Do you get more milk or meat in your diet? “I’ll have a chocolate shake and a cheeseburger, please. ” No, no. Not that kind of diet, I mean your scripture diet. Do you study and challenge yourself to get a little deeper into the Word, or do you just read the easy texts?
When we start out as babies we need lots of milk. As we grow, we begin to develop a need for stronger and more solid foods. If we consumed only milk, we would have major health problems and eventually die from malnutrition. So, as we develop, we need foods other than milk to give our bodies proper nutrition to reach adulthood.
Your spiritual growth is no different than your physical growth. We start as babies in Christ because at our baptism we were born again (John 3:3-6; Romans 6:4). Then we need food. What would the spiritual person need to eat? Things that cause spiritual growth. What gave us a new spirit? The scriptures. Therefore, we need to feed on the scriptures so that our spirit can grow. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.” I Peter 2:2.
As we begin the Christian walk, we will grasp the simpler passages and topics that we read and hear in the assembly. Then comes those adolescent years where we challenge everything we read and hear. Finally, we begin to mature and understand the broader topics that God has revealed in His Word.
We find Jesus, just after His baptism, in the wilderness were He is fasting to bring His mind into subjection so He can begin the great ministry. There Satan comes and tempts Jesus to eat. In this case, the food was bread. Remembering the importance of scripture over fleshly desires, Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-4. Jesus reminded Himself and Satan during this strongly difficult time that, the spiritual foods are longer-lasting than the fleshly foods. The Word of God is the keeper of our spiritual life.
In John chapter four, we see Jesus having a discussion with a woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria. There He had asked this foreign woman for a drink. Jesus encourages the woman to ask Him for some water because He had the everlasting water of life. After she departs the disciples come to Jesus and try to get Him to eat something. His reply is simple, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34. So there is food and drink for the spiritual being, it is the Word and Will of God. We will not grow by reading or hearing only, but by doing (James 1:22).
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6.
There were a few times that the Lord fed the multitude with some loaves and fishes. After a while, the people followed Jesus only to be fed in this miraculous way, and perhaps for the entertainment of His words and healing. We should always be mindful that the Lord knows our hearts as He knew theirs. “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.’” John 6:26-27.
Shortly after this admonition, Jesus makes another profound statement. “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” John 6:53. Jesus was explaining to the crowd that He was the embodiment of the Word of God. Without total belief and devotion, no one could be saved. Many people would no longer follow Him, because His words were too hard to understand. He lovingly asks the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” Peter replies, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68.
In our spiritual walk, we need to PRO-gress (forward) not RE-gress (backward). Concerning the young Corinthian church, Paul gave them simple teaching with the encouragement to grow up toward Christian maturity. They didn’t. At first he was “tolerant” as they learned, but when he saw they had not progressed, he became stern and commanded them to pay attention to their undone condition. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?” I Corinthians 3:1-3. These had returned to a worldly standard of living and not achieved the spiritual maturity necessary to survive this side of eternity.
We must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The more we grasp now in our youth, the stronger and more stable we will be in the days ahead. There would be a great loss to the church if we had only “children” trying to tend the flock and none able to tell right from wrong. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those having their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14.
Get involved in your bible Don’t just read, study. The next time you hear someone say, “Do you want fries with that?”, remember to give your spiritual person some food too. –Sean S. McCallister