Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Here we are at the beginning of a new year. A chance to start over, to do things differently, better and hopefully to a happier end. So why speak now about sorrows? How else could you see the need for change if not for the sorrows? Jesus is that man of sorrows and this is about why.

“This is a thing we ought to be much affected with; it is to be wondered at, and greatly lamented, and ministers may go to God and complain of it to him, as the prophet here. What a pity is it that such rich grace should be received in vain, that precious souls should perish at the pool’s side, because they will not step in and be healed!” Matthew Henry’s commentary on Isaiah 53:3

Christ at the cross took away the sins of the world with His death. He became sin, that knew no sin. All sin, every man’s sin, for all time, was loaded upon Him in death. I have often thought that the lamentations of the knowledge of this burden was the reason for His sorrows. I was wrong, it was that man rejects the release from the pain and penalty of those sins because they reject the free offer of salvation thru faith.

John 5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

The healing pool of Bethesda was a place where those who needed healing placed their faith. It was always something with this man for thirty-eight years. It was for the lack of someone to help him or the insistent behavior of others that pushed him aside and kept him from being healed.

Your salvation is not dependent on others and no one stands in your way. Place your faith in Christ, the one who grieves for you and beckons “come to me”.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I quoted this verse in yesterday’s devotional. I do believe that we all understand what Paul meant by this warning. Within us is a desire to be conformed to Christ. Our love for Christ is a compelling force towards that good end. I said that I need to be continually renewed in my mind yesterday but I did not say why exactly.

Have you ever walked by a bakery and smelled the fresh baked goods? What does that smell alone do to you? If you enjoy those baked goods, the smell stirs memories and might even entice you to stop and buy something on the spur of the moment. It is called impulse buying. It was caused by the venting of the aroma into the street. That is influence.

You drive up to your favorite fast food restaurant and look at the menu board. “Hmm, that’s new. That looks really good.” So you order the new menu item because it looks good. When you drive off and the bag is opened and you see the meal you just bought, it doesn’t look anything like the picture. That is influence.

We know by experience that those who sell use marketing techniques to influence sales. We have come to a point in our conscious minds where we expect and accept the practice. It has become the norm, it is what it is, and we have come to terms with that world.

Observer effect is a physics term. The observation of an event changes the event. It means one thing in physics, it means another in psychology. Observation is influence in the mind. We see things and those things are imprinted on our brains. Often times, as with world news, dialogue accompanies the pictures or video. Influence is being exerted on multiple levels. Even adding music enhances and makes the observation more intense and dramatic. That is why we have music scores for movies.

It is part of our world and not all of it is godly. Renew your mind.