"as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby."
1 Peter 2:1-3 NKJV
When a garden is planted, there is a need for planning; the ground has to be prepared. It needs digging, weeding, feeding and generally tending well, in order for a good harvest to follow. Likewise, a Christian, whether new or saved a long time, needs planting and weeding. In other words, nurturing and being taught to avoid the temptations and distractions of the world. It doesn't just happen, there's a lot of work that the believer has to put into action in order to stay on the right road to holiness.
Things such as malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking, must no longer be a part of their lives. This can take a long time to overcome; for some a lifetime. It's all a learning process, it doesn't happen overnight and then everything is hunky dory from thereon. The term 'lay aside', v1 is a picture of taking off a coat and hanging it up. It is not needed for a time. A perfect example was Bartimaeus, (Mark 10:50) who cast his garment aside when Jesus called him to come to Him. Some say that he didn't need it because it was a begging cloak - something that distinguished him as this. Others say, it would be full of alms. Whatever, he decided that he didn't need it and laid it aside; and we need to do the same with all the things in our lives that are not wholesome.
Peter tells us to desire the pure milk of the Word. All believers need to learn and keep on learning, there is always something new that Jesus is teaching us. This learning process needs cultivating. A babe doesn't go to Burger King for its meal, it needs milk. Likewise, we don't have a large meal on a Sunday and skip meals for the rest of the week. The baby needs to be breast or bottle fed until it can move on to solids. We are the same. It's no good going to bible college or planning a preaching ministry on day one of salvation. It takes time to be nurtured first. Also, a believer cannot manage on one meal of the Bible on a Sunday at church and then not read or study the Word until the following Sunday. It needs to be an everyday process.
Do you get the idea? We need spiritual food not junk food. Reading the bible once a week and then filling our minds with things of the world for the rest of the week, is akin to eating spiritual and junk food. This needs rectifying if we are wanting to move on with Jesus.
It's hard work living the Christian life. It takes effort on our part. However, the dividends are amazing and well worth it.
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
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