Over the years of ministry I’ve seen a lot of high profile persons demonstrate their feet of clay and come tumbling down in some scandal. It’s a devastating blow to every one involved and affects all of Christendom. The fall of Jim and Tammy Baker, Jimmy Swaggert and more recently Ted Haggard has struck a blow to the credibility of Christianity.
There has been plenty of others who have taken the dive off their pedestals. Preachers, teachers, spiritual leaders have succumbed to temptation and been forced out of effective ministry. Pornography addiction, sexual sin, gambling, embezzlement, etc, doesn’t just suddenly crop up overnight. It’s something that develops over time.
Jesus says beware of the yeast. Yeast has a slow but powerful effect. When my mother baked her own bread and rolls, she mixed the flour and eggs, etc. and then added yeast. She would cover the bowl and place it over a furnace vent or something similar. You could almost watch the mixture transform and grow in to a big puffy dough ball before your eyes.
Jesus warns us about letting the yeast of sin into our life. A little bit of yeast goes a long way. It doesn’t take much for that yeast of sin to grow under the heat of life. Without really noticing, that small amount of leaven has transformed your whole life and made it a big gooey mess. It can’t be contained or hidden any more and it bursts over the side for everyone to see.
Once the yeast is there, it’s only matter time before it does its thing. So the key is keeping the yeast of sin out of our life. Fires that destroy forests, home and lives always start with just a spark. Little things and practices produce big results; sometimes good, often times bad.
Jesus, help me pay attention to the little things in life. Help me to keep the yeast of sin out. Work into my life the seed of spiritual growth. Help me to do the things that are beneficial to me and the Kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment