Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:2-3

She’s as cute as a “button” flashing her beautiful blue eyes and gummy smiles, but my 3-month-old granddaughter spends most of her day eating. Round the clock, her main need is her mother’s milk. There is nothing she craves or longs for more, and her wails let everyone know, she is hungry.

Both Paul and Peter refer to the milk of the Word. Paul’s words are almost a reprimand. The Corinthian believers were not ready for solid food and were content being hand fed the milk of God’s Word because they were focused on themselves. They were wrapped up in jealousy and quarreling. They were not ready to go deeper into God’s truths because sin was blocking their appetite for God’s Word.

Peter also compares new believers as babies:

“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.” – 1 Peter 2:2-3

As there are stages in physical growth, the same is true in our spiritual growth. This first stage, as a new believer in Christ, can be summarized by the word LONGING. When the Spirit indwells us at the moment of salvation, He whets our appetite for His Word. We long to feed on God’s truths. We have tasted that the Lord is good and we long for more of Him. A “baby” in Christ is sustained by the simplicity and basic truths of the gospel.

Let me be clear.

The power of the gospel is enough. But we all know believers who claim a belief in Jesus, but have never grown spiritually. Why is that? Because longing must result in the next stage of growth, LEARNING.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:3

That’s a big, long word that merely means that we are set apart for a special purpose for God. How can we know what that purpose is? Timothy tells us to study God’s Word- be a continual learner. Go deeper and sink your teeth into solid food. Yes, just like a baby experiencing a spoon for the first time, there will be much we don’t understand and it can be a little messy, but don’t give up.

Never stop longing for and learning God’s Word.

There is one more stage in spiritual maturity that all of us rather skip, but, according to James, it is the pinnacle of completeness. LETTING God mature us through trials. James says in James 1:2-4:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Trials will either break us or strengthen us. James encourages us to allow trials to push us to persevere in our faith. My husband and I are just coming out of a long two-year trial. During that trial, I recalled the words of a dear friend who said that when you go through trials it is a time to draw from your reservoir- your reservoir of all the years of learning God’s Word.

Now is the time to let God apply those truths.

This is why Paul could write these words to the Romans:

“…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Romans 5:3-4

Do you crave to learn God’s Word? Do you have a reservoir of God’s truths from which you can draw when trials come? Is there a sin that is blocking you from going deeper? Growing physically is a life-long process. So is spiritual growth. We should never lose our longing to learn how God lets His Word sustain us and move us closer to Him.

The next time you hear a baby crying, think about that food for thought.

Charline Engle