Leaven!

(Galatians 5:9) “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”  

A little leaven affects the entire lump and it always brings about its objective when used correctly, it works as a raising agent. Similarly allowance of the smallest sins in our lives will have the same result. When we lighten the load to our sin with these types of thoughts, “it isn’t so bad” or “it could have been worst”. We certainly do not help our cause or the plight of others, and we play into the hands of the enemy with the same result every time, getting up from the dirt and dusting off our knees. Sadly its takes these kinds of knockdowns to teach us what needs to be learnt, “a little leaven leavens the lump”, it will more often than not leave us down and in the muck having to seek out God’s forgiveness. The truth of the matter is this; sin is sin no matter how you slice it and when we allow a fraction of it to remain alive in our lives, if we consent to it in any form, know this… “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9)

Whether we are looking to find an excuse for our sin or if we err on the opposite side of lasciviousness and apply self-righteousness to our existence in order to prove our worth by applying the first covenant into our lives at the expense of the second. Pride rears its head and is resisted by God; we must never forget this, He seeks out the humble and He will only ever exalt the meek. It will never be about outdoing the person next to us with an arrogance that leaves us thinking we are better than the rest. In both instances, “a little leavens the whole lump”.

     

Lust (the natural offspring of a carnal and corrupt mind) of any form will have this result in our lives and we must be aware of its destructive power, I most certainly do not claim to have arrived but because of it destructiveness it has been brought to my attention and it needs to be rooted out before it brings forth death. Did you know? “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.” (James 1:14-16)

So from the smallest to the biggest allowances of sin in our lives let us not be fooled into believing that God will turn a blind eye to it, He detests sin so much that He sent his Son to die for it so that individuals would find deliverance in Him.

However as dismal as this reality may be; “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) - There is an upside to it all. “Jesus in my place”, praise His beloved name now and forevermore, Amen and Amen! “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Roman 7:25)

It’s not the power of the law or my application to it that saves me, but rather what Christ achieved for me on Calvary. Mankind was sold into slavery way back when, and sadly we are all benefactors of Adams rebellion. We were never taught to sin per say but rather born with a natural tenacity to sin. There is an obvious innocence to young children, but only for a time and then the slide becomes evident as they grow. As Christians we need to trim our sail on a regular basis, and the correct way to do that is to come under the sound of the Word, the Bible! We need faith to survive and we add to our faith in this manner; “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)  

Now that I have been saved, born again, having eyes to see God’s kingdom, I still have a carnal mind that needs transformation. The war rages on between my flesh and the Spirit, and so it is for all who have been saved. Do not be deceived “a little leaven affects the whole lump”. 

  

Yesterday is gone. It has passed and nothing we do will bring it back. Today comes with new beginnings and our gracious glorious heavenly Father affords us such forgiving mercy that He allows us new beginning every day. Today is the day of salvation; let us therefore make the most of it. We all have an opportunity to right our wrongs in Christ’s forgiveness and find His grace to overcome.

“… But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13)

We have been called to live one day at a time, it’s only the world with all its propaganda that teachers us something entirely different, it instils that we must plan for our future, I will not look to over stir that pot but I will leave you with this thought; "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

Whatever your troubles are we must remember to pray through it. I have said a lot, so here is my summary; Sin is sin and must never be tolerated as adequate. We must seek out God’s forgiveness on a regular basis for our sin, and then we must seek out God’s grace to eventually overcome. Our victories in Christ do not justify us before God as the sacrifice of an animal in the First Covenant was meant to achieve, In fact the “First Covenant” (the law of Moses) was there to teach us about our sinful natures and that we needed a Saviour in order to find rescue. God has accepted His Son’s sacrifice and not ours. We are justified because of Him and this must never be overlooked. When we look to pat ourselves on our backs, this amplifies our pride, it becomes about us and not HIM! “A little leaven leavens the entire lump”; we must grasp this with both hands if we are to grow in the good graces of our God and King.

Signing off

Tyrone