I'm actually pretty excited, myself. But whether you agree with it or not, if you call yourself by the name of Christ, you have an obligation to pray for this man. So commit to it right now. Pray for Barack Obama every day for the next four years. He is the President-elect because God wants him to be. That's the way it works. God is in control of all things. He's working his plan.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
Yes, Lord. Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things...
1 Corinthians 5:1-6
This passage deals with a matter of sin that is being tolerated in the Corinthian church. Paul is rather amazed by the whole situation, primarily that nothing is being done about it. A man is having sex with his stepmother. And no one seems to care. "...you're so above it all that it doesn't even faze you! Shouldn't this break your hearts? Shouldn't it bring you to your knees in tears?"
At the end of the passage, he compares the situation to yeast in a dough. This is not the first time that sin has been compared to yeast.
Have you ever watched how yeast works in dough? A very small amount of yeast will make a small ball of dough grow to over twice its size.
Hopefully, you can see how a seemingly small, insignificant sin can work its way through the whole body of believers unless it is noticed and dealt with. Paul accuses the Corinthians of being "flip and callous" about it. This makes the problem worse, because it just goes on, for all practical purposes, unnoticed.
Now, how does this translate to sin in my life? Easy. Say there's an issue that I have. A "pet sin," if you will. Or, as the author of Hebrews calls it, "a sin that so easily entangles" me. If I don't do something about it right away, it can grow until it is causing me major problems. It could distract me from my ministry, damage my reputation in the body of Christ, and, ultimately cause my death.
Right. That's serious.
So the "yeast" needs to be handled as soon as it's noticed.
I ask you to help me understand why I react to certain situations the way I do. Either that or just help me react differently. Maybe I don't need to understand.
I believe this. And it touches me to think that God will do this. What is the lowest part of my need? I need to envision my Father coming down to meet that need.
Grace and peace, friends.