In basic chocolate making, the chocolatier must ensure that the batch doesn’t come in contact with any hint of water. If it does the chocolate will become grainy and dull. A common source of water may be from using a double boiler to melt the chocolate. The boiler acts as a diffuser to spread and “soften” the heat from the stove’s burner. Often and if the chocolatier isn’t careful, the steam will work its way into the batch and turn the fats of the chocolate into a grainy unusable glob of goo.

This past Sunday we studied the reign of Josiah. He searched the whole kingdom for anything that would offend God. Not only did he tear them down, but he burned them then took the ashes out of the city. Perhaps he did this after he heard the scripture story of the Passover event. Perhaps he heard that the people were to search the whole house for any leaven. If any was found, it was to be burned up and thrown out. Talk about reform! Josiah really wanted to obey God’s word!

When we think of the church reformers such as Luther, Zwingli, Hus, and Wycliff, it was the Holy Scriptures that drove them to please God and reform the church. It was only after they understood the Scriptures that they realized they needed to rid their lives of anything that was displeasing to God. In a sense, they too “searched for the leaven”.

Think about the stuff in our lives or homes that can be considered “leaven”. Just as leaven permeates the dough and water ruins the chocolate, sin and the items that cause sin permeate and interfere with our relationship to God. We have a challenge to search our homes and lives for those things. We may not know where to start but we have the examples of the “Reformers”. They started with the precious inerrant, authoritative Holy word of God.

This Sunday we will be looking at 2 Kings 24:1—25:21. Be prepared to share experiences of who displayed the same traits or behavior (good or bad) from generation to generation. To what extent was the trait or behavior learned or copied, and to what extent did it seem more genetic? What trait or behavior would they like to be passed along within their families?