic
leadership guide to engaging and inspiring employees. I read this book from the
perspectives of employer and employee. In this way, I get the most benefits. I
asked myself this question, “Am I excited to come to work?”
frequently when I read it. This question is important because Lee Cohan defines
three different types of employees that may best represent what type of
employee I am now. Which one are you? #1 Engaged employees love their work and look forward to it every
day; #2 Disengaged
employees “punch the clock” but are not involved in the work, and #3 Actively disengaged employees
don’t like their work and let it be known throughout the workplace. If you’re a
leader, you already know which category you want your employees or team to fall
into (hint: #1). You see, engaging
leader invest time and energy into the team because he/she knows that engaged
team is more likely to: stay with the organization, perform at high levels,
influence others to perform well, promote the organization externally, deliver
unparalleled customer service, etc.
As a leader, you must
avoid #2 and #3 (especially) at all cost. Why? Because as Lee Cohan points out,
the disengaged employees will most likely bring harm and toxicity in the
organization. “A Gallop poll found only
26% of U.S. employees are fully engaged at any time. At the other end of the
spectrum, 19% of employees are actively disengaged, meaning they intentionally
act in ways that negatively impact their organizations. The annual cost,
nationwide, to employ this actively disengaged group exceeds $300 billion”
(Gallop Management Journal, 2001). $300 billion! If we were to do polling in
Malaysia, with the state and attitude of Malaysian employees nowadays, I think
we can use the annual cost of disengagement to cover 1MDB lost in 3 years!
Disengagement is very costly. Here are some symptoms of disengagement: increase
turnover, missed deadlines, low morale, high burnout rates, complacency,
finger-pointing and name-calling, lack of accountability and responsivity, and
increased absenteeism. “Disengagement is simply the result of
unfulfilled needs” writes Lee Cohan.
So in this book, Lee Cohan
identifies the six basics needs to be required to fully engage your employees or
team. Three (3) of these needs are emotional and the other three (3) are
intellectual (refer to pic). “Engaged minds build employee performance,”
explains the author, “engaged hearts ignite people’s passion.”
By engaging the hearts AND minds of employees, they will achieve Passionate Performance. “Passionate
Performance is about passion and
performance” – this is what Lee called engaged employees. Let me summaries
each needs one by one:
The Intellectual Side: Engaging the Mind. “Thought, not
money, is the real business capital,” said Harvey S. Firestone. To engaged
people’s minds, they need:
#1 Achievement.
We all want to succeed at something. Two key strategies to fulfill your
employees’ need for achievement include: 1) Eliminate barriers to achievement
by ensuring that your team has the resources to achieve the result you want,
get into the fundamentals, match authority and responsibility levels, and be
decisive, and 2) Define crystal clear goals by using the SMART method (Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-framed).
#2 Autonomy. We all want to control our work. Two key strategies to fulfill your
employees’ need for autonomy include: 1) Involve employees in improving their work
processes such as making it easy for them to implement ideas and listen at least
50% of the time in order to prevent blind spots; and 2) Set broad yet clear boundaries,
let your team determine the best methods to achieve their goals.
#3 Mastery. People have the need to develop expert skills and/or knowledge. Two
key strategies to fulfill your employees’ need for mastery include: 1) Fit
person to position for ‘highest and best use’ by designing sweet spot jobs; and
2) Seize teachable moments to coach employees to make them be better people,
not just better employees.
The Emotional Side: Engaging the Heart. “It’s not the
size of the man,” writes Evander Holyfield, “but the size of his heart that matters.” To engaged people’s hearts,
they need:
#4 Purpose. We all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Two key
strategies to fulfill your employees’ need for purpose include: 1) Create a
compelling purpose for yourself and your team by asking “Why do we ultimately do what we do?”; and 2) Stay focused on activities
that directly support your team’s purpose because time and energy are very
previous.
#5 Intimacy. Everybody wants to feel like they belong. Two keys strategies to fulfill
your employees’ need for intimacy include: 1) Maintain the sense of smallness
by creating more, smaller teams as you grow rather than fewer larger teams; and
2) Create rituals and celebrations. Focus on only one or two new rituals to
ensure 100% reliability in performing them and keep it simple.
