It‘s Time to Grow Up!

It‘s Time to Grow Up!:  

“So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good. Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

I love the Bible. When I first became a Christian, I was so hungry to learn more about the wonderful God who had saved me, so I read through the whole Bible from cover to cover in three months. The Apostle Paul told a young man named Timothy that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  Let’s take a look at what the above three little verses in First Peter have to say to encourage and challenge us. The title of this devotional is, “It’s Time to Grow Up.” 

1.         TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD.

The first key to spiritual growth is to know and believe the love that God has for you. If you have never “tasted and seen that the Lord is good” then I can’t challenge you with the next two points.  First John 3:1 says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” In other words, stop and think about how awesome God’s love is – that to all who believe in Jesus and accept him, God gives the right to become His children (John 1:12). What an awesome truth. Meditate on it today, and never forget the wonderful privilege of being called one of God’s children. Because once you know and believe the love that God has for you, you will have a desire to get to know Him more and go deeper in His Word.

2.         GET RID OF ALL SIN.

The second key to spiritual growth is to make a commitment to obey the Bible – to walk in holiness and purity. First John 2:4 says, “If someone says, "I belong to God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth.” If you want to grow spiritually, then make a commitment to become more and more like Jesus every day. First John 2:6 goes on to say, “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.” In other words, if you’re going to call yourself a Christian, don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk – and the walk is the Christ walk – to be like Jesus. Someone said once that sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin. If you hide God's Word into your heart, it will help you to say no to sin (Psalm 119:11).

3.         CRAVE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK SO THAT YOU CAN GROW.

The third key to spiritual growth is to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word of God. The Bible is our spiritual food, and if we fail to feed ourselves this pure spiritual milk, then we will fail to grow. Colossians 2:7 exhorts us to “Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.” So let’s make a commitment to spiritual growth – by tasting the goodness of God, getting rid of our sin, and craving the pure milk of the Word.  It’s time to grow up – to become more like Jesus.

Check out my faith-building mini-booklet, "It's Time to Grow Up!" by clicking here:
http://player.sermoncentral.com/c/chrisjordan/pdf/183077_3793.pdf

Pastor Chris Jordan
www.beausejourchurch.ca