Grow By The Word.

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Many Christians need to be awakened to the importance of spiritual growth. Being born again is the first and important step in the kingdom of God but it is not the end of the journey.

The believer must grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ our God and Saviour, abound more and more in love, and walk increasingly in the comfort and leading of the Holy Spirit and more.

But spiritual growth does not happen automatically. The Word of God is the food and catalyst for your spiritual growth; and you must strongly crave for it. Every growing Christian has insatiable appetite for the sincere milk of the Word. 

And as we keep growing, the milk of the Word becomes the meat of the Word. As babies we need milk. The milk of the Word are the basics or elementary principles of the Christian faith and doctrine. 

"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV).

The solid food of the Word belongs to mature Christians. These can handle difficult matters of the Kingdom. God deals with mature believers differently than He deals with spiritual babies. And every baby Christian need to grow to become a mature person who can be able to teach others also.

The Lord laments the Hebrew church for not growing as fast as they should; "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. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV).

The reason they were not growing was because they had become dull of hearing the Word. They were not paying attention to the Scriptures anymore. Hebrews 5:11 reports "...of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing."

Therefore, read the Word, study it, listen to the spoken Word, meditate on it day and night, and live by it that you may grow to the full measure of Christ's own perfection, no longer a child tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. As you imbibe the Word, you will grow up into Him in all things. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of the Word of truth. I receive it daily to grow in my relationship with you. Teach me precept upon precept until I attain to the standard height of Christ's own perfection in Jesus Name. Amen.