- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
- Messages
- 12,544
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness. 1 Peter 2:1-3
Jesus told His followers to become like children in order to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3), but Peter seems to take things a step further, telling his readers to become like infants.
Imagining infants who have a simple, single-minded dependence on their mothers for milk, you can catch a glimpse of what Peter has in mind. Perhaps his readers struggled with many serious sins such as envy, hypocrisy, criticism, and deceit because they had turned their faith into something complex. They wondered if they could work harder in order to overcome these many spiritual struggles.
Peter assured them that trying harder wouldn’t cut it. They had to become all the more dependent on God’s nurturing care for them. There’s no hope outside of God’s spiritual provision for His children.
You may long to stop envying or to become more spiritual, but these are merely dead ends. Your longing should be for the presence of the Lord instead. When you have tasted the goodness of the Lord you’ll find deliverance from your greatest struggles.
Jesus told His followers to become like children in order to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3), but Peter seems to take things a step further, telling his readers to become like infants.
Imagining infants who have a simple, single-minded dependence on their mothers for milk, you can catch a glimpse of what Peter has in mind. Perhaps his readers struggled with many serious sins such as envy, hypocrisy, criticism, and deceit because they had turned their faith into something complex. They wondered if they could work harder in order to overcome these many spiritual struggles.
Peter assured them that trying harder wouldn’t cut it. They had to become all the more dependent on God’s nurturing care for them. There’s no hope outside of God’s spiritual provision for His children.
You may long to stop envying or to become more spiritual, but these are merely dead ends. Your longing should be for the presence of the Lord instead. When you have tasted the goodness of the Lord you’ll find deliverance from your greatest struggles.
