W3D2 Growing

READ THE BIBLE

1 Peter 2:2

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Ephesians 4:13(Amplified Bible)

Until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].

REFLECT ON WHAT IT MEANS

Do you know how much it costs to raise a child in the UK to the age of 21? Well, at current rates it’s about £250,000 - that’s right, about a quarter of a million pounds! Did you realise how “rich” you are, (or you need to be), if you have kids, or how “rich” your parents were? Of that quarter of a million, only about £20,000 will be spent on food - unless, of course, your child becomes an athlete, a rugby player or a weightlifter! Clothes will account for about £11,000, but childminding, nursery and education will absorb a whopping £145,000! Having children is a huge investment and needs lots of time, energy, finance and provision.

All of this is for one end; to cause that new baby to grow and to become fully mature. It takes time, care and lots of commitment to get us to grow in life. And we all start off the same - as babies.

A group of tourists visiting a picturesque village walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronising way, one tourist asked him, “Were any great men born in this village?” The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.”

No one just “parachutes in” at 30, all fully formed, educated and mature. Everyone starts off as a tiny baby and the number one “job” for every baby is to grow, develop and mature. The same is true in the Christian life, no one just “parachutes in” all fully developed and mature. The goal and the process is the same for every new believer in Jesus. We have to grow in our new life in God.

How do we do this? In our first Bible verse we read, “ Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Anyone who has ever had a baby or lived in a house with a baby, knows how newborn babies feed - little and often. With tiny stomachs they can only take small amounts, so they do it often and it is their main want and need in life.

What’s more, they make sure everyone in the house knows about it too!

This is the picture for new Christians, to feed a lot on ‘pure spiritual milk’ and to grow in God until we become mature in the Christian faith. This “milk,” (and later on the “solid food”), of the Christian life, all comes from the Bible. We learn and develop by reading the Bible, by listening as it is taught to us and by doing what it tells us. And, the result is - growth!

Did you know that a new baby grows by about 1/2 to 1 inch (about 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters) a month and gains 5 to 7 ounces (about 140 to 200 grams) a week?

So by about 5 months a baby had doubled its weight! By its first birthday a baby has tripled its weight and grown in length by about 10 inches (26cm).

By just over 2 years old, the average person is already half their adult height! Now, that’s healthy and quick growth!

Of course, we would be concerned if a new baby didn’t grow well. And we should all expect to grow as new believers in Jesus, as well. That includes growing more like Jesus in the way we think, and in the way we speak and behave towards others. At the same time our trust and faith in God are growing too.

RELATE IT TO YOUR LIFE

Here are some questions to answer from the Bible - you will need to look up the verses in a Bible using the contents page, or type it into a Bible search engine like BIbleGateway:

• Jeremiah 15:16 - When Jeremiah fed on God’s word what did it become to him?

• Job 23:12 - How important were God’s words to Job?

• Psalm 119:9 - How can a young person lead a clean life?

• 1 John 2:14 - What two results does God’s word produce in the life of young people when it lives in them?

RESPOND WITH A DECLARATION

“The Bible, God’s word, feeds me so I can grow and change and become more like Jesus every day.”