“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” Hebrews 5:12
I had a very sobering realization recently- I’ve been a Christian for well over 30 years! That’s an awfully long time as a Christ follower- I’ve been attending church services, Bible studies, camps, retreats and home groups galore. I’m even a pastor’s kid, so I got extra!!
Why then, do I feel like this verse is getting personal? When I think of others who are so deep in their knowledge of the Scriptures, I feel grossly inadequate. While they are chomping on their meat, I sometimes feel like I’m still sipping my milk. Using a straw!
My husband is a mystery to me… he’s been a Christian the same length of time as me, has been to the same churches, and attended pretty much everything with me (minus the ladies’ retreats!) yet is able to remember, retain and comprehend so much more. He can recall sermons from May 1987 and even remember the three points made! He knows his Bible incredibly well, and remembers who taught him which passage from yesteryear. Me- I remember ridiculously useless things like what people were wearing at weddings, lyrics to Disney songs, and jingles from chocolate bar commercials in the 70’s. Great…
I realize I can only use the “I’ve lost SO many brain cells through childbirth” excuse so many times. Truth is, I remember what I want to remember. We go through life gleaning information and readily absorbing education and information at an alarming rate. Why doesn’t the eternally important stuff stick?
As growing Christians, we should be desperate for our “steak dinner” Bible meat, rather than making do with a spiritual smoothie. We should crave God’s truth as something we can get our teeth into- we actually NEED it after all. It’s our sustenance given to us by our loving Heavenly Father to help us through this journey of life.
We are so blessed in our culture to have access to a constant stream of solid teaching if we want it- podcasts, radio broadcasts, YouTube messages and devotionals to name but a few. But nothing beats opening the Bible. Opening your heart to what it has to say, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you.
As one with an apparently limited memory capacity, I have found journaling to be a HUGE asset. I may not remember what I read last month (or even yesterday) off the top of my head, but if I turn to my journal I see that God had something very specific for me that day- I read it and even wrote about it. I recognize the curly handwriting, so I know it must have been me! And now I can refresh my memory with it and share the nugget with others.
We are all so very different- while some of us learn and retain like sponges, others are more like… a rock. But hey, rocks are pretty solid guys and God uses them, too. And it’s never too late to start a new “meat diet” by delving into the Word and devouring every morsel.
The secret is to persevere, and remember that we are not in this learning process alone. The Holy Spirit breathes fresh grace into us daily, and He will provide a way for us to grow spiritually and more deeply in the ways of the Lord. For our own nourishment and strength, the spiritual meat is there for the taking, and there’s no need for us to endure the bland, Pablum-flavored milk.
Got milk? Yeah, gallons of the stuff. It’s meat we need to get an appetite for.
The question is, are we hungry?
