The Power of a Little Leaven

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I love to bake.

In my spare time, I whip up cupcakes, pound cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats. But my favorite thing to bake is bread.

A few years back, my family and I decided to eat healthier and stopped buying bread from the store. When I began checking store-bought labels, I was surprised to see that my homemade bread needed only three to five ingredients, while store-bought bread had over ten, including preservatives. But now, being in my third trimester of pregnancy with a toddler, I often add a loaf of sandwich bread to my grocery order because I don’t have as much free time as I once did.

Even so, baking (specifically sandwich) bread has taught me a lot, especially about yeast, how it works, and how it can point toward lessons for our spiritual lives.

Answers in Genesis explains in great detail what yeast is and how it relates to the Bible. In an article, they shared, “They are the first microorganisms referred to in Scripture in wine (Genesis 9:21) and as leaven in bread (Genesis 19:3), thus can be traced back at least 4,300 years. They burst with life as they give off carbon dioxide in the growth and fermentation process.”

But in baking, if the yeast doesn’t come alive before you bake, the bread likely won’t rise.

When working with yeast, the essential part is ensuring that the yeast “activates.” This happens when you mix warm water with a few teaspoons of instant or active store-bought yeast and sugar. During this process, you must wait until the yeast “blooms” or bubbles before adding anything else. If, after 10 minutes, that mixture looks the same as when it started, that means the yeast did not activate.

This can be caused by the yeast being out of date, the water not being warm enough, the water being too hot, or even by forgetting to add that spoonful of sugar to feed those hungry fungi. But if the yeast doesn’t activate after that 10-minute timer, the odds are high that the bread will not rise. Not catching this at this stage can lead to a lot of hard work and no morning toast.

There’s no question about it – the power of just a few teaspoons of yeast is huge when it comes to baking bread.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of yeast to make the entire batch of bread rise, or as Paul states in Galatians 5:9, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”

In the same way, our attitudes, choices, and decisions matter a lot in our daily lives. Adding a little bit of Jesus to our day can help us and those around us. But if we leave Him out, things can get messy just as quickly.

In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul again mentions this microorganism’s power. He writes:

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Which leads me to the question: Are we activating our faith daily?

When it comes to life and our spiritual choices, what we put in is what we get out.

If I don’t add yeast, my bread won’t rise. And if I forget the flour, which is just as important, I’d end up with a sticky mess.

In the same way, if we stop focusing on Jesus and let negative thoughts and things into our hearts and minds, we can struggle in our marriages, relationships, jobs, and other parts of life. Even a small lie, a harsh word, or a hurtful action can keep us from living close to the One who matters most and can also distance us from the people we care about.

How can the joy of the Lord fully enter our lives if we spew out such things?

Thankfully, if we let Him, our loving Savior is the little leaven who can graciously help us through each day. If we turn to Him with joy and let His goodness fill every part of our lives, we can rest in His love and grace.

We only have to choose Him!

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