Yeast - Part 2

Devotion for the week...

Today I'm sharing the second part of a two-part series inspired by a familiar verse from Matthew. You can read the first part here. The verse that inspired this series is Matthew 13:33: "Jesus also used this illustration: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.'" Last week I wrote about how the verse applies to our individual lives; today I want to look at how it applies to the world around us.

Do you ever feel small? Insignificant? Like your efforts could never be enough to make a difference? This verse says it's not our size or our importance in the world that matters. Yeast is tiny, but we only need a tiny amount of it to make bread. To make a loaf of the bread I make most often, I use a little more than 4 cups of flour and 1 tbsp of yeast. The amount of yeast isn't even noticeable compared to the amount of flour, and yet it's enough to make the bread dough rise into a beautiful, round loaf.

We are small and insignificant, compared to the world at large. We aren't world leaders or celebrities, with news outlets sharing our every action or people wanting to interview us to share our thoughts with millions of people. That doesn't mean we have no influence.

Our influence happens with the people we interact with everyday; the ones who share our homes, our workplaces, our communities, and, yes, our online communities. When the fruit of the Spirit is evident in our lives, it's noticeable in these arenas. It makes a difference when we respond to difficult situations with love and patience. It makes a difference when we treat people with kindness. It makes a difference when we encourage someone. All of these things have a positive influence on the people around us, making the world a little kinder, a little more forgiving, a little more joyful.

When I try to live as God wants me to live, that makes the world a little better. When you do, it makes the world a little better, too. And when Christians the world over do it, too, the Kingdom of Heaven permeates every part of the world.