day four

We’re wired to think influence is loud — breaking news, trending posts, big stages. But Jesus flips it. He says God’s Kingdom moves more like yeast in dough. Quiet. Hidden. Ordinary-looking. And yet it changes everything.

The thing about yeast is, it’s slow. Kind of boring. Like waiting for the toast to pop. Nothing flashy. But beneath the surface, the whole thing is being transformed. That’s the paradox: heaven breaking in doesn’t always feel heavenly. It feels like patience. Like persistence. Like something rising when life still looks the same on top.

And maybe that’s the point. The Kingdom doesn’t need to be loud to be real. It grows through hidden faithfulness, small acts, unnoticed prayers. Give it time. What looks ordinary today might already be rising into tomorrow’s feast.

DAILY READINGS

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

DEEPER

When Jesus announces in Mark 1 that “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” He is drawing a line in history. According to many theologians, this moment is the centre point of Jesus’ mission. It’s not simply personal salvation; it’s the arrival of God’s rule on earth. This proclamation reframes everything. It’s not that heaven is for later. It’s that heaven is breaking in now, through Him. Through us.

Jesus isn’t launching an escape plan; He’s initiating a Kingdom invasion, but not the kind we expect. This is not a takeover through force, but transformation through presence. The metaphor of yeast in Matthew 13 gives this Kingdom stunning texture. It moves silently, invisibly, but with unstoppable force. Once introduced, it works its way through the whole dough. That’s what the Kingdom does. It changes the shape of everything. Sometimes slowly, always thoroughly, from the inside out.

As Derek Morphew writes, Jesus’ gospel is not simply good advice; it is the announcement of a cosmic shift. “Repent and believe” is not about shame or moral pressure. It’s a wake-up call. A worldview reset. To repent is to turn from the old gravitational pull of broken systems and false kings. To believe is to entrust your whole self to the new reality, where Jesus reigns and His Spirit is renewing all things.

This yeast doesn’t just transform our inner life. It reshapes our homes, our habits, our hopes. It calls us to patience and trust.

If the Kingdom is like yeast, then we don’t need to force it, we need to work with it. Pay attention to what’s rising. Believe that the Spirit is already fermenting new life through the stuff you’re tempted to dismiss. The dough may still look ordinary, but the change is already underway, like water carving a path beneath the surface, slow but unstoppable.

RESPOND

Where do I feel like nothing is changing? What might it look like to trust the quiet but powerful of the Spirit and take one small, faithful step anyway?

PRAYER

Father, I choose to slow down and respond to you with courage and trust. Free me from the pressure to create moments and help me join in with what You are already doing.

Also pray now for someone in your world who’s asking questions or quietly searching for meaning. Pray that this week, something shifts — a significant conversation, a growing hunger, a real peace, or a surprising encounter with Jesus.

ACTIVATE

Take a moment today just to reflect: where do you see even the smallest signs of God at work? Write them down. Thank Him for what is rising, even if it looks ordinary.