Starter

Daily Reading: Galatians 5-6

You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5.7-9)

Devotional Thought: Lana and I make sour dough bread from a “starter” given to us over 30 years ago.  That starter is a critical ingredient to the bread.  If it's not there, the bread won’t rise.  In the same way, if we expect to "rise" in our faith, we need a starter. 

The Galatians had gotten off to a good start and "were running well," but something happened.  They had added something to the pure gospel message.  Supplementing the gospel is a temptation that is common to all of us.  That is why it is so important to know the Bible!  Paul’s question was simple: “Who hindered you from obeying the truth?”  One of the chief hindrances to obedience is ignorance!  It is hard to do the will of God if we do not know the will of God!  How much time are you spending with the Word of God?  How much effort are you making to incorporate the Word into your daily routine?  As Paul wrote, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” 

“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened” (Matthew 13.33).  You and I are responsible to work the leaven of the Kingdom into our lives.  A principal way we do that is to daily be engaged in the Word of God.  But there is also a bad leaven.  Paul described it as "this persuasion ... not from him who calls you."   

There are many “persuasions” in our lives.  We get to choose what we listen to.  Let’s fill our minds with the Word of Christ so we can faithfully follow “him who calls you.”

Prayer: Lord, I want to run well, without hindrance, persuaded by the Word of God.  Help me to work that leaven into the whole lump of my life!  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 104.16-23

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers. 18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax. 19 He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. 20 You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. 21 The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. 22 The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. 23 Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.