Even if you are on the low-carb bandwagon, you cannot deny that the whiff of freshly-baked bread is one of the most pleasant aromas in the world. Aah, yeast, that magic powder. One tiny teaspoon in the kneaded dough and your loaf of bread comes out of the oven in all its glory, looking fully bloomed. Miss that step, and you have a flat, uneven surface, a thoroughly unappetizing loaf.
Yeast (aka leaven) functions to: expand the dough, causing the rising of the mixture; mature the dough, giving it a light, airy structure, and impart a distinctive flavor and aroma. In comparing the kingdom of God to a woman who bakes with yeast, (Lk.13:20-21), Jesus alluded to the fact that the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of those who receive it. Three things:
Leaven does not work its magic in whole corn stalks or even in a pile of dry corn grains that have not been ground. Not only ground, but kneaded and manipulated into a soft, stretchable dough. Our hearts must be humbled and broken, resolutely turned away from sin and the glorying of self, in order for the Word of God to find a place, and expand to bear fruit in us.
Leaven is hidden in the dough, throroughly mixed in, so that the carbon dioxide from the fermentation process which causes the loaf to rise is slowly dissipated throughout the dough. The Word of God must be treasured and internalized, becoming our central operating manual, so that with time, it can spread out and manifest its effects within us and all around us.
The fermented dough is put into a hot oven to bake. With the Word of God hidden in our repented hearts, we are equipped to undergo the inevitable fiery trials of life that will change us into beautiful loaves, with the aroma of the Holy Spirit wafting from us. When people encounter us, they should long for what we have…….the riches of the glory of Christ’s inheritance in us.
May the Word of God, hidden in our hearts, slowly transform us into sweet-smelling vessels of grace and mercy. Amen.
Hilltop Thoughts, Valley Strengths 