Spiritual milk

1 Peter 2:2-3 (NLT)

2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

The apostle provides some sound and wise advice. Once a person accepts God’s gift of salvation they need to seek out spiritual wisdom to grow their relationship with God and Christ. God has been good to us and His Son has paid our debts for sin. Therefore we should seek them out through scripture study and prayer.

I have gone to church for as long as I can remember. I think being in the Sunday morning nursery at church was one way for my mother to get a break from me.  But then as I grew I went into Sunday school and began learning about The Bible. I remember memorizing Bible verses to earn a Bible, which I still have today.  It’s a little old and tattered, but it is a good reminder of where I first started to learn scripture.

When I was around eight years old I remember being in church service and telling my mother Jesus wanted me to go down to the front of the church to tell the preacher I wanted to ask Jesus into my heart. Being so young, my mother setup a meeting so we could talk with the pastor instead of letting me go then. The pastor asked me some questions about salvation and I gave answers. Then he turned to my mother and said, “He knows what he is talking about.”  So the next Sunday I went forward in church and told the church I wanted to accept Jesus into my heart as my Lord and Savior.

Then comes the part where I failed my responsibility. I wanted that relationship with God and Christ, but I didn’t quite understand how to grow it. I didn’t read The Bible as I should have. I didn’t have people around helping me learn in detail about The Bible. I didn’t grow my understanding of God and Christ’s love for me and others. Instead I kind of floundered along the way.

After I was married I got into a church that focused on studying The Bible. Suddenly a lot of questions I had were being answered. I grew in my knowledge of God and Christ and I began to grow again. Finally I was drinking the spiritual milk the apostle Peter referred to.

If we are to grow in our understanding of God and Christ we need to spend time in His word and spend time talking to Him in prayer. The study of scripture and personal time with God and Christ are two important ways to grow spiritually. Take the apostle’s advice above and crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.