Three Pieces of Leaven

Read: 1 Corinthians 5

"Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump..." 1 Corinthians 5:7

Examine:

Leaven or yeast represented sin. During the Passover feast all of Israel would remove all of the leaven from their house so that, that which illustrated sin was taken out of their presence. In likewise manner Paul was calling the Church at Corinth to not tolerate literal sin in their Church.

Apply:

The process of being formed into the likeness of Christ is a pervasive process. As long as I continue on earth their will be leaven in my life that I need to take out. This morning's reading reminds me of three.

First, I need to keep a sober self-judgment. Being realistic is not the same as being condemning. To understand grace is to understand the joy and freedom that is found in confessing sins. Every sin confessed allows God more room to fill my life with His presence. Every time He expands in me my peace and joy are multiplied. Learning of shortcomings can be painful at first, but the fruit of the process is incredible. I need to remove arrogance and condemnation from my heart and mind and live with a true sense of self.

Second, I need to stop judging the world. The world is lost and it will behave as such. The world is not my battlefield, it is my mission field. God did not call me to judge those outside the faith. He called me to live my life in a manner that reflects His power, love, joy and hope. His calling on me is that my life be so set apart that those outside of the faith would question the difference they see in me. I need to stop judging and start loving.

Finally, I need to start judging my fellow believers. The only type of person that the Word calls me to judge is a believer who is living a double standard. The trick to this is love. God does not call me to condemn a person. He calls me to speak the truth in love to the person in hopes that they will turn back to Christ. This is not a blank check to speak my mind, but it is a call to care enough about a person to lovingly help them strengthen weaknesses.

Pray:

First and foremost I pray that You fill my life with people who love me enough to speak truth into my life. I do not desire to live my life blind. There are times when I need another set of eyes to help me see things that are hidden. I ask that my attitude and behavior invite this type of feedback into my life.

I also pray that You take away my desire to judge the world as being bad and replace it with an insatiable desire to see it redeemed in love. Instead of just being detested by the sin of the world, I ask that I be engaged in Your call to take the gospel to it.

This last one is perhaps the most difficult. Speaking truth to another believer is the last thing satan wants me to do and is quite possibly the thing he fights against the hardest. He tempts me to doubt my responsibility. He tempts me to question my motives. He tempts me to be angry and arrogant. He does everything in his power to keep me quiet.

Father my simple request for the day is that I be the me You desire me to be.