Two Essentials for Life

-

Two Essentials for Life

1 Peter 2:1-8

“Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

                  During the holiday season, the one question that will be universally asked is, “What do you want for Christmas?”  As we approach the celebration of Christmas and the gift exchange with family and friends, we do not want to buy someone the proverbial “ugly sweater” they will never wear.  We want to buy a gift that people will enjoy and use.  Consequently, we ask the question, and we want people to list what they would like so we can purchase a gift they will appreciate. 

                  As Christians, what should be our desire?  If someone would ask us, “What do we want spiritually this Christmas,”   what would we answer?  In these verses, Peter gives us two essentials we should have at the center of our wish list regarding our relationship with God.  He uses two analogies to point to two things we should set our desire upon.

                  In the first analogy, Peter uses the illustration of newborn babies.  Growing up on the farm, when a calf was born, it always amazed me how instinctively the calf would immediately seek the mother's milk.  As soon as it could stand, it would search for the mother's udder to start feeding on the rich, life-giving milk.  No one taught them. The rancher does not need to take the calf and show it where to find its life-giving food.  It is an ingrained and natural desire the calf has so that the first thing it does after being able to stand is to begin nuzzling the cow to find the udder and obtain the life-giving milk.  Without this desire, the calf would quickly lose strength and die. 

                  For Peter, the natural desire of babies for milk perfectly illustrates our desire for the instruction of the Bible.  The Bible is the spiritual food for those who desire to grow in Christ.  It is what gives spiritual strength and vitality. Without a steady diet of the Scriptures, we will become spiritually weak, sickly, and even die.  Our desire to know and live by the Bible reveals our spiritual health.  The word “long for” is a strong word, and it speaks of a deep desire and craving that we should have for the truth of God’s word that gives us life.  Just as milk is the substance of life for a baby, the Bible is the substance and source of life for the Christian. We are to desire the “pure milk of the word.”  It is unmixed with impurities. We desire to receive the uncontaminated and unadulterated word.   The Bible is without error and has as its sole purpose the nourishment of our spiritual life.   

                  The second foundation (to now mix the metaphors) upon which we must strive to build our life is the cornerstone of Christ himself.  The cornerstone was the foundational stone upon which the building was constructed.  It would be comparable to our modern footing.  Without a proper footing and foundation, the house, no matter how elaborate, becomes a death trap for those living there.  The same is true of our spiritual lives.  We are to construct our life upon the foundation of Christ.  Just as the Word gives us nourishment, Christ and His example and teaching give us the foundation upon which we are to build our lives.  

                  The teaching of the Bible and the person of Christ should be the longing of every Christian.  Our spiritual health and growth are built upon these two truths.  If we ignore the Bible, if we live life without being centered upon the person of Christ, we are building a life that is defective and unhealthy and will eventually lead to destruction.  As we approach Christmas and people ask us, “What do we want?” it serves as an excellent reminder to evaluate what is truly important and what is genuinely the basis for a healthy spiritual life.  The one desire we should have is the instruction of scripture and the knowledge of Christ.  If not, then we need to refocus our lives and priorities.  They are the two essentials for our spiritual life.

                  

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A New Way of Life

-
A New Way of Life Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have the confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”                   The book of Hebrews is centered on the redemptive work of Christ and how His sacrifice is sufficient for paying the penalty of our sins so that we now have free access to God.   By comparing the Old Testament sacrificial system and the sacrifice on the day of atonement with the sacrifice of Christ, the writer points out that the Old Testament sacrificial system and the Day of the Atonement provided only temporary and partial forgiveness for our sins.  Every year, the High Priest would take the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement and enter into the Holy of...
Read more

When Injustice Reigns

-
When Injustice Reigns Eccl. 8:10-14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.” Traditional wisdom informs us that God blesses the righteous, and the wicked will suffer calamity because of their sin. In Proverbs 10, we find a discourse on the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. Traditional wisdom informs us that “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Prov. 10:6-8). In the moral order established by God, we obtain blessing and prosperity when we walk in obedience to God, for this is the promise of the law given to Moses (see the blessings and curses of the law in Deut. 28). However, Solomon takes a closer examination o...
Read more

The Prayer God Answers

-
The Prayer that God Loves to Answer Phil. 1:7-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”               When we pray, what is the focus of our requests?  James points out that one of the reasons we are powerless in prayer is because we ask with the wrong motives. Our prayers focus on what we want for our pleasure and happiness rather than spiritual transformation (James 4:3). Effective prayer starts with the proper focus.  This is not to say that God does not desire us to pray about our personal needs.  He invites us to pray about all things and issues in our lives.  However, prayer is not al...
Read more