Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. (1 Peter 2:2)
As a child develops, we celebrate the cute things she’s able to do. From learning to say her first words, or learning to walk by holding on to furniture of the wall. Then she will learn to ride he bicycle without her parents’ assistance. She’ll even learn to swim! It is amazing and delightful to see her grow from a baby on to a toddler. Friends and family will say, “She’s growing so lovely and so fast!” 1 Peter 2:2 alludes to a similar growth of a person who is growing strong in Christ. However, the desire to grow stronger in Christ must come from us daily. In this text, the Apostle Peter writes to the Jewish believers to pay attention to their growth – which would assist their character and conduct. They were new to the Christian faith, new followers of Jesus, hence he called them newborn babes. His call or admonition was to desire the sincere milk of the Word. Babies drink milk for a period of time to develop and grow strong bones and body. The popular “Got Milk?” advertisement still appeals to our senses and may still cause us to desire a glass after watching the ad. However, Peter encourages us to make consuming the Word of God our number one priority. The desire is similar to the baby going after the milk; the desire to partake of the milk which provides the vital nutrients needed for strong development. The Word (logos) and the word (rhema) are part of the character of the milk on which these newly born babes live. Here, God is like a mother providing milk for her suckling babies. Physically when we desire food, we are moved by hunger and with delight, we are attracted to whatever we decide to eat. This should be the same in our spiritual lives. Where we are moved by a hunger to grow and mature in Christ, this hunger can only be filled with the Word of God, which has the power to also overcome areas where we were weak and wayward. The previous verse (1 Peter 2:1) challenges us to put aside malice, guile, envy, and evil speech; such negative traits should not linger within our new life in Christ. Therefore, as we desire the milk of God’s Word, we will be transformed in mind and spirit to follow the ways of our Savior. Even small portions of God’s Word can go a long way in growing strong. We can’t afford to stay at the same place spiritually. Stagnation and lack of development in a child causes great concern for the average parent; similarly, it should cause us great concern when we fail to grow. There is also a purpose behind this challenge of our maturity, as implied in Ephesians 4:14, where we see that when we become mature we know truth and how to stand firm in Jesus Christ. May our main goal be to grow stronger in and with Jesus. May our desire to memorize Scripture and spend time basking in His presence grant us a joyful and successful Christian walk, not to be neglected but prioritized. How can you be intentional in measuring your growth over the rest of 2023? Comments are closed.
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