#6 Appreciation. People want to be recognized for their work. Two key
strategies to fulfill your employees’ need for appreciation include: 1) Find
opportunities to appreciate employee’s contributions. Make your employee
recognition personal, memorable, sincere and meaning full; and 2) Demonstrate a
sincere interest in your employees as people. Remember: Leadership is [still] a
high-touch job.
I love this book. Short,
packed and full of wisdom. Read it and get ready to change your perspective!
"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer"
(1 Timothy 4:1-5, NLT)
The New Testament warns and church history demonstrates that holding the truth and maintaining the purity of the Gospel is not easy. As H.A. Ironside, Bible teacher, once commented: "Men would accept antichrist instead of the Christ of God." This is true then as it is today. The apostle Paul now instructs Timothy – now instructs us – to be on guard of what is ahead. Paul begins by writing that "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly…" (“expressly" or "explicitly"). They have been warned! The Holy Spirit has made it clear that in "the last times" (this term is different from the "last days" or "last hour") – during Paul's times – "some will turn away from the true faith" or apostate. This is sad. You and I know those who have been departed from the true faith in Jesus Christ either by choice, force, desperation, marriage, and lack of Christian witness on our part. But there is more…
The influence of evil spirits. "They will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons." These evil spirits are ever active in seeking to turn many away from the faith "that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people" (Jude 3). It is interesting that whenever someone departs from the faith, he will give heed to deceptive or seductive spirits and the doctrine of demons. This shows the real source of false doctrine. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 that "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but… against evil spirits in the heavenly places." The Devil (and his evil spirits) "is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44) and is actively engaged in combating the faith of Christ. Behind Islam, one of the main religions that act against Christianity, for example, is not men of intellect or ‘holy' religious leaders, but the Devil who "always hated the truth" (John 8:44). We are not at war with the Muslims ("we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood") but with the Devil and his armies. This is not a Christian vs. Islam, this is Truth vs. Lie! Focus on the real enemies!
First, the departure from the truth. Then, the Deceiver deceives them to follow false doctrines and in turn, they deceived others. By doing this they being deceived themselves. And so it makes sense that "these people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead." They reached the place where conscience no longer responded to the voice of God. Paul told Timothy earlier that Christ-followers must "live with a clear conscience" (1 Timothy 3:9). Have you ever meet someone who has known the truth, witnessed God's miracle and healing power performed in the name of Jesus, and saw much evidence of Christ's Lordship and divinity in the Scripture and still don't believe? Don't be surprised because "their consciences are dead"! Due to inner spiritual emptiness, they turn to outer laws. "It is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods," they said. Nowadays, nuns, monks, and priests had to take a vow not to marry, is this what Paul was referring to here? Not eating certain foods on certain days, is this not the teaching of demons too? Beware!
Nothing that God has created is to be rejected as being evil. Marriage is good (see Hebrews 13:4) and nothing God made for food is to be rejected (see Matthew 15:11). You may throw something away because you don't like it, but not because it is evil. These things used for food are "made acceptable by the word of God and prayer" in a sense that they are recognized by Christ's followers as being "made holy" or "sanctified" for our good by God. Of course, this comes through proper instruction from His Word and from our receiving them from His hand through prayer. Jesus set the example in this when He returned thanks before feeding the multitude and on other occasions.
Kevin Pier, a fellow blogger in kevinpierpoint.com, ends his article on 1 Timothy 4:1-6 this way, I quote: “There is a lot of gift-wrapped garbage in these days. We need to be on our guard that false teaching does not take place in God’s church. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you need to take care that you have not been led astray and deceived by those who are teaching things contrary to the Word of God. You need to be sure you aren’t hypocritical in your own life. The only way we can stand firm is to be students of God’s Word.” And then he ends with this question, “Are you a student of God’s Word?”
The same Holy Spirit (4:1) that warns us about these things is also able to keep us faithful.
Ask and pray for guidance and strength from Him.
“He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” (John 14:17). Amen.
“I urge, then, first
of all, that requests, prayers,
intercession and
thanksgiving be made for everyone…”
(1 Timothy 2:1, NIV)
“The first thing I want
you to do is pray.
