Coffee With The Lord

What do you feed a brand new baby? … Stuff right off your dinner table at your evening meal? A “Big Mac,” fries and a “Coke?” Will those things be helpful and lead to health and growth?

Ask any pediatrician, nutritionist, or for that matter any concerned, caring “Mom” … they will answer with a resounding “No way!” Proper nutrition matters – especially for infants!

The same is true Spiritually – for a “babe in Christ!”

When I served as “Commissioner on Discipleship” for the denomination I am a part of, we had a well-known guest speaker for a conference on the subject of “discipleship” – Thom Rainer. He was asked this direct question: “Based on research you have done, what is the most important thing you can get a brand new Christian to do?”

His answer? …“HANDS DOWN, GET THEM STARTED READING THEIR BIBLE!” (That was more important than church attendance, participation in a small group, a new disciples class or podcast, etc. Don’t get me wrong those things are important and helpful… but getting them to read their Bible was most important!)

In my Bible reading this morning I read two verses that seem to bear that out! Here they are:

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander! LIKE NEWBORN INFANTS, DESIRE THE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK OF THE WORD, THAT YOU MAY GROW UP YOU’RE YOUR SALVATION!” (1 Peter 2:1-2 CSB)

Hey, let me tell you, it was the turning point in my spiritual growth and vitality! Frustrated, with my spiritual growth as a teenager, I asked a wonderful Christian high school teacher, Dean Sheneman, what I needed to do to have the same spiritual health and vitality I observed in his life. His answer? “Bartel, how much time are you spending in God’s word daily?” … I responded to his challenge, prioritized a daily time of Bible reading, reflection and response, and I’VE NEVER BEEN THE SAME!

SPIRITUAL NUTRITION MATTERS! My advice? Get off the “spiritual junk food” – stop doing the things that poison your spirit – and “DESIRE THE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK OF THE WORD THAT YOU MAY GROW THEREBY!” (…And you never outgrow your need for it!)