Okay...Okay... OKAY!! I get it already! I've learned that when God lays something on my heart and uses 3 different situations from 3 different people relating to the same scripture that he's trying to teach me something. I am then suppose to tell it to someone else. What is the purpose of a tree bearing fruit? Is it for the benefit of the tree or is that fruit for the benefit of someone else? I hope this resonates with someone who may be struggling with knowing how to find balance in life.
I will be very general in what's led me to today's tidbit. Over the last week or so, I've been burdened with the threat to marriages... Three different people talked to me about their marriages and the gist of the conversations were that one is getting a divorce, one is dating someone but thinking of breaking up because marriage is expected, and one of them has a husband who's trying to get custody of his children... I thought the lesson that I was being taught was about marriage. I was even led to 1 Corinthians 7, the whole chapter is related to marriages, if you'd like to read it. However, I've just made a connection to another topic that I've also been hit over the head with recently and have realized that this is the lesson learned that I'm suppose to talk about.
1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 1 Corinthians 3:1-2
You may ask... How did I draw a connection between marriage and drinking milk?
The connection is between RELATIONSHIPS and SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Let me explain... I believe the Bible is 100% true. Every word is used to teach and instruct people in how to live a life pleasing to God. As great as the Word of God is, sometimes it's hard to know how to apply the scripture to every day lives. So what do you think MILK means in this scripture?
Milk means "The Message" The message of God... God's commands... The Bible is not a list of do's and dont's that God inspired to make us "toe the line"... It is God's love letters to us that tell us the things that please the Lord and also lists the things that grieve the Lord. Our free will allows us to choose whether we will do what pleases or do what grieves the Lord. It is our choice. But how do we know what pleases the Lord unless we read the Bible.
Point 1: Spiritual growth starts with a foundation of faith based on what we believe to be true about God...
The Bible is God's foundation for our faith... Nothing else will give us the direction that the Lord gives us through His Word... So I'm just going to be bold here and say regardless of whether you believe the Word of God to be true... It is the ONLY foundation we can build our faith on... We can't depend on what WE think about something to establish our faith and belief on... We have to use the Word of God as a guide to teach us what pleases Him.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
As with a baby, they start with milk to drink, then they add a little cereal, and next comes solid food. The Bible is a double edge sword, meaning it has a practical side and a spiritual side to its words. So from the Practical side, we've just determined how a baby grows, and let's say they drink milk but never grow bigger... never move on to the solid food phase...they just stay the same size... Wouldn't we be concerned about their lack of growth? It's the same in the spiritual realm. If someone is a true, born again Christian and they never go to the next level of faith... Shouldn't we be concerned?
If you aren't a Christian this won't apply... If you are then I'm going to ask you one question to see if you've started eating solid food and are growing in your relationship with God.
What is your priority in life?
If you don't know what your priority is, then answer this... What dominates your thoughts? What do you watch on TV, read about, or talk to a complete stranger about? Here's an example... Your work revolves around the weather... so you watch the weather channel, you check out the weather around the country, you go on-line and check out the forecast, and when you talk to strangers, you talk about the weather. So here's the deal... Weather is a huge priority to you... maybe even the #1 priority... then you go down the list of other things you think about daily. Could be your spouse... your kids... your job... your friends... your hobbies... vacations... Oh and YEAH, God, church, reading your Bible, that kind of thing...
Do you get my drift? We have to know what we consider to be the most important thing in our life in order to know what we need next in life in order to grow...
Knowing your priorities is the only way you can have balance in your life and if God ISN'T a priority... you are a baby Christian still drinking milk (or you're not a Christian at all)... you will not progress to the next level of faith until you get your priorities in line with God's priorities. So how do you know what God's priorities are? You open up the Word of God and read it. Learn what pleases the heart of God and GROW UP by moving on to solid food.
I cannot express deeply enough how much I care for all of you... I also know that if I don't speak what's been laid on my heart by God, that I'm not doing the Will of God and that is not a place I want to be... Outside the Will of God... If you have anything to add or need to talk about how to have a relationship with God, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask me or someone you trust who loves God...
Until next time...
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