Arrested spiritual development (1)

Addressing the early church, Paul said, “I have a lot more to say…but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up the bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago!” (vv. 11-14 MSG). It’s known as “arrested development,” and it can happen to any of us. Among the first evidence that a child is healthy and growing is that they no longer need to be fed from a bottle or have their food cut up and put into their mouth. They may still prefer candy to carrots, but hopefully they’re closer to understanding why they need carrots. If the only time you’re fed spiritually is in church on Sunday morning, why would you be surprised that you don’t have the faith to believe God for answered prayer, the strength to overcome temptation, or a sense of God’s guidance in your life? How long do you think you would last if you only ate once a week? Job said, “I…treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12 NKJV). David said, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103 NKJV). Jeremiah wrote, “Your words were found, and I ate them…Your word was…the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV). To grow spiritually, you need the “strong meat” of God’s Word (see Hebrews 5:14).