By Brenda Groves
The Post Newspaper Contributing Writer
My mother was a great cook!
She especially loved to bake. Ooooh, I remember getting off of the school bus on “bread day” where the aroma of the fresh baked loaves drew me into our home. Mom would have a warm slice with a thin layer of butter waiting for me. Served with an ice cold glass of fresh milk, courtesy of “Buttermilk” our resident milk cow.
Awww, life on the farm. YUM!
Well, my mother taught me how to make homemade bread and I recall being fascinated about a strange substance called “yeast.”
Apparently, nothing happened without it. She set aside a bowl of very warm water and yeast stirred together as she prepared the other ingredients. She explained that without the yeast the bread would not rise. I recall watching the mysterious substance as it began to foam.
After she combined the yeast with the flour mixture she kneaded the dough and covered it with a warm damp cloth. Every now and then I would walk past the bread loafs but was sternly warned not to lift the cloth. After a long while I could see that the dough was indeed expanding and filling up the space in the pan. Like I said, I was fascinated!
My mom wasn’t surprised. She totally expected it.
But to a young child I puzzled, “what was this strange thing that caused this to happen?” My brain could not wrap itself around it.
It wasn’t until I was older that I was able to develop more of an understanding about living, microscopic organisms that could kill, heal or … cause dough to rise.
There was something alive in that yeast!
Now fast forward to when I began reading the word of God and the Holy Spirit was giving me knowledge with understanding about the “mysteries” of God as I sought Him through His word..
That is when I began to literally take Him at His word, and appropriate it in my daily life.
There is a balance between grace and faith. Grace is what God has already provided for us, and faith is our positive response. Now, this is going to be a crude example but without going into greater explanation I’ll try … grace and faith … Each separate from the other will not produce physical results. Or manifest God’s power working in our lives.
Like the flour without the yeast would not cause an effect. It was just a bowl of flour.
But combine the two along with the very warm water and an activation occurred.
“Faith IS the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.”
We read God’s word … “the words that I speak to you they are spirit and they are life” … and when we believe it in our hearts, this causes “hope” … a positive imagination is the right environment for faith to rise … then the combination of faith, grace and the working of the Holy Spirit sets things into motion in the spiritual world.
We may not always see immediate results but if we don’t begin to doubt by speaking unbelief (take the cloth off the bread to see if it’s rising) then “God’s word will not come back void but will accomplish what it was sent to do.” No flat bread here.
And I want to add this here, my mom baked out of love for our family, it was part of her ministry. I didn’t do anything to earn that slice of bread. I just responded to that sweet aroma and sought it out. So likewise, we don’t have to beg God or “knead” His heart into submission. His heart is perfect. “Perfect love.”
It’s our hearts of unbelief that need to be massaged, softened and reshaped to look like Him. The sweet aroma of His love, along with His wonder working power rising up in our spirits can change the world. One loaf (heart) at a time.
You know, back in Momma’s kitchen I would watch and listen to her softly humming a song as she lovingly stretched and folded the dough several times until it formed a perfect round shape.
“Faith without works is dead.” Not that we have to earn anything from God. We inherited a new life in Christ. We just need to appropriate His faith in our new born again spirits, by reading His word, and allow His love to “knead” our hearts and exercise our faith in Him.
Just one believing heart, working through faith can feed a multitude- heal the sick, cast out demons, see people saved, set free and walk in the abundant life that Jesus has already paid for.
It’s no longer a mystery to me.
God gave us His word. Jesus fulfilled the word. The Holy Spirit carries out the word, through us.
Hallelujah! Jesus has Risen.
Now, let faith arise in us!
P.S. My hubby retired last year, and has gone from the breadwinner to the bread baker in our home. It seems he has a real knack, and passion, for baking. He makes it from scratch, including kneading it by hand. The aroma of fresh bread baking once again … yum!!!
(Proverbs 2:6; Matt: 13:11; James 2:14-26; John 6:63; Hebrews 11:1; Mark 11:22-26; Isaiah 55:11; 1 John 4:18:19; 2 Cor. 2:15; Ecc. 39:14)
Contact Brenda Groves at: bkgroves1996@yahoo.com
