Day 5 - January 12th | "Growth" by Pastor Dale Klaehn

Are you growing? Growth can pertain to many different areas of life. It can be physical, from conception until our late teens, we are physically growing. In our education, we grow every year in wisdom or knowledge until we graduate high school or college and earn a degree. In our relationships, we grow as we spend time together and get to know one another. There are many ways to grow, physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. Our walk with the Lord is no different. When we give our hearts to Jesus we are "Born Again". At that point we are new born babes and we start to grow in our walk and relationship with Christ. Some Christians stop at this point and never grow, they remain babes, only drinking the milk, as the author of Hebrews puts it in Hebrews 5:12-14. Milk can help a new born child grow only to a certain point, but then they need sol-id food to help their bodies mature. In the same way, Christians can only survive so long on the milk, but they need solid food to help them mature. "Milk" stands for elementary instruction in the Christian walk. "Solid food" is, of course, more advanced instruction, the kind of teaching beginners cannot make much of but which is invaluable to those who have made some progress.

In the New Testament we see Peter and Paul and other writers, writing to Christians about their growth. It seems that they stopped growing in their spiritual walk with Christ. The writers were upset that the Christians still needed "milk", when they should be teachers themselves. As I asked earlier; are you growing? After conversion, our lives should be marked by continuous growth (1Cor 3:1-4; Heb 5:11-14). This growth comes from the teaching about Christ and God the Father. We need to be reading and studying the Word of God and praying, we cannot stay idle. Our world is corrupt and sinful, if we are not growing(maturing) in Christ, we are in danger of falling away. We have started a new year, I want to encourage you to be in the Word and prayer daily. Make it a goal to grow in your spiritual walk with the Lord this year.