The Word: 1 Peter 2: 2 (KJV)
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
Dig Deeper:
Jeremiah 15: 16a (KJV)
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:
Think about it
THE ART OF NUTRITION….
We ‘ve been discussing the 7 characteristics of living things: Respiration, Nutrition, Excretion, Sensitivity, Movement, Growth, Reproduction. We said respiration is first because breathing represents life. Let’s discuss the 2nd characteristics today which is the art of nutrition
What is Nutrition?
Nutrition is simply the intake of necessary food substances, water, vitamins, nutrients, that supports sustenance and enables growth. When a baby is born, the first thing to check is whether the baby is breathing. Without oxygen the brain could be damaged within a very short period. Now the baby is breathing thank God! But within a few hours if the baby is not feeding there will be concerns. This is because food supports life. So a man gets to hear the word of God, he is now born again, he has breath (his spirit is alive) but he needs certain necessary nutrients if not his regenerated spirit will faint out of hunger and go into coma.
God’s word is food!
Job 23: 12b
12 …….I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Job was saying physical food is necessary for the physical body. Thesame way, spiritual food is also necessary for our spirit man
1 day without God’s word make our spirit hungry.
1 week without God’s word makes our spirit faint
1 Month without God’s word sends our spirit into a coma
Psalm 119: 103
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
A baby well fed will look robust, attractive and well pleasing to the eye. On the TV, you sometimes see images of children from third world countries or war zones: starving, skinny with their ribs cage coming out. For some of us we look robust and attractive, well dressed, nice shoes and ties and make up physically but our spirit man looks like those children in war torn countries starving gradually to death because of lack of nutrition.
3 factors are important for solid nutrition:
– Consistent feeding – (Regular, