The Milk Diet…
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious (1Peter 2:1-3)
GOD LIKENS NEW BELIEVERS TO NEWBORN BABES. When we are born again by the Spirit of God, we have new life, a new destiny, a new appetite…and new problems.
SOMETIMES NEW CHRISTIANS DON'T DO WELL; do not have the things that will cause them to grow. Some people have been saved 40 years that are still babes in Christ. That is not a slur but a fact. The milk of the Word contrasts with the meat of the Word (1Corinthians.3:2) Meat is suitable only for Christians that have grown in the Lord and are able to digest heavier food.
GOD PLACES SOMETHING BEFORE THE milk of the word. Before we can have success in Bible living, God lays out five things that must be shucked off like removing a jacket in a hot room. We are to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speaking. Talk about going on a crash diet! Some of these things are as tasty as Snicker bars.
Malice is an evil-spirited attitude toward someone that’s just looking for an opportunity to snipe and growl. Guile is speaking something that sounds good but covers up something harmful underneath. Hypocrisy is playacting. Playing a character as in a play on a stage; not really that person. Envy is a feeling of covetousness of another person's position or success. Evil speaking is the habit of running people down, backbiting.
WE CAN IMMEDIATELY DETERMINE TO RID OURSELVES OF THESE THINGS. In practice, it may take time to change our habits; going back to the Lord repeatedly to ask for His forgiveness and strength to conquer these sins. We must do it if we want to grow from the milk of the Word.
SIXTY FIVE YEARS AGO, I memorized verses 2 and 3 as part of the Navigator’s course. For several years I never noticed verse 1. I reviewed and quoted verses 2 & 3 hundreds of times. One day when I was just reading that chapter and saw verse 1, it was sobering. Spiritually, it was like getting struck by lightning! I kept coming back to it and realized increasingly that without making the changes in verse 1, it was virtually impossible to make any progress in verses 2 and 3.
GOD SAVES US FEE OF CHARGE, but He wants us to eventually be like His Son. That process of growing is called: “Sanctification.” It goes on all of our earthly life. He saves us in our sins, but He will not leave us in our sins. If we want to grow from the milk of the word of God, He requires a radical change in our lives. If we have laid aside the repulsive five garments and acquired a desire for the simple milk of the word of God, then we will have tasted that the Lord is gracious. The Lord, whose nature it is to be gracious in His dealings with us.
OUR TEXT FOLLOWS IMPORTANT VERSES IN CHAPTER ONE. Please read 1Peter 1 & 2. Take a journey through these verses right on through chapter two. You will be blessed greatly if you will take the time to read the first two chapters to review your relationship to the Lord and then you will be in good shape to move on to chapter 3, into human relationships. It is God’s will that we mature in our walk with the Lord.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4:14-15)
I’VE SPENT MUCH TIME LISTENING TO SAD TALES from hurting people. That’s part of what God called me to do. We pay a heavy price for trying to get through life on our own without getting the things in our text in order . We humans want other people to change their lives, so we won’t have to. We like anger and selfishness and being in charge and they are the very things that God wants to change in our lives. Nothing will help us as quickly as dying to self, humbling our hearts, and a daily diet of the Word of God. Today is a good day to start. Ω
(Photo at top is Callan Cofield, son of Justin & Kristina Cofield.)
Read Through the Bible in a Year
NOVEMBER 8, 2018 - FRIDAY
A.M. Jeremiah 51-52 P.M. Hebrews 5
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. (2Peter 3:18)
Song for Today:
Rock of Ages (4:03) (Vestal Goodman, The Martins and Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2W7Elmao3c
(You may have to adjust the volume and delete an ad.
Note: I won’t be surprised to hear this song in Heaven! Who will sing it?
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