By Alison Feinauer
Some of my favorite rolls are my mom’s Bride Yeast Rolls. I love making them. Yes, it is work, and yes, it’s easier to just buy rolls. But I’ve realized that when everything is convenient, quick, and ready-made, it’s in the process and waiting when the good stuff really happens. In the end, they taste oh, so good!
What’s in them? A box of yellow cake mix, flour, and yeast. You put the ingredients together, knead the dough, let it rise, knead it again, let it rise, roll, cut, and then put it in the oven to bake. We used to have these rolls every holiday.
“A little yeast works through the whole batch” (Galatians 5:9 NIV).
I never realized the power of yeast until I made these rolls. The most important step is to activate the yeast. You do this by adding the water at just the right temperature. If you don’t, they won’t rise. If the bread doesn’t rise, it becomes hard and turns out more like a rock than a roll. But when you do, they are big and fluffy, the amount is about double.
Recently, this process reminded me of our walk with Jesus. If you think about adding yeast to our lives, it’s very similar to our Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. Stick with me for a minute.
Justification (getting saved) is like going to the store, buying the yeast packet and adding it to the flour. Jesus died on the cross once for all, and righteousness became attainable. When you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, you too die with Christ. You no longer live but Christ lives in you. You are then forgiven and are made squeaky clean so that He can have His home in your heart. Sin no longer has power over your life, and you have all you need to overcome it.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24 NIV).
Sanctification comes next (being saved). This is “yeast” activation. Once the yeast is activated, it needs time to rise. You can’t rush the process, just like our Sanctification. We continue to have the “yeast” work through our lives, giving the Lord access to more and more of our hearts to let Him change us. Sin becomes less of a behavior because our identity is changed by knowing who we are in Christ.
Becoming His sons and daughters, renewing our minds and hearts with His truth and love for us, becoming one with Him by abiding and resting in Him, transforms us into a new creation. We are no longer a hard lump of dough. We become light, joy filled, multipliers of Him because we start loving the way He loves and seeing others the way He does. His grace is sufficient and becomes our strength when we are weak. This is the power of His sanctification.
Glorification (will be saved) is the anticipation of Jesus coming again. It’s like when the dough is ready to be baked, and we can’t wait for it to come out of the oven and spread that yummy butter on it. Oh, my mouth is watering now. We see some of this even now, glimpses of it, and it keeps our hope alive. When Jesus comes again, we can eat this bread daily and not just on Holidays. This world will be made whole, and our bodies will be made whole. This puts a longing inside of us to tell others about our Jesus – to share the bread, to invite others to the table, so they too can have the recipe. It can be theirs. They don’t need to settle for the store-bought quick fixes. It is worth the time and patience.
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17 NIV).
Will you spend some time today thinking about how the “yeast” is activating your life? How is Jesus multiplying in your heart? Take a look at the temperature of your environment? Is it ideal for the Lord to have space and time with you and show you how much he loves and cares for you? Have you quieted your heart lately to be with Jesus so you can hear him tell you how he Loves you? Take time for this. it will spark something sweet in you. You won’t regret it. Your soul is longing for it. Taste and see that the Lord is oh, so good!
