Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 16, 2019
And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3a (NRSV)
As a young child, my relationship with my parents was primarily transactional. Yes, they gave me unconditional love and affection from day one, but my chief concern was that I was fed, sheltered, and entertained. In many ways, this posture continued well into adolescence! Yet as I moved into adulthood and eventually had children of my own, the relationship began to shift in subtle but significant ways. I came to appreciate their self-giving love in new and profound ways. And while their posture towards me remained constant over all the years, as I grew I began to see them in an entirely new light.
One of the key concerns of St. Paul’s pastoral ministry to the Corinthian church is that they move from an infant relationship with God into the full and flourishing life of mature faith. While new birth necessitates a season of infancy, it is meant to be primarily that: a season. No one scolds a toddler for being a toddler! Yet if the toddler progresses in years but stays developmentally unchanged, there is real cause for concern.
How would you assess your own life with God? Are you a new Christian and rightly in need of a season to receive the foundations of faith before you move deeper into the life of God? Or, on the other hand, have you professed Christian faith for many years but have now settled for a comfortable yet shallow walk with the Lord? Is your view of Jesus more or less the same as it was a decade ago? Are you on a milk-only diet when your body and soul are ready for solid food?
A sign that we are pressing into faithful discipleship is that we begin to see Jesus as more beautiful, more glorious, and more worthy of devotion than we did before. If Jesus is truly inexhaustible in his goodness and love, then there is always more to be known and received. The Lord is patient and kind and does not force himself upon us, yet like a loving parent he rejoices to see us grow deeper into the life of the Spirit.
The Christian life is an ever-expanding adventure into the depths and riches of God’s love- don’t settle for anything less!
Prayer
Father, give us a vision for life fully lived in your kingdom and a hunger for solid spiritual food that carries us deeper and deeper into your love. Amen.
Application
Where has your faith stalled out or settled for a simple and shallow understanding of the spiritual life?
Related Reading
1 Samuel 2:26; Luke 17:5; Hebrews 6:1
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A sign that we are pressing into faithful discipleship is that we begin to see Jesus as more beautiful, more glorious, and more worthy of devotion. #wisdomhunters #solidfood
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