Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV)
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain
because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all
over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being
still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But
solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to
distinguish good from evil.
My
cousin’s husband and my best friend’s husband are both accountants. In fact,
they both have sons who also have careers in the field of mathematics. If I
asked either of these men to teach me to be an accountant, they would
undoubtedly tell me I wasn’t ready and that I would need to go back and relearn
some basic mathematical concepts first. It isn’t that I can’t learn accounting
skills, it’s that my mathematic skill level is not were it needs to be to grasp
accounting concepts.
The
writer of Hebrews has much to convey to the developing church about teachings
in righteousness. His frustration seems to be not in the fact that they need
the basics; but rather, his frustration seems to be in the fact that “by this
time” they should be past the basics of Christianity.
For
me, this speaks volumes to our world, our nation, and to each of us personally.
A little child might pout, whine, and throw tantrums. Adults should have grown
up out of that stage of life. A little child might be learning “Jesus loves
you.” Adults should be living examples of Christ’s love, and should be sharing
it with others. A little child might be learning memory verses such as, “God is
love” (one phrase from 1 John 4:16). An adult—well first, they have to find
their Bible, dust it off…
When
I decided to “Write From My Heart,” I made the decision that not every
devotional would be nice and pretty. I made the decision to be honest and
truthful in my writing, even when it means that my writing is directed in part
to myself. We live in a nation who is refusing to grow up. Our “one nation
under God,” barely recognizes him anymore. Too many of us are content with the
Biblical knowledge we learned as a child, and we are not delving into God’s
word daily. To be sure, Christianity is a difficult topic in that it’s very
foundation is faith in an unseen Holy God. For some, that is hard to grasp.
However it is the first necessary step before understanding “righteousness,”
which is “right living” with God by accepting Jesus Christ as personal Lord and
Savior—God’s ultimate plan of salvation for ALL. And we must ask ourselves, are
we at the point in our Christian maturity that we understand this well enough
to teach others by the way we live?
Gracious Heavenly Father,
You
know my heart. You know I long to serve you, but there is still so much that I
am learning; so much more I need to know. May I, may we, not neglect delving
into your Word on a daily basis. Give us the measure of understanding you
believe we can handle at this time, but never let us slip into the routine of
complacency.
In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Respectfully written and submitted by
Dotty Willmon, Resurrection Christian—looking for
the blessed hope of Christ’s return!
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