“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
I Peter 2:2-3 KJV
A hungry newborn cries for the satisfying nutrition of mother’s milk (or infant formula), and nothing else will nourish him the same way – not water, not cow’s milk, not juice, not soda pop. And as newborn babies want only the easy-to-digest milk designed specifically for their systems, babes in Christ should crave God’s Word, the spiritual food designed specifically for their growth in Christ. The Lord is gracious, and if you’ve experienced His mercy and kindness, you should desire the truth of His word, that will enable you to grow spiritually and mature in the faith.
Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
To taste means to experience. What are we to experience? God’s mercy. God’s loving kindness. God’s grace. And according to I Peter 2:2-3, we are to taste (or experience) His word. As newborn babies crave mommy’s milk, spiritual babes in Christ are to crave the milk of God’s word that they may start to grow in the things of the Lord.
After waiting nine long months for the arrival of the newest member of the family, parents cherish and love their baby. But no parent wants their infant to stay a baby – not physically or mentally. They want their little one to start sleeping through the night. They want their baby to learn to sit up and crawl and walk and talk and feed himself. They want to see their child learn how to read and write and do math and one day graduate college and step into a rewarding career. That’s a far cry from the lack of knowledge and limited ability of a newborn who could barely hold her head up.
As our Heavenly Father, God is no different. He wants His children to grow up spiritually just like we want our children to grow up physically and mentally.
Hebrews 5:13-14 says, “For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Babies drink only milk, but adults eat well-seasoned meat.
Baby Christians start out on the milk of the Word, but mature believers learn how to discern both good and evil; they learn how to apply the Word of righteousness to their lives and grow in the things of the Lord.
Don’t stay a baby. God wants you to grow up just like you want your child to grow up.