Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 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 2:1-3 (NIV)
This school year I have been teaching sixth graders at a middle school. There has been a number of times that I have had to remind them they are no longer in elementary school. They have to grow up a little and learn how to deal with things responsibly and in a maturing way.
Peter is reminding his readers that they should crave the spiritual in Christ rather than the desires of the sinful nature. He tells them to "crave pure spiritual milk". When I was a kid I used to love milk. I would drink it straight from the bottle (when no one was looking). Now we buy 1% or 2% milk. I can't stand it! It's like watered down powdered milk. Desiring pure spiritual milk is really about seeking the truth in Christ and being willing to hear it and deal with it maturely. The end is not to be a child but, to "grow up in your salvation".
Once you see that the Lord is good you should want more. Maturity in Christ is the goal. I once heard someone say that the difference between a man/woman and a boy/girl is that a man/woman does what they have to do and a boy/girl does what they want to do. Often times even from a spiritual perspective it boils down to maturity and simply choosing to do what we have to do in Christ rather than what we want to do in our sinful nature. The good news is that if you do what you have to do in Christ you will taste and see that the Lord is good!
Father, help us to grow up in Christ! Praise be to you in us today!
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