MilK aNd MeaT

Good morning. If you can see this, you are a beneficiary of a mercy and a faithfulness we didn't do anything to deserve and by all accounts, we can not earn with our own goodness. It was simply granted to us out of a love many of us still struggle to understand. This was and is definitely my struggle.

Not having a father makes the concept of receiving the love of God, our Father is a challenge I grow through daily. I have three beautiful daughters and six incredible grandchildren that I love so deeply. Still I struggle to fathom the "why". Why would He make such a significant sacrifice for someone with the numerous flaws, scars, and a propensity to do so much wrong? Why would he attempt to stand tall during His scourging which only caused the Roman soldiers to react with an even greater level of brutality? Why would he remain on the cross until He presumably choked on His own blood, slowly asphyxiated and died for a people who didn't seem to see the big picture of such a sacrifice? Why would He give His life when He could have called down a legion of angels to undo what was being done? Why, Lord? These and many others are questions that don't even matter to the common mind.

Generally speaking, we are living as we see fit. We say what's "on our heart" and we don't care where it lands. We mistreat others out of a direct dysfunction that we carry around as an outer garment. Everything around our world seems to be disintegrating at a rapid pace. Fingers are being pointed but very few look within to locate the cause for why we can't make ourselves care beyond offering a blanket prayer, or why we can't feel anything more than a passing pity for our fellow man, or why we just can't get out of the endless negative cycles we find ourselves bound to. We appear to be missing the purpose for the greatest sacrifice ever made for us.

Maybe you don't see this as a real issue.........Maybe from your view everything looks great and promising. There is no reason for critical thinking and over-analysis--just let it ride, live, and enjoy the fruits and pleasures. Maybe this specific blog post isn't your cup of tea.

What floods my mind is gratefulness for a grace that covered me when I could have been in a place I could not come back from. I am painfully aware of the kind of person I used to be. I am cognizant of my mistakes and errors in judgment that once plagued my current walk with Christ. The wise see their second chance as an opportunity to turn a corner and make a critical adjustment. Some see it as a fallback option that provides wiggle room to intentionally make some more questionable decisions. There is a passage in Hebrews 6 that I think hits the mark here.

"Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God..." (Hebrews 6:1 AMP)

The danger Paul is speaking about are those who consider themselves "believers" are not advancing. They are not getting further beyond the elementary principles of their faith. They walk in one direction for years and are still unable to discover their place. (Or in some cases, they search for purpose that can only be defined with a specific ministry title. That's a separate situation altogether.) John Calvin even added this thought: "As in building a house one must never leave the foundation; yet to be always laboring in laying the foundation would be ridiculous."

It's expected that once the initial, introductory functions are received and understood and put into action, there needs to be a "moving forward" so that progress can begin. Progress can't be gained in a believer's life if they are too content in the stage of "milk-drinking". What a sad visual to see a believer retreat back into a cage that has an open door! They are free because Christ has made them free but they live as if they were still bound.

Paul emphasizes the point more than once in scripture so it must be a consistent problem.

"There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong." (Hebrews 5:11-14 NLT)

You are spiritually dull? You don't seem to listen? You should be teaching others because you have believed so long? Instead, you need to learn the basics over and over again? If this is an accurate description of where we are, then we can't be relied upon to do the right thing until we start doing the first thing. We simply need to grow up. If a 13 year old child was being breast fed in a public restaurant, we would find that out of the ordinary. If a 15 year old child was still be carried by its mother or placed in a stroller, we would gawk at them, wondering what the problem was. How can we look at our lack of growth in the basics of our faith and not be at all concerned?


Remember the short story about the elephant?

"As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.

"Well, " he said, "When they are very young and much smaller we use the same size of rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were."

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36 KJV)

What made what Peter did in Matthew 14 so incredible was that he broke rank from the norm and took a significant and literal step. He exercised his faith. It could very well be just that simple for the believer that returns nightly to a cage that Christ Jesus has already opened up to free them. We can listen to all the preaching our ears can take. We can cry out to God with tears and shouts. We can surround ourselves with all the positive influence and mentors we desire. Ultimately, we still have to get up and away from the "common view" and take a step in our faith. An old mentor always taught me that to have something you never had, you often must do something you've never done." If you never had deliverance and healing in a specific area, you need to put yourself in a position you've never been in.....a position of true sacrifice and humility. It's time to move!

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2 NLT)