1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
I heard this today on my way home from work on the Joy FM. What a great message.
What I got out of the message was that I need to be nourished by the word of God on a daily basis. Babies need milk on a daily basis to grow physically - as I need spiritual milk on a daily basis to grow spiritually. If you withhold milk from a baby for a week, they will become very malnourished and unhealthy.... that is why we feed them on a regular basis. As a Christian, I need the word of God to have spiritual health and to maintain my relationship with Christ. It really is a simple concept, isn't it! I know in the past when I read the Bible, or a devotional daily I felt much closer to God and felt at peace. As I let days and weeks go by without picking up the Word, I start feeling uneasy about everything in my life. When I let God in, I am very comforted. When I keep him out, it is a very empty feeling.
I have not been to church in a long time, at least 2 months...... WOW - I really want to go back. I think I will be there Sunday...... I'M THIRSTY FOR MILK!
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So, after I wrote the above - I found this..... it is "cut and pasted" from The Living Word Library.
I like how I said it - but I think they said it a little better. I do think that I totally got the point though!
Spiritual Food
1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (NIV)
Milk is an essential part of a baby's diet. Without milk they would die.
When we are "born again" into the family of God we become babes in the faith. Without spiritual milk we would die. This milk is the word of God.
Whether you are new to the Christian faith or have been a Christian for a number of years, the progress of your spiritual growth depends, to a degree, on how much time you spend with the word of God - The Bible.
Physical and spiritual growth have many similarities. A Baby (and even adults) normally require their food immediately they wake up (or as soon as possible). The same should also be true for spiritual milk. As a new Christian (and even a more mature one), you will discover that your hearts desire is to know more about God. God has revealed Himself in his word. Take time to read the word daily. Preferably let this be the first thing in the morning or the last thing at night.
Never starve yourself of the word. If you do you risk loosing your appetite altogether. This could result in stunted growth or death (i.e. backsliding from the faith). A Christians who refuses to live constantly on the word of God will remain a spiritual baby (1 Corinthians 3: 1-4). The qualities mentioned in 1 Peter 2:1 (quoted above) are symptoms of a spiritual baby.
Reading the word daily is how you drink spiritual milk. The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are a good place to start reading. However if you are to grow strong you will need more than the milk of the word (Hebrew 5: 12-14). You will need solid food. Getting solid food out of the word involves more than just reading it.
This is absolutely beautiful!!! I like how YOU said it better....they are YOUR words! There is nothing better than reading how YOU feel about something. Thank you so much for sharing this...
ReplyDeleteI needed this reminder as well - to see the analogy is such a great way of remembering the importance of getting into the Word.