Mmmm... cookies

Matt. 16:6

“'Be careful, Jesus said to them. 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

As I write this, I am on a food moderation plan.  (I hate the word diet!)  I am not doing it for the sake of how I look, but so that I can have more energy and speed when I run.  Therefore, I cannot hang up a bikini or something next to the refrigerator to motivate me to stick with it.  I cannot post a picture of energy on my cookie cabinet.  I have to resist temptation on my own.

But I like my sweets.  I eat them a lot.  (Boy, it is really hard to write this.)  And you know what is in cookies? and cakes?  and donuts? (I need to stop this.)

Yeast.  I read once that God's use of yeast as a metaphor for sin was appropriate because it is something that grows and spreads.  I am pretty sure God is not against cake (though in my mind, He prefers ice cream.  Heavenly Hash, anyone?), but he uses it as great example.  Once the yeast gets worked into the dough, it has become a part of the whole entity.  In the same way, sin covers the whole being of a person.

The yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees sounded good.  (So do soft pretzels.)  They spoke about abiding the Law.  That should be right, shouldn't it?  They were missing God's heart in the matter.  They were not following the Law for God's sake, but for their own glory.

Today, there are a lot of churches and individuals who claim to have God's favor. They want us to listen.  (Tip one, if you ever hear someone saying "Follow me"- and it isn't Jesus - run the other way!)  There are cults out there that might even sound good (like muffins).  They might even claim to follow Jesus.  But there is a hitch.  Maybe they are not following Jesus as God, but just as a man.  Or maybe they follow a Jesus who requires certain deeds in addition to faith to enter Heaven.  Or the opposite - a Jesus who lets all "good" people into Heaven regardless of their faith. This is the yeast of the Pharisees.  Don't let it work through your mind.  Don't let it spread through your family.

So how do you know?

     1.  You need to have accepted the saving Grace of God in Jesus.  This invites the Holy Spirit to dwell within you.

     2.  You must be in daily prayer so that you will recognize the voice of God.

     3.  You must study and be taught Word of God to know what His standards are.

Follow God and He will not let you down.  Follow man and you will ruin your diet with his cookies.  And you will not appreciate their taste when you see them worn around your middle.

Okay.  Back to my chicken.