A Little Yeast - Galatians 5:9

Galatians 5:9 “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (NIV)

I’ve never made bread, so I don’t know what the process involves. I understand that the little portion of yeast enables the bread to rise when being baked and creates a great texture for eating. All I truly know is that I love bread – buttered, toasted, freshly baked or shaped into rolls, sticks, and loaves – to dunk in my soup, or at the side of my plate, or even filled with meat, cheese, tomatoes, and pickles. I may not know how to bake it, but I sure know how to take and consume it!

Last night, I attended an ecumenical meeting in our town called ‘Justice Knox.’ Two other folks from our congregation were also at the event. The whole purpose of ‘Justice Knox’ is to encourage people of all faiths to come together from our churches, synagogues, and mosques to tackle social justice problems in our city. Individually, we cannot do much on our own, but when we combine our focus and resources together, we can act like yeast to work with our local leaders and authorities in dealing with issues of Affordable Housing, Mental Health, Public Schools, Accessible Health Care, and Drugs and Crime. If we pray, meet, and work together, we can effectively influence local politicians and policies to make life better for everyone in Knoxville.

Being the yeast is something that Christ calls all of His followers to become so that the Bread of Heaven may be effectively and fairly shared with everyone. If we are willing to do this, then we will bring better and more lasting changes to our community and society.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to effectively give of ourselves to lovingly share and support all whom we meet today. Allow us to be the yeast of Your grace that is needed in whatever circumstances, events, or encounters we experience. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Call to action: Ask God to bless people of faith in our community by providing us with opportunities to share in ministry, mission, and service together. Please share this devotion with your family & friends, too.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of my Knoxville drawings called Sunsphere City. If you want to view a larger version, please click this link: Sunsphere.

Church devotion - Fruits of Faith - Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. (NIV)

            When I read about the fruits of the Holy Spirit, I quickly realize how shallow I am and that despite my best intentions, I can never display all of these blessings on any given day. I recognize my sinful shortcomings and become fully aware that I am usually to blame for the scarcity of these beautiful fruits in my life. I resolve to try harder to bear these gifts and share them with others, but then something or someone annoys me and I end up withering the fruits of Spirit by smothering them with my own pride and selfish ways.

            When Paul was writing to the Galatian Christians, he knew that they were also suffering from this spiritual deficit. They were undergoing an internal conflict which had the potential of disrupting the whole congregation. Paul’s letter was sent to remind them of the gifts of the Spirit that had initially been experienced among them. He was hoping to encourage the Galatians to rediscover common ministries, missions, and purposes among them which would unite them again and make their witness to the wider community effective. They could not do this by themselves or with their own strength; they had to get back to relying on God and depending on the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, as well as their congregation.

            In these days of spiritual turmoil in our churches and denominational divisions, Paul’s message about the fruits of the Spirit is as relevant now as it was way back then. When we sincerely seek the presence of the Holy Spirit among us then we are given an authentic calling to go out into the wider community in order to show and share those beautiful gifts - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -  to a broken world which needs those fruits to be healed of all the fear and fragmentation which is dividing our people and desolating our planet.

Point to ponder

Which fruit of the Spirit could be most effective in my life at this time? Am I willing to ask and wait for the Spirit to work this gift into my life?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You promised to send Your Holy Spirit to us to build up our faith and our churches. Help us to seek the sacred fruits which the Spirit can offer, so we may support one another and reach out to the wider community. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send John an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Pentecost drawings called “Celtic Flame.” If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Flame.