Rotting on Milk

I picked up a couple of stones, hoping they were the right size and shape. Perfect to put at the bottom of the pot over the hole. I was told the rock allowed the water to drain slowly so the roots had enough water, but the soil didn’t dry too quickly. As I had my children place the rocks in the bottom of their pots I explained the need to water a plant, but not over water it and let the roots rot. Too much of a good thing is still too much. It got me thinking about my life.

Hebrews 5:11-14 is an admonition that these people are slow to learn God’s truth. The writer tells these people by now some of you should be teacher, but instead you still need to learn the elementary truths of God’s Word. You are still drinking milk. They are rotting on the milk of God’s word. Instead of moving past milk to the deeper things of God, they are happy with their bottles filled by someone else.

Is that sometimes true of me? Do I go to church so I can get bottle fed the elementary teachings of faith? Do I sit in the same Sunday School class year after year after year because I am getting fat and happy like a baby? The truth is at first the milk of God’s word is exactly what I need to grow in Him. However there comes a point that I need to start working on solid food. Babies who don’t move to solid food, often are overweight. However if a child continued to only drink milk never chewing on solid food, he or she would end up anemic, emaciated, and unable to grow and mature as a child should. He would be stunted, and his roots of faith will begin to rot. Instead of serving others, we complain about the service. Instead of teaching others, we suck on our bottles of milk. Instead of deepening our understanding and relationship with Christ, we stay fixed. Our faith rotting away in a flood of milk.

Let us not get so comfortable that we sit in our pews, our Sunday school classes, even our Bible Studies and let others bottle feed us elementary things of God. No friends. Let us dig deep into God’s word, let us grow and mature, let us chew on the deeper things of God. Milk is great at first and is a wonderful drink throughout life, but we must have solid food in order to grow more like Christ.

Father God, let us not rot on milk. Let us move on to the solid food of Your Word. Let us grow closer to You, loving You and longing for You in ways we cannot fathom. Father, forgive us for our lazy ways, for allowing others to fill our bottles and feed us Your word. Let us sit at the feast that is Your word and grow in You. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.