I gave you milk
to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even
now you are not yet able,
Insights: The second characteristic
that defines a mature Christian who eats meat is LOVE. 1 John 4:8b tells us “God is love.” Matthew 22:34-40 tells this history, “But
when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered
together. And one of them, a lawyer,
asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great
commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This
is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor
as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the
Prophets.” When we only drink milk we
find that our very nature is at stake.
In other words, God’s nature, His very essence, is love. If we are born again and have that saving
relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Son, then we also have His very nature
living inside of us. We are now alive
and free to be His image bearers and His image is that of LOVE. The problem is that it is not always easy or
convenient to love people. There are
some people in this world that are just not very lovable. In fact you would rather curl up with a pit
viper than you would some of these people.
Yet, in spite of our earthly, human, emotions and feelings, we are commanded
to love these people. Why is such a
command given? There are three primary
reasons. 1. Because it is one of the tools God uses to
purge your old sinful nature.
Theologically speaking we call this the process of sanctification. 2.
Because we are being sanctified, we begin to bear the image of God more
fully in this world and this world desperately needs to be loved. 3.
When we are image bearers we are pointing lost people to the very God
that can save them. The first place we
live out this practice of love is in the local church. The lost world knows the reputation of a
church. They know if that church is
known for its love or for its fights.
So, if we are fussing and not living at peace with our siblings, we are
not bearing the image of God and as a result becoming a detriment for the lost
to become saved. Oh, Father, forgive us
when we do not love.
Questions:
- Is your life characterized by the fussing of little
children?
- What steps can you take to live at peace with your siblings?
Prayer: Father, You ARE love. I
am Your child, and therefore, an image bearer of You. Purge my life of self and let me display Your
love to all mankind. Amen.
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