Galatians 5:9
A little leaven (yeast) leavens the whole lump of dough.
I love the examples that are given to us in Scripture.
New pieces of cloth sewn into old garments pointing us to the truth that you don't mix your new beliefs with you old ones. You cast out one to embrace the other.you don't mix them.
Then there was the example of "new" wine being put in "old" wineskin's. You just don't mix the two together, telling us that this new relationship we are experiencing with Christ is just that........a new way to live. We are not to bring Jesus in and fit him into our life. We are to cast off our old life and allow Jesus to bring us into himself. I do believe that there are some folks who only want enough Jesus to get them out of hell. After that, it's the thought of just leave me alone....I'll be going to church. I'll put $5.00 in the offering plate and if you keep pestering me...I'll even join the choir or play on the church softball team. But leave my life alone. Newsflash! You no longer have a life. Jesus does. He wants to give to each of us.
The verse from Galatians paints a picture of what happens when we refuse to yield ourselves to Christ. Leaven is always a symbol or picture of sin. If you are making dough and you put some yeast into the flour...that yeast works its way through all the flour. Once introduced into the recipe, you can't take the yeast out. Same with sin. A little sin.....even the smallest of small, once committed in our lives, works its way through us and causes others which, in turn, causes others. Think back to your early days of using. When you first tried drugs or alcohol or whatever your D.O.C. was, you didn't envision yourself as a chronic liar or thief. You couldn't see yourself doing the things that you have done. You were only going to get high and enjoy life. It was just a little sin. But that little sin, once introduced into our life, worked its way into every area of our life. Sexual sin, stealing, lying, manipulating people we love, turning our attention completely on ourselves, we became a very selfish people. A little sin works it way through the entire person. It causes the dough to rise and expand. Cooks call it "Proofing". I guess it is "proof" that the dough has been affected by the yeats. Things are bigger than they normally would be without the yeast. Isn't that the way it is with sin? Our lives get blown up and out of proportion. Problems are magnified and larger than they really are. Why? Because we have lost the ability to deal with them. We no longer can see our problems in the light of God's truth. We are looking at them through "leaven" glasses. We are desperately in need of having the leaven taken out, but we are powerless to do so.
Well, I want to be a "lump" for Jesus.
I want zero sin.
Jesus is the only one who can reach down into the lump of dough and remove every vestige and evidence of sin. He can make the lump pure and leaven free, and that is the way I want to live.
That is why those 12 Steps are directions that put us into a place where Jesus can work on us. Turning us into the lump we were created to be.
Maybe we need to start a club or something......Lumps for Jesus!
Naw.
Let's just go out and live it every day.
God on you......
mb
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