Seeds & Mixing Yeast

4.2.24 Devo Image
“He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’ He told them still another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.’ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’”—Matthew 13:31–35 (NIV) I’ve never been much of a plant guy—I don’t have the patience. But for those who do, the end result is an amazing thing! My wife, for instance, enjoys it. At our old townhouse, she planted tomatoes, peppers, and a few herbs. A few months later, we were making pesto from the basil she planted and cultivated, and let me tell you something—it was GOOD! Her work produced amazing results that I, and a few other people, were able to enjoy. In the first of two parables in this passage, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. What’s so special about this seed? Well, the seed itself is actually tiny, about 1-2 millimeters in diameter, but when it grows, the tree can be around 20-30 feet tall with a 20-foot circumference!  Then, He compares the kingdom to a massive bag of flour having a little yeast worked into it. Now, I’ve never worked with 60 pounds (960 ounces) of flour, but whenever I make pizza dough, the recipe I use, which yields four 14-inch pizzas, calls for 32 ounces of flour (2 pounds) and only ¼ ounce of yeast! So, if we extrapolate that, it would only take 7 ½ ounces of yeast to cause 960 ounces of flour to rise! Isn’t that wild?  What are we to take from this regarding the kingdom?  There are a few things God showed me:
  1. The Kingdom Within: Like the mustard seed, when the seed of the gospel is planted in the human heart, it produces results that are “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). The gospel produces a new life and incredible fruit in us through the Holy Spirit. Like the yeast, the gospel permeates every part of us. It shouldn’t just affect one or two areas, but the whole self. It should transform what we say, think, and do and how we live as we’re conformed to the image of Christ.
  2. The Kingdom Community: In order for the kingdom to grow and spread, God doesn’t need miracles, powerful works, or famous, gifted speakers packing stadiums. All He needs is one willing, surrendered heart or one small group of devoted believers to bring about revival in a city, country, region, or unto the ends of the earth! You’re all He needs to cause the gospel to spread in your home, neighborhood, workplace, and community. He can use the fruit produced in your life to plant seeds.
  3. The Rot: On the flipside, similar to how the smallest gospel seed can cause massive growth and transformation, the smallest seed of corruption can grow immensely within the individual and the kingdom community. Like yeast, which is often associated with sin in the Word, even a little sin, corruption, or false doctrine introduced can permeate the whole body—again, the individual and the church/kingdom community.
What do we do with this? Well, Christian, God wants to bring about incredible spiritual growth in us through the Spirit, and in response to our inpouring, He wants to produce an outpouring and use us to expand His kingdom. I pray we will be a people who faithfully carry that call and allow ourselves to be used by the Lord to grow the seeds of the kingdom around the world, and that we would “take captive every thought (seed) to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). Pause: Why does Jesus compare the kingdom of God to a seed and yeast? How have you seen these principles to be true in your life? Practice: Ask the Lord today how He wants to use you to plant the seeds of the gospel in the lives of others, and ask Him to root out any seeds of sinfulness or rebellion in you. Pray: Father in heaven, may Your kingdom come in my heart, life, and the lives of those around me. May Your kingdom take hold and take ground. Use me, Lord, to scatter seeds everywhere I go, knowing that like Paul, I may scatter the seed and someone like Apollos can come around and water it, but YOU give the growth. “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7 ESV). I pray You would continue to use me as You see fit to give the growth and get the glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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