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Tuesday 1, November 2011
Bible Passage(s): 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8
Memory Verse: And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. Mark 8:15
Leaven is a common Jewish metaphor for an invisible pervasive influence. As leaven works its way through the dough, spreading out through the bread until its effects are evident in the entire bread, so is the sin of corruption, which gradually infiltrates men’s life and mind until it has penetrated and permeated into every part of the society.
It eventually becomes a culture and a way of life, which threatens the existence of man. Nothing works anymore, because all has been tainted and spoiled by corruption! The society is endangered! Even professing Christians are caught in its web and it has become a way of life!
Christianity has become a sort of fad. In some cases, I shudder to say, it has lost its meaning and has become sort of common. Many say they are Christians, but their lives do not show forth their belief or confession of faith in Jesus Christ. As such we pray, but do not receive. Not just because we want to consume it on ourselves but because we have allowed the sin of corruption to become the order of the day in our lives. Apostle Paul pointed out to the Corinthians, ‘….. know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” 1 Corinthians 5:6-7
The sin of compromise, collusion and self aggrandizement has become like the leaven in the life of many professing Christians the world over! It has gradually worked and eaten its way into the very fabric of our life and faith. Hence, we pray, but our prayers bounce back because the heaven over us has become like brass. Our sin has made God to turn away from us. We do not have any impact on the lives of unbelievers anymore, because we have joined them and there is no particular distinctive feature that differentiates us from them. Evidences abound all over; in our churches, places of work and our personal lives, of how low we have descended as Christians. Some have even started venerating men (their Pastors) and elevated them into the position of God in their lives. Our men of God have crossed over to the other side and joined them. We now have political pastors, evangelists, bishops, archbishops and general overseers occupying the corridors of power with no positive pervasive influence. They have become ‘one of them’, joining to plunder the land! Many of them have become so arrogant and proud, deceiving people, building empires for themselves.
So as the year of New Beginnings rolls to a close and we enter the penultimate month of the year, it is pertinent to draw our attention to these salient issues that have been responsible for the low and parlous state of our life as a people and as a nation. Last month we challenged ourselves to rise up as saviors for our land. However, we may not be able to stand perfect and complete without the accuser rising up to accuse us, if we don’t mend our ways, individually and collectively.
Therefore, as we look forward to December and prepare for the New Year, we need to sound a note of warning, lest we who have received a new life in Christ become contaminated with sin. We need to come back to God and ‘Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. We must remove the leaven out of our midst so that God will turn away from His anger towards us.
The Lord bless and keep you, May He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, now and forevermore. Amen.
Do have a wonderful month.
