Solid Food (2 Cor. 3:1-3)

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?
(2 Corinthians 3:1-3, NASB)

We all start out as helpless infants relying on someone else for our daily needs. We’re fed milk, not solid food. But the day comes when our mommy or other caretaker gives our first bite of solid food. And few of us go back to a milk-only diet.

It’s the same with our spiritual lives. When we first come to know Christ, we take baby steps. We learn the basics of our faith. We memorize John 3:16 and Psalm 23. We rely on the teaching of others to help us better understand our faith.

But one day, we read the Bible on our own. We pick up a commentary or study written by a godly man or woman. We begin to dig deeper, seeking to understand more of who God is.

At least that’s the way it should be. When Paul wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth, apparently there were many who hadn’t left spiritual infancy. They weren’t ready to “eat” the solid food of God’s truth. They were still entrapped by their flesh, continuing to walk like “mere men.”

And they weren’t spiritually healthy, just as if an infant didn’t receive solid food at the right time.

Spiritual growth comes when we read and meditate on God’s word. It comes when we spend time in prayer, talking to Him and listening to His voice. It comes when we fully surrender our lives and our plans to His will.

Don’t keep drinking “milk.” Open up God’s word and feast.