“A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” 1 Corinthians 5:6 NIV
“Temptation has the power to take you further than you meant to go.”
My thoughts today are about “a little goes a long way.”
Paul was not giving a cooking class in the judicious use of yeast for baking. The thing about yeast is that it doesn’t have to be a very big amount in order to have a big and permeating influence. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” Even the least amount will have a dramatic effect disproportionate to its comparable size.
This commonly available baking ingredient is used in the Bible to consistently represent the old, sin nature found in every one of us. That nature inclined toward sin draws you away from God, conflicting with the spirit within you that is drawn toward God. Read Colossians 3:8-10 NIV.
Temptation is like that. The smallest temptation of wrong, for even the briefest of consideration, reaches further and deeper than you first suppose. You will be tempted; prepare for it. Success in your Christian life is not about being temptation-free; it is about training yourself to be temptation-intolerant. The lesson Paul intended from his discussion of yeast was simply this: if you do not indulge the temptations when small, you will never have to worry about resisting it when overpowering.
“Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature . . the sinful nature . . and the Spirit . . are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want.” Read Galatians 5: 16-17 NIV. As can be said of yeast, a little goes a long way; temptation has the power to take you further than you imagine it could.
To be temptation-intolerant, guard against any thought that you are somehow immune – too smart, too aware. Peter learned that lesson well, and later in life wrote this helpful advice, “Be clothed with humility for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble . . be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith . .” 1 Peter 5:5-8 NKJV. The closer to God, the further from sin.
Don’t indulge thoughts of wrong too long – because eventually you will do what you never thought you would! Indulging temptation is an invitation for sin. Do not push the boundaries; keep a safe distance from sin however small it may seem. You cannot always avoid temptation, but you can avoid the sin and shame to which it would lead you. Remember; even what may be permissible is not always beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV. If you never allow little things that are at worst questionable, you will not find yourself trapped in things about which you have no question at all. Temptation that is not resisted develops an appetite for a taste that is not rejected.
My prayer for you today is that you know right from wrong, and choose what’s right!