“Do you need a glass of milk?”
As we drove over the hills and through the woods, my youngest daughter filled the air with nonstop chatter. Her tiny mouth had said at least 20,000 words. Right about the time she sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher, something caught my attention, “Mom, when you get baptized, do you change right then, like I know we change when we get saved, but when?”
I loved where her mind was going with this…
I had noticed a change in Camille as she thumbed through her Bible and often circled back around with questions. My child that normally acted like a flying squirrel during bedtime prayers and begged for any bedtime story ‘except a Bible story’ was growing in her faith right before my eyes and wasn’t afraid to ask questions.
We talked about how accepting Jesus into our hearts and following through with baptism was a way of asking Him to ‘dwell’ or live within us daily and while we may have an image of the old washing away and the new submerging, choices in life still remained. My heart desired to answer my daughter’s question with, “yes, the old is washed away and you change instantly,” but God’s Word was echoing louder for a deeper message.
Our conversation left me reflecting on the moment I accepted Jesus into my heart and the years that followed in life. The desire to live life in a Christ like way was the initial change, but the ability to keep that desire was a different story.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”
Notice those words, “crave, so you may grow.” This verse beautifully represents the beginning of someone’s faith and the growth that should accompany it. The pure spiritual milk mentioned is The Word of God. The truths taught in the Bible are what sustain us through life. God has given us everything we need to grow in our faith, but an active participation is key.
Think of what the word, “craving” represents…a desire…a hunger for something. Peter reminds us that a desire within us should be to grow in knowledge of The Lord and not remain stagnant in our faith.
Much like our children, we want them to grow. We feed them, teach them to sleep and guide them so they will grow in the physical realm, but are we teaching them to grow in the spiritual realm?
The verse that follows the command to grow is this…” now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” Read it again, “NOW, that you have TASTED that the LORD is GOOD.” Are you able to resonate with that statement? When you look back in life, do you see the goodness of God? It’s not that your life was free from pain, or you received everything you prayed for, but because you have grown in your knowledge of who the King of your heart is and how trustworthy He is. Oh, how our children need to hear us speak of the goodness of God throughout our lives.
As we interact with others, whether within our families or at work, keep Peter’s words near your heart. If you have fallen away from reading His Word or feel stagnant in your walk, pray for a growth spurt in your faith and return to His Word for a big glass of spiritual milk.
