“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour.” (Matt. 13:33)
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, we are convinced that if we act cool and wear the right clothes, we will fit in with the popular crowd. And so it goes right into young adulthood—if we jump through the hoops of retaining a high grade point average and get into that prestigious school, we will land the perfect six-figure job. The notion that if you behave you can belong permeates our lives from beginning to end.
The yeast of behave-to-belong was also present at the early church’s first committee meeting. Some were convinced that all church members should behave like Jews, getting circumcised before they could be a part of the assembly. This false idea pervaded the kingdom’s large batch of pure, white flour, and still persists today—so much so that many unbelievers are convinced that the church is the last place they should go when they are broken or have messed up. They think they must clean up their act before they can show up and belong.
Maybe it’s time to rid our thinking of this yeast and ask: Am I all about condemning bad behavior? Or am I someone who encourages misbehavers to come as they are? Yes, there is no better time and instead let every part of our lives be permeated with God’s amazing grace.
Direct a wayward friend to the only One who can save.
Susan Browning Schulz is a Bible teacher, wife, and mom of three grown children. She lives on the Etowah River in Northwest Georgia and loves leading her church small group.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
