Time For Your Feeding || 1 Peter 2:2-3 || Manna for the Mind #31

Welcome to Day 31 of my “Manna for the Mind” devotional series! This series takes a passage of scripture (typically 1-3 verses) and builds its understanding through its context and connecting scripture. Doing this helps us understand what the Bible truly teaches us. 

1 Peter 2:2-3

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.

One characteristic children share is that they want to grow up. How often have we said, “I can’t wait to be an adult!”? How many times, as an adult, did we regret it? We grow up wanting to be like an older sibling, our parents, or someone we view as a role model. We become spiritual newborns when we are baptized as part of our Christian journey. If we are healthy, we will have a yearning to grow. We’ll want to model our lives after the spiritual giants of the faith within the Bible and the community around us.

This need for milk is a natural response. It signals the desire for nourishment that will lead to further growth. As babies get formula, milk, or breast milk to help them grow physically, newborn Christians need to find those sources of spiritual nourishment. Once you see your need for God’s purity and life-giving Word and find nourishment in Christ, your spiritual appetite increases, and you’ll mature.

My feeding story started when I got the job as Director of Youth Ministries in 2015. As a 20-year-old, I now need to bulk up spiritually. I needed to start living godly to show my youth how to live by example. I needed to start learning different biblical stories and concepts to build my foundation of knowledge. I had a nasty round of imposter syndrome for the first 4-5 years until I really started understanding the role God had for me in my position. After learning and embracing that, I started to bulk up in the ways that made sense to me.

For those struggling to find their feeding source, listen to Hebrews 5:12-13.

Hebrews 5:12-13

12          You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s Word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.

13          For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.

The Jewish Christians were considered immature and lazy. Some of them should be teaching others, but they still need to apply the foundational principles of faith to their own lives. They were reluctant to move beyond their traditions, established doctrines, and discussions of their beliefs’ basic foundations. They wouldn’t be able to understand the uncomfortable position to cut some of their Jewish ties and quit blending in with their culture.

I learn more by teaching. Allowing yourself to share what you’ve learned with others allows you to create meaningful conversations with people. It gives you insight into where you need to dig deeper into. Those conversations can be uncomfortable. They build a meaningful connection with our community, allowing us to get to know each other more deeply. Churches also stay away from complicated topics for various reasons. Still, it’s a great conversation to have in a small-group setting. Big churches might not need to preach a sermon or a series about a “controversial” topic. Still, small groups with small numbers of people and more chances for intimate conversations are the perfect area to jump outside the comfort zone. Learning to love as Christ should move us outside our comfort zone.

Psalm 34:8

8             Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

“Taste and see” doesn’t mean just “check out God’s background.” It refers to a warm invitation to “try this: I know you’ll like it.”  When we take that first step toward getting to know God, we find that he is good and kind. Now, that will not be everyone’s reaction. You invite someone who doesn’t know God to read the Bible, and they start in the Old Testament; they may feel confused. God is seen committing mass genocides of people, urging people to kill others to take land, and seeing Christians at that time commit rape, murder, pillaging, and other ungodly things. We encourage new Christians interested in learning about God to start with the Gospels. Create the gospel stories as the foundation of understanding who God is. As I mentioned, they can look at the Old Testament stories through a different lens.

Our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete when we begin the Christian life. This will be the case until we meet God face-to-face. Still, as we invite the Holy Spirit to help us study the Bible and get to know other Christians, we enjoy tasting and experiencing God’s love. Invite the Holy Spirit to do and say the things that help build God’s kingdom here on earth. Take some time to read or listen to a Bible study or scripture. Go to fellowship events at your local place of worship and meet some people. You’ll meet spiritual mentors for you or new friends to invite into your small group. What will you commit to today?

Father God, we thank you for the different sources of spiritual milk we have at our fingertips. Many sources will help us strengthen our relationship with you and others. Help us discern what sources are suitable for us in this season. Holy Spirit, guide us with the wisdom and confidence to commit to these sources. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.