Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIVUK)
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
As a child we go through the messy process of learning to feed ourselves and moving from milk, to liquidized food, to cut up food, to normal adult meals. Food goes everywhere, on our faces, on the floor and hopefully in our mouths. We learn by trial and error until we master it and can enjoy the full range of foods and feed ourselves. So it should be with our faith, although the Gospel is a message of grace, this doesn’t mean we have no work to do. No, like learning to eat, we’re expected to go through the process of putting the legwork in of learning about God and his ways, grappling with interpreting the Bible and what it means. Sometimes we’ll get it right, sometimes we’ll get it wrong, but over time we grow and mature. Let’s not be satisfied with milk, let’s not be scared of getting things wrong, but instead encourage each other in learning together what God is saying to us.
Heavenly Teacher, thank you for your patience with us. Help us to become mature readers of your word and deep thinkers about our faith, and so develop strong mature relationships with you.
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