“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.” 1Peter 2:1-3.
It is the desire of every father that his children grow up It is the same with God. When a
person gets born-again God becomes his father. “But as many as received Him, to them
He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” John
1:12. Just as a natural father, God desires every of His children to grow up spiritually
just as out text alludes to.
The scripture talks about three stages of spiritual growth.
The first stage is the babyhood. “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in
the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.” Hebrews 5:13.
The second stage is childhood. “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting,” Heb.5:14.
The third stage is adulthood or spiritual maturity.” But solid food is for the mature, who
by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Heb.5:14.
The Bible also talks of three types of people on earth.
The first is the natural man.. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit
of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.” 1Cor.2:14
The second is the carnal Christian. “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 still 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?” 1Cor.3:3
The third is the spiritual Christian. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also
be tempted.” Gal.6:1
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Growing old is inevitable but growing up is optional.