“SOLID FOOD!”

Hebrews 5:11-14                                      (ESV)

“11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of GOD. You need MILK, not “SOLID FOOD”,

13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

14 But “SOLID FOOD” is for the MATURE, for THOSE WHO HAVE THEIR POWERS OF DISCERNMENT trained by CONSTANT PRACTICE to DISTINGUISH GOOD from EVIL.”

Every now and then GOD uses my responses to others to set me on a path of discovering TRUTH.  A friend asked yesterday morning “I beg you to ask yourself a question this morning, “ARE YOU GROWING IN CHRIST?”   My response was, “and if not, where are you going????”  

Why do we tend to act as though we are “holier than thou” when we are able to “walk in the Spirit”?  Personally, when I get that feeling I am right around the corner from being backslidden.  Obviously, our EYES being set on CHRIST leaves no room for self glorification, because as JESUS says in John 6:44 “NO ONE can come to ME unless the FATHER WHO SENT ME DRAWS him.”  

HE saves us (John 6:44), HE CHOOSES us (Acts 9:1-18, , so why should we act as though we are “holier than thou”?  We are ALL sinners who STILL sin, but have trusted in the finished work of CHRIST to redeem us from our wickedness.  But we SHOULD BE GROWING IN CHRIST and in the CHRISTIAN WALK!

Far too many of us make a profession of FAITH, then as a pastor of mine used to say, come to church to “sit, soak, and sour”!  The Spiritual maturation process is almost foreign to them.  The writer of Hebrews writes “You need MILK, not “SOLID FOOD”!  They had not matured Spiritually enough to be of any use to the KINGDOM.   

Am I one of those people?  Am I able to DISCERN GOOD from EVIL?  Furthermore, am I able to SEE when a brother is in danger of a trap by “the enemy” and alert him?  Thank ALMIGHTY GOD that I’m not what I used to be and through a thorough study of HIS WORD I am ingesting “SOLID FOOD” to mature me into a vessel that can be used for HIS GLORY!  

We can never be what we are called to be by drinking milk and crying about our weaknesses.  Sooner or later we are going to have to eat “SOLID FOOD” from the grown-up table and grow some stamina in HIM.  This is spoken in love, but also knowing the time has come for THE CHURCH to eat “SOLID FOOD” to prepare for battle!!!