Just as our bodies need food for nourishment and sustenance, so too do our spirits need spiritual food for the same reasons. The bible tells us that when we are born again, we start our as spiritual babies in Christ, and as babies, we need to be fed with the pure milk of the word of God in order to grow up, develop and mature.

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

1 Peter 2:2-3 NKJV

I have come to understand that in order for us to be nourished by the pure milk of the word, we have to read the bible for ourselves daily. We need to approach God like a little child, be willing for Him to teach us His word (after all, He is the author of the bible) and give us understanding. We are very thankful to God for giving us teachers and pastors in His church and we are so grateful for the teaching and guidance that they give us, but we must be willing for the Holy Spirit to be our primary Teacher. God has perfect knowledge of His Word and He knows exactly where each person is on their spiritual journey with Him, therefore He knows exactly what spiritual nourishment we need at every stage of our spiritual growth and development.

Just as newborn babies drink milk several times per day, we too need to be taking in the pure milk of the Word daily in order to grow spiritually. If we are hungry to know God’s word and we are hungry for truth and understanding, the Holy Spirit will give us this understanding because He is our perfect Teacher. Because all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, we have confidence in knowing that we can go to God with any questions or concerns we have because He will always reveal truth to us so that we can have the correct interpretation and understanding of His Word.

But the Helper (or Comforter), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 14:26 NKJV

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

John 16:13 NKJV

As we start learning to obey the Word of God, we grow in spiritual maturity and then God starts to feed us with solid food. This solid food is normally referred to as the meat of the Word. Perhaps I could explain it this way for understanding: the meat of the Word contains deeper meanings and hidden truths within the Word of God and is always given to us by revelation from the Holy Spirit. I have noticed in my personal journey with God, that God normally opens my eyes to new spiritual truths (the meat of the Word) as I experience new things with Him. For me personally, God only gave these to me when I was ready to understand them, but this can be different for everyone. God is the only One who can open our spiritual eyes so that we can comprehend these spiritual truths and He does this when we are ready to receive and understand them.

And He (Jesus) opened their (His disciples) understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Luke 24:45 NKJV

I have used the following Scriptures as a reference for the table below (1 Corinthians 3:1-3 and Hebrews 5:12-14). You are most welcome to review these Scriptures in length at a convenient time.

Babies (little children)	Young men	Fathers
Still on milk	Solid food	Solid food
Unskilled in the word of righteousness		By reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil

If we look at the column for fathers in Christ, we can see that growing in spiritual maturity also includes having our senses regularly exercised so that we can discern both good and evil. As we continually exercise discernment, we grow strong in spiritual truths and understanding, thereby knowing what to accept as good and what to reject as evil.

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age (mature), that is, those who by reason of use (or practice) have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14 NKJV

I would like to offer some encouragement for us all at this point. Everyone’s journey will look different, and that’s ok. Jesus is our good Shepherd, and He knows what we need and when we need it. In His perfect timing, He will give us the spiritual nourishment we need so that we can grow and mature spiritually. For me personally, I found that when I read through the New Testament many times and started memorizing Scripture that I was better able to understand the Old Testament. It was also as I started studying the Scriptures that God helped me gain better insight and understanding. There are still many things that I don’t understand in the Old Testament, but I am content to wait for God’s perfect timing.

My final comments on this week’s blog is a message of encouragement to everyone. God is so good, and He will grow and develop each of us at a pace He knows we can cope with. His Word promises us that He will bring to completion the good work He has started in us (Philippians 1:6). We can rest in His loving grace knowing that He will continually feed us spiritually, so that we can all grow in maturity in Christ. He will do the good work in us, but we also have a responsibility. If we continually seek His face and read, study and obey His Word, He will reward our faithfulness. I pray these words bless you in Jesus precious name.