Pray every way you know
how, for everyone you know” (The
Message)
My NIV Bible begin chapter
two with a title Instructions on Worship;
and NLT Instructions for the church. Okay,
if the apostle Paul is going to talk about the church he certainly will start
out with either preaching, teaching or church service order, right? Wrong! “The first thing I want you to do is pray.” How different
from us, from me. No doubt, we affirm that prayer is the most important thing
in a church and the highest privilege of a Christian, we said. But we live as
if it didn’t amount to much at all. The busier we become the less time we spend
in prayer. I once leading a prayer meeting, and if you had too, I can be sure
that (most but not all) it is the poorest attended meeting of the week compare
to Christmas party, family outing and youth concert. Where are the prayer
warriors?
Now, back to the text. Paul
uses four words to describe prayer: requests, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving. The first is “requests”
or “supplications.” It is an
expression of need, coming helplessly to our Heavenly Father to bring all our
needs to Him. The second word “prayers,”
is the general word used for prayer and it carries with it the idea of worship
and reverence or the fear of the Lord. The next word is “intercession.” Simply put, it mean to pray for and on
behalf of other people. If you read verse 2, Paul asked Timothy to pray and
intercede “for kings and all those in
authority.” I think one of the reason many people (especially netizens)
complaints and criticize our political leaders (yes, they are wrong most of the
time) is because they didn’t pray for them. If we understand what it means to
intercede for others, we would pray more and criticize less.
The last word is “thanksgiving.” I like to highlight this word because I sense
that people of God today lack the attitude of giving thanks. Two things that,
if people said it, it make them super rare these day are: “I appreciate you” and “thank
you.” After people send you home, say “thank
you”; after someone helped you, say “thank
you”; when God answered your prayer, say “thank you” (even before you received it, say “thank you”). Hey, thanksgiving is a form of prayer! It is
interesting that one of the sins mentioned in Romans 1:21 that cause God’s
wrath against mankind is that they “neither
glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” Yes, thanksgiving to God is
not natural to our old natures, so we need to cultivate it in our hearts.
So Timothys, “the first thing I want
you to do is pray.” Do it.
“[Jesus said] ‘You know where I
am going and how to get there.’ ‘No,
we don’t,’ Thomas said. ‘We haven’t
any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus told him, ‘I am the Way – yes, and the Truth and the
Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me. If you had known who I
am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him – and have
seen him!’”
(John 14:4-7, The Living Bible)
I like this, Thomas
verbalised what all the disciples must have been thinking but reluctant to ask
(One day, one of my student said ‘Amen’
to my Scripture background sharing, so I asked him, ‘Can you repeat what I had just said?’ He don’t know). The disciples
couldn’t understand Jesus’ words about “going to prepare”
a place for them (v.2). Jesus answered by identifying Himself as the very means
for them to see the Father. He claimed to be the unique and ultimate resource
when He said: “I am the Way… no one can
get to the Father except by means of me.” Jesus’ response also
showed that the destination is not a physical place but a Person (the Father) and that the way to that
destination is another Person (the Son,
Himself).
Jesus provides all we can
know and need to know about God. He is “THE WAY” –
our path, bridge, transport not just an example or road sign pointing the way. Jesus is the WAY. He is also “THE TRUTH” – our source of wisdom, intimate knowledge of
the Father and the reality of all God promised. Jesus is THE TRUTH. He is “THE LIFE”
now and forever – our only source of eternal life (Remember, eternal life in
the Bible is mainly refers to knowing God intimately, the fullness of life not
merely the length of life). He is THE
LIFE.
Jesus’ exclusive claim is
unmistakable. His self-description invalidates other ‘alternative plans’ of
salvation – Jesus is THE ONLY WAY (“No one can get to the Father except by means of me”).
Some say – maybe you now – that a single way is too restrictive, too narrow.
But we must understand that the human condition is desperate. We are totally
deprave and sinful. We are totally lost without Jesus. Think about this – Yes,
think! – that God provide A WAY at all
is the greatest evidence of God’s grace, love and hope! Hey, knowing
that Jesus is the only way should encourage us to live boldly for Him, to share
this Good News to others, and to continue living in gratitude, gladness and
thanksgiving to God because Jesus came to our lives.
Knowing Jesus should affect how we view our eternal
future
and how we live our life here on earth.
I miss you so much. When I first looked at you few years
ago, I barely know you. You looked so innocent and I’m, well, so casual. There
was no serious conversations, no proper ‘hi,’ always in the distance. What
weird is that I can’t barely looked you in the eyes. By all mean, we tried to
avoid eye-contact. But then, everything was just normal. Never crossed my mind
that we will be together like this. Funny, now I can’t even remember any time
when I didn’t even think of you. When I be still, reflecting… I thanks God for
every moments I have with you. Why I didn’t get to know you early in my life? Thankfully,
God’s plan is good.
I think that is how God want us to think and know Him
also. Psalms 46:10 instructs, “Be still, and
know that I am God.” Be
still. Funny how the Bible teaches that a wonderful way to get to know God is
simply to be still and listen to Him not in rush and noisy ways. “Deepest communion with God is beyond words,”
writes Madeleine L’Engle, “on the other
side of silence.” You know, when I’m in silence and solitude I can reflect
many blessings that God had given me (that include you, my dear). I also can
hear His deep small voice for guidance and instruction. Isn’t this is what you
want from God?
As you know, the demands of everyday life weigh down upon
us. Because of our working loads and everyday responsibilities, we can easily
be tempted to ignore God’s presence or – worse yet – to rebel against His
commandments. But, when we quiet
ourselves and acknowledge His presence, God touches our hearts, restores our
spirits, and help us to think and see things in God’s perspective. If we want
to get to know our Heavenly Father more, silence is a wonderful place to start.
It’s not about where we are physically but it’s about the
position of our hearts. As illustration, I can think of you even in the midst
of busy traffic or in the noise of conversations. My heart belongs to you. In the same way –
even more – we can hear God speaks to us anytime if our hearts focusing on Him.
Let’s be in silence and solitude with God more often. Let’s go to a quiet place
and listen (You may want to find a place for you to have a quiet time). It’s
good for our souls and relationship with God and one another. If we keep
listening long enough and carefully enough, He’ll start talking.
Annie, I write this letter
not as much as I want to teach you,
But it was you who reminds
me about silence and solitude.
To be patient and wait
upon the Lord.
You wrote to me, “I will wait for God’s voice…
…so I will follow His voice.”
Yes darling, let us be
still, and know that God is God.
“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai,
saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great
city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me’”
(Jonah 1:2,
NKJV)
God is a forgiving God. As I read this small Book of Jonah, I’m amazed by a clear picture of a firm but
forgiving God. It starts with God ordered Jonah to preach in Nineveh, a foreign
town filled with the unusual immorality associated with major cities of
Assyrian Empire. “But Jonah arose to flee to
Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” (1:3). Jonah ran away from
God (How funny is that!). Yet Jonah’s disobedience in heading in the opposite
direction didn’t result in his death or the end of his service. God’s mercy was
upon him.
In fact, God used Jonah to
convert the sailors on his escape ship, even when he rebelling and sinning.
Before they throw Jonah into the sea, the sailors prayed, “We
pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not
charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You”
(Jonah 1:14). And God used Jonah to reach Ninevites even though he hoped that
they would be destroyed. “Then God saw
their [Ninevites’] works, that they turned from their evil way; and God
relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them, and He did
not do it” (Jonah 3:10). God’s mercy was upon the sailors and the
people of Nineveh.
Of course, Jonah did
experience God’s anger – in the form of a storm, being swallowed by a big fish,
and suffering intense heat – but these were also signs of God’s mercy because
God used them to show Jonah that he had a second, a third, fourth… and so on
chances to him. From our human perspective, there can be few people who
deserved God’s mercy less than Jonah, the sailors and the Ninevites. Yet God
forgave them all.
Throughout the Bible,
God’s mercy is directed towards his children, the Jews. But in the Book of Jonah, God is clearly revealed
as also the God of non-Jews, of the Gentiles (us!). God is interested in a crew
of pagan sailors and He even forgives “more than one
hundred and twenty thousand” (4:11) of Israel’s greatest enemies. He
gave many chances to Jonah. See! God’s
forgiveness is not restricted to the Jews only but to all people who asking
for forgiveness and acknowledge their sins toward Him. Now, God even show
greater mercy toward us through His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross
for the sins of all mankind. In Jesus,
God’s great mercy revealed to the fullest.
The Scripture says: “[Whoever]
believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be
saved” (John 3:15-17, NKJV). Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! Thank you
LORD!
Many of our feelings of satisfaction or
dissatisfaction have their roots in how we compare ourselves to others. When we compare ourselves to those who
have more, we feel bad. When I compare my educational level (I’m a diploma
holder only) with others who studied for degree and master, I will feel bad. When
I compare my income with my friends who work in the government, I feel sad. When
I compare my English with magazine and website editors in my church, I feel
down.
But when we
compare ourselves to those who have less, we feel grateful. When I compare my
breakfast with the hungry, I feel blessed. When I compare of me having a home
and personal bedroom with homeless strangers at Kuching Waterfront, I’m very
thankful. When I compare my Biblical knowledge with those who are well-educated
at theological school, I guess I’m proud of myself.
Mind you, both feeling and thinking are dangerous because
we try to compare ourselves with the more and the less, rather than making a
wiser comparison. The truth
is we have exactly the same life either way, our feeling and thinking about our
life can be difference tremendously based on who we compare ourselves with. May
I advise? Compare yourself with those
examples that are meaningful but that make you feel comfortable with who you
are and what you have.Find your own
personal heroes.
Yes, God want
us to imitate His faithful servants in the Scripture when the writer of Hebrews
writes, “Remember your leaders, who spoke
the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate
their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7). Yes, compare our lives with their faithful
lives and consider (think of) their way of life. But God doesn’t say for us to
be like them. The healthiest comparison that God offers is this: Compare
yourself with Jesus, not others. Focus on Jesus when you’re tempted to
compare yourself with others. In Jesus, our comparison is more meaningful. We still
can be who we are with greater thanksgiving, humility and contentment. Choose your
comparisons wisely.
There were many in Jesus’
day who found life hard, who had become disillusioned and dissatisfied and were
looking for something better, more fulfilling. There are many like that in our
society too, hunger for something more… could
it be you?
Take for example, in John 4, a story of the Samaritan woman
that Jesus met when he stopped by a well to rest on a journey. The fact that
she had come alone to draw water in the middle of the day (v.6) suggests that
all was not well. Gathering water was normally an early-morning, communal
activity… there was something wrong here. When we read the story further, it becomes
apparent that her problem was a moral one, involving men. But Jesus, with his
keen perception, realized that her real problem was much deeper. So Jesus said
to her, “Everyone
who drinks of this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of
the water [Himself]that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water
that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal
life” (John 4:13-14, ESV. In bracket mine).
Understandably, just like
me, the woman initially didn’t really comprehend what Jesus meant. She thought
Jesus was talking about actual water. In fact, Jesus was addressing himself to
her real problem which was not a thirst for water, nor even a thirst for sex,
but – a thirst for life. But before
she could begin to drink the life-giving water, Jesus had to help her see what
she was really like, and challenge her to change her ways. So, in his infinite
wisdom, Jesus asked her to fetch her husband – and then the truth was out! She
had been married to five men but the man with whom she was now living was not
really her husband (read John 4:16-18).
For a while she struggled
with Jesus’ offer of life-giving water and its implications for her, but slowly
she was released and was able to receive that offer. As a result, even though we’re
not told exactly what she was thinking after that, she was obviously
transformed and immediately began to bring others to Jesus. The Jesus whom she
and others now realized was “the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). Questions: Are you
looking for something better? Do you dissatisfied with your life now? Is religion
burn you down? Do you thirst for more, more than mere water, sex, money and
power? Do you thirst for life? Come to Jesus and he will give you the life-giving
water so that you “will never thirsty again.” Satisfied guarantee!
Amen.
When you receive no thanks, you have two choices: 1) Disappointed, or 2) Whatever, do it anyway.
“Fear the LORD and serve Him
in sincerity and truth” (Joshua
24:14, NASB)
Tom
Hale, long-time missionary doctor to Nepal, says in his book Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees:
“The concept of disinterested love is totally
foreign to Nepalese because their primacy motive for good works is to acquire
merit that will benefit them in the next life. Most of our patients have no
sense of gratitude for our services; instead, they expect that we be grateful
to them for providing us an opportunity to gain merit for ourselves. That is
why ‘Thank you’ is so rarely heard in Nepal; in fact, the Nepali language has
no word for it. It’s just as well. We wouldn’t last long here if we had come to
receive thanks.”
If
we only do good things for the sake of receiving thanks then we are going to be
the most miserable men and women in the world. Instead of waiting and expecting
people to give thanks – be sincere in your service toward others. “Sincerity,”
writes Charles H. Spurgeon, “make the least man to be of more value than
the most talented hypocrites.”
In
sincerity, add obedience also. Helping
others and serving the Lord because you love to obey Him. Do what is right even
though nobody see and appreciates it. Be sure that God sees your good works and
bless you for it. Psalms 84:11
declares: “The Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and
glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right”
(NLT).
“God opposes the proud, but
gives grace to the humble” (James
4:6)
While
attending a dinner, a famous multi-millionaire heard a discussion on the
subject of prayer. After listening for a while, the man of means exclaimed with
a sneer,
“Prayer may be all right for some of you, but
I don’t need it. Everything I have today I’ve worked hard for, and I’ve earned
it all myself. I didn’t ask God for anything.”
A
university president listened politely, then said to the braggart,
“There is one thing you don’t have that you
might pray for.”
Startled,
the millionaire blurted out, “And what
might that be?”
The
educator replied gently, “Sir, you could
pray for humility.”
We
all could pray for humility. We all need to be reminded day by day that all
that we have are really from the Lord and all things belong to Him. We all
could to pray for humility. We need to recognize our limits and our finiteness
in the sight of the Infinite God. We all could pray for humility. “I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility,” writes
John Ruskin, “I do not mean by humility,
doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a curious
under-sense of powerlessness, feeling that the greatness is not in them but
through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them.”
We all could pray for grace J
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”
As time went
by, the system of sacrifice was abused, and the prophets began to cry out for
new sacrifice. Isaiah expresses it most clearly:
“’What makes you
think I want all your sacrifices?’ says the LORD. ‘I am sick of your burnt
offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the
blood of bulls and lambs and goats… Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
the incense of your offerings disgusts me!... Wash yourselves and be clean! Get
your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek
justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights
of widows” (Isaiah
1:11-17, NLT).
This new
understanding of sacrifice as both a ceremony
for forgiveness and also an ongoing
way of life reaches its climax in Isaiah’s four songs (Isaiah 42, 49, 50 and 52-53) about God’s servant. These songs present a Person whose life
is characterized by love, justice humility, suffering and sacrifice.
The fourth song,
Isaiah 52-53, describes the
appalling suffering of the Servant who, though innocent, is treated as a sinner
punished by God and condemned to die a shameful death. It shows that all this
is the Servant’s voluntary offering for sinners, whose sin and guilt He takes
onto Himself. “He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was
beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed”
(53:5); “He bore the sins of many
and interceded for rebels” (53:12).
The song shows
that, by a previously unimaginable act of power, God accepts the sacrifice of
the Servant and brings about the salvation for many people. This song points to
Jesus, the Suffering Servant. In fact all of the Old Testament sacrifices point
in some way to Him.
Now, today, it’s
time for us to turn our attention to Jesus Christ, because it is by the
shedding of His blood that we are forgiven. And it is in the example of His
life that we see the power of true forgiveness in action. No more the old
system of sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of sins – not that it wasn’t important
back then, but it’s no more valid – for Jesus have died on the cross and rose
again as the living sacrifice to redeem us sinners back to Himself. In responds to God’s grace and mercy,
we ought to: “Give up your evil ways (Repent from our sins). Learn to do good (Be Christ disciples). Seek justice.
Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows
(Walk the faith).”
No more animals
or ceremonials sacrifice require for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus Christ “our High Priest
offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time”
(Hebrew 10:12, NLT). This is His actions of grace and mercy. What
are your actions of thanksgiving and faith?How to you celebrate this new ceremony for forgiveness and for an
ongoing way of life in Christ?Do
you repent from your sins? Do you follow Christ’s commands and His examples? Do
you love people, seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the cause of the defendless,
fight for the rights of the voiceless? Do you walk the faith? Ask yourself.
