Time for a Nice Juicy Steak

Infants are fed milk and usually only milk for quite some time. Milk gives them what they need in the early stages to grow and become healthy. As infants we would not give them solid food for two reasons. One, they have no teeth to chew so that it can be swallowed and two, their bodies are not quite ready to digest the intake of solid food. At some point we introduce solid food to them. It is interesting the look on their faces many times when we do. They are not so sure they like it but eventually they look forward to being able to chomp down and eat the solid food much to their enjoyment.

Our spiritual growth is the same way. In fact I can think of three places in scripture where spiritual growth is likened to milk versus solid food and the importance of both of them.

Peter talks about desiring the pure milk of the word so that we can grow. (I Peter 2:2) As new believers we do start out on the elementary or essential spiritual trues for faith and salvation.
But we are encouraged and warned that we cannot stay there. Just as a child, teen or adult could not live on milk only, we cannot spiritually grow with just the elementary principles of the word.

Paul tells the troubled Corinthian church that he could not speak to them as spiritual people but as carnal, as to babes in Christ. He says "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." (I Corinthians 3: 1-3) He goes on to tell them that this is evident because of the envy, strife and divisions that are among them.

The Hebrew writer speaks of spiritual immaturity when he tells his audience they ought to be teachers but yet they need someone to teach them again. They had come to need milk instead of solid food. He says "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 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)

Sometimes the envy, strife and difficulties we struggle with are because we are unskilled in His word just as Paul warned the Corinthians. Let's take those who have been fed milk and move them on to the solid food - deeper meaning and trues of His word, ourselves included.

It is time for a nice Juicy Steak!