Today’s Word: I can remember the first time I gave my one year old son his first oreo cookie. By the time he was finished eating it, there was more oreo on his face than in his belly. It was the start of a fun journey from consuming liquids to chewing and consuming real food. Over the years I have been able to watch his growth and now day’s, he able to eat just about anything.
In Hebrews, we find the author seeking the same growth within his readers. He writes, …”you need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still and infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good and evil.” (Heb. 5:12-14)
After many oreos, my son no longer makes a mess when eating them. Why do you say? Because he has had plenty of practice. And that is what the author of Hebrews is calling us to do. His goal is for us to be able to distinguish between good and evil, for how can we flee from evil if we cannot define it? So how do we learn what is righteous? Practice, Practice and more Practice…
The truth is, we have a tendency to focus so much on the basic teachings of Christ, we fail to grow in our grace. Listen to what the author writes next. He states, “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ.” What are they? Repentance from our sins, faith in God, baptism, laying on of hands (or methodologies), the resurrection of the dead, and judgement.
These are all important things, but they are all milk. The word for the day is this. God has a big juicy steak of righteousness waiting for us, and it is the best thing that we will ever taste in this life. But He knows that the infants in Christ will choke on it without proper training on how to eat it. And by means of His Spirit, He has blessed us by being able to practice on digesting His body slowly as we grow in our faith.
Let us encourage one another to seek His righteousness. Let us develop a yearning and deep desire for consuming Christ’s body. Let us practice chewing on Him daily, so that one day soon, we will be full.