Feed Well And Grow More, Or Feeding And Growing

by N/A | Category: N/a | May 1951

The babes of the nation need milk! Mr. Churchill once said, I know of no finer investment for a nation than to put milk into babies" That is why free or cheap milk is available to all the babies of the British Nation. The object is to build bonny babies, so that of they who will make the nation of the future shall be strong and healthy. Those who have recently been saved, or born again, are spoken of in the Scriptures as babes-babes in Christ-and they need feeding with milk, the milk of the Word. "As new born babes, long the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2. 2).

What is necessary for the babies of the British nation is also necessary for babes of the Holy Nation-they need the right kind food If babes in Christ feed well and regularly on the "milk" which their Heavenly Father has provided for them, they too will help to make a strong and healthy "nation" (see 1 Peter 2.9). So he ahead and feed well on God's Word so that you will grow to be strong in the Lord.

Undernourishment will result in lack of development, and yet is sadly possible for a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to be undernourished. Instead of developing by feeding on the "milk" which represents the simpler truths of the Word, such a one remains weakened and unable to partake of "meat," that is, the deeper truths of Scripture. This condition is referred to in Hebrews 5.12-14.

When a baby is born there must firstly be evidence of life, and that is why nurses and mothers like to hear the babies cry and fill their lungs with fresh air as soon as they are born. In a similar way God likes to hear the voice of His new born child. God has given each of us the means whereby we can immediately thank grow and confess to others what God has done. Surely that should H: the first desire of one who has received the wonderful gift of God which is eternal life.

You who have been born again have new life, and others will expect to see signs of that life just as they expect to see signs of life in a newly born baby. After giving first evidences of life, the baby shows an almost immediate longing for food, and mother would soon get disturbed if her newly born baby had no desire for milk, its natural food. A good appetite is a sign of good health.

Can you see the parallel in the ease of the babe in Christ? If there is no desire for the "milk" of the Word, there is something wrong with the-spiritual health of the child of God, as surely everyone should long to know more of Christ - if they really love Him.

You and I have a special reason to be very thankful for God's wonderful Word, for through it we have been born again. You will know the verse "Belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ" (Romans 10. 17). You have read or heard the Word, the Holy Spirit has used it, and you have believed it in your heart, and when you have believed, an unbreakable link between you and God has been forged. The miracle of the new birth has taken place. If a child's appetite is lacking, a corrective is probably necessary something is taking the appetite away and perhaps that "something" needs removing. Each of us needs to be on guard continually against those things which take away our appetite for the Word. For example, you will know that the reading of certain types of books, or listening to the wrong kind of conversation and impure jokes, can spoil the appetite for God's Word, just as certain types of fancy food will spoil the appetite of a child for good wholesome food. Remember that God's Word is always good and pure. "Thy Word is very pure; therefore Thy servant loveth it" (Psalm 119. 140).

Psalm 119. has much to say about the Word of God. Here is splendid advice given to young people in the form of question and answer. 'Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word-" (verse 9). So you see that if you are to walk a "clean way", and that means a way pleasing to your Lord, you must know God's Word, and walk according to it. In verse ii of the same Psalm we get more wise words born out of experience, "Thy Word have I laid up in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." If you have a real desire to avoid sin, you will want to do the same.

This question of laying up the Word in the heart is very important indeed, as it can do you good all the days of your life, but bear in mind also that bad things committed to memory are often impossible to wipe out, so take heed what you read, hear and see. Sometimes we hear of a child swallowing some harmful substance or article which leaves its mark throughout its whole life. Someone I know suffered badly in this way. This person as a young child was brought up in a home where strong drink was freely available. One day the young child toddled into a room where a decanter stood on a table within its reach. Picking it up the child drank freely of the whisky which it contained, and was later found by the horrified parents lying unconscious on the floor. The child recovered, but the drinking of that poisonous liquor had a permanent effect on its health, bringing endless pain and suffering in later life.

The foregoing incident is not told as a temperance story, although it has a strong voice on that issue, but to emphasize that just as wrong kind of food and drink can poison the stomach, so wrong things stored in the memory can seriously affect spiritual health.

It is easy to-day for the child of God covertly to share in the pleasures of the world. You, who would have no difficulty in refusing to enter recognized places of amusement, are faced with the temptation of having amusements brought into the seclusion and secrecy of your own home. Much that comes over the radio is in this class, and forms a temptation which many find difficult to resist, and now, present day television is an added snare which, without any hesitation, can be branded as something which should be shunned by a true disciple of the Lord. These dangers further emphasize the need of continually feeding on the Word, as great vigilance and strength from the Lord will be necessary if you are to resist these subtle temptations. A believer cannot enjoy such things and at the same time experience the full joy of the Lord. In various parts of Britain, and particularly at the ports, may be seen great silos in which is stored the precious wheat to provide our daily bread. Your memory is something like the silo, which can be filled with many good things. From its contents you can draw treasure which can be a means of blessing to you and to others in time of need. That is when you will know the experience of the Psalmist. "How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" It is interesting to read what Job thought about God's Word. He said, "I have treasured up the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23.12), which tempts me to wonder how many of us would go without breakfast, dinner or tea, rather than miss feeding on God's Word if ever we were faced with such a choice.

And now we are back to our original theme of food, with just a final warning. Guard against mal-nutrition in spiritual things. The medical world tells us that 1,400 calories daily are needed to maintain each human life. Similarly if you and I do not feed sufficiently from the Word, our life for the Lord will wane and opportunities for service will disappear. There is no shortage of this food, no rationing, so feed well and grow more.

N/A | May 1951
N/a