Sifting through the Dough
SCRIPTURE
“Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
OBSERVATION
Sometimes we have sin in our lives or things that inhibit us from growth, that we don’t recognize as sin and we keep operating in our normal “routine.” We go on with our lives not even realizing how things in the past has affected our behavior today and we respond to others out of past hurts or disappointments. We don’t mean to hold onto our past baggage or want to operate in our sinful nature but we unintentionally do and it affects everything that we touch—it could be with the way we act towards our spouse, our children, our co-workers and even the way we do our job or our ministry. As followers of Christ, it’s important that we constantly evaluate the way we live so that others will call us “different” because we are changed and look more like Jesus. If there is something in my life that continues to be a problem, I should always take it to the Lord so he can help me identify the source and get rid of the old “yeast” so I can operate freely in Christ.
APPLICATION
This verse also reminded me of how I lead my company. I’m constantly having to sift through my “dough” which are my employees because I’m constantly working on the culture of our company. If I have one “cancer” in my company, it affects the whole “dough” and it spreads quickly. I have to work very hard to always make sure that character and attitude is that of Christ so that everything from the top down is healthy. If we have one employee that is affecting many others, we know that we need to identify the problem quickly. Sometimes we have to get rid of the individual but other times we choose to work with this one individual to produce a healthy environment. Sometimes showing them grace and love produces a changed heart and attitude. This affects the whole “batch” and we have a healthy culture and at the end of day, we pray that they see Christ.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, refine me daily and renew my mind so that I may reflect you in my life. Help me to always identify the old “yeast” in my life so that I can have healthy relationships and be able to handle adversity with your eyes, your heart, and your plan. May I never ignore the sin or problems in my life, whether intentional or unintentional, and help me to always weed out the things that destroy and bring life to every area of my life. I ask you to also help me lead in a healthy way. Everything that you entrust me to take care of, I pray that I can always lead with your heart. I love you so much Lord and I want to make sure that my life always exemplifies you in all areas of my life. Amen!