A Woman and Her Dough
6/3/2020
Leaven is used throughout the Bible as an example of a little thing that makes a big change. Jesus warned His followers against the “leaven of the pharisees,” but also compared the Kingdom of God to leaven worked into dough. From both a positive and a negative perspective, Jesus wants us to know that little things matter. Join us for the first message in “The Little Things” as we learn the secret of leaven and how small ways of being or thinking spread to create a lasting effect.
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”
Luke 16:10
Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”
He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
Luke 13:18-21
Principle (KNOW):
- Faithfulness in the little things is a big deal!
- God is glorified in the details of your day-to-day decisions because those little decisions shape the direction and character of your life.
- “It only takes a small dose of the wrong thing to corrupt the whole thing.”
– Andy Stanley
- “Leaven is way of being or thinking that spreads to create a lasting effect”
– Osheta Moore
Five characteristics of leaven (for good or for bad):
- Infiltrational: It permeates you and the environment around you.
- Enduring: If you feed it, it will grow and grow.
- Infectious: Others will be affected and infected by it.
- Catalytic: It launches a chain reaction.
- Unique: It takes on the unique flavor of its host environment.
Practice (DO):
- Feed your good leaven and starve your bad.
“You will never change your live until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John Maxwell
- Participate in the #LittleThings Challenge! Help us share the love of Jesus by performing 2,909 (number of COVID cases in NE Florida as of 6/1/2020) “little” acts of love by July 12.
Daily Reading:
Identify the “little” thing in each daily reading that resulted in a BIG change. Was it good or bad? Ask God to help you apply the passage and its principle to your life.
Day 1: Genesis 3
Day 2: Genesis 39
Day 3: Exodus 1
Day 4: Nehemiah 1 & 2
Day 5: Esther 3 & 4
Day 6: Daniel 3
Day 7: Daniel 6
Check out these resources from RightNow Media:
The Kindness Challenge, by Shaunti Feldhahn
Are We Traffickers of Grace? Featuring Pete Briscoe
The Right Way to Influence Others, by Tim Chaddick
Being an Encourager, by Chuck Swindoll