Have you ever tasted baby food? I have. It’s terribly bland. But babies have no other choice without teeth. They certainly can’t eat a nice, juicy steak!
Sadly, some Christians are content with spiritual baby food. They are happy to go over and over the simple truths of the Scriptures and don’t move beyond the basics of the gospel. Hebrews 5:12-14: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
By not sinking their teeth into deeper truths and more difficult Bible passages, they lack biblical understanding and convictions to make right choices. They may have been Christians for many years, but their spiritual abilities remain underdeveloped. They remain babies.
As children grow physically, they learn to eat solid food that gives them strength and vitality. In the same way, every believer needs to take on the responsibility to feed themselves on solid spiritual food. To fail to do this is to remain spiritually weak and undernourished.
You can roughly tell the physical age of people by how they look. Their spiritual age is revealed by their ability to distinguish good from evil and by their personal character that is shown day by day.
One of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. Did you know that if you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium you put it in? Sharks can be 6 inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of 8 feet. If Sharks are fed properly they will grow. Sharks were meant to feed on big fish and swim in a big ocean.
That also happens to some Christians. I’ve seen some of the cutest little 6-inch Christians who swim around in their little fish tank of selfishness. They can’t see beyond themselves. They think they are doing so well. But if you can feed them properly, get them daily into the word of God and into daily prayer, and then let them swim in fellowship with a good church, they become all that God wants them to be.
God meant for us to touch our world, our family, our friends, our neighbors, the people we work with, go to school with and worship with. God doesn’t want fish-tank Christians. God doesn’t want us on spiritual baby food. We must step out and become great in our faith and strong in the Lord. Like the shark there is an ocean of opportunity waiting for us to do great things for our Lord and Savior and our God. It’s up to us. Are you tired of spiritual baby food?
Watch sermons and read sermon texts and other articles online at www.tomahawkmbc.com. Listen to Pastor Jack Ward’s sermons on WSIP FM 98.9 every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Watch his sermons on his Facebook page, “Jack Ward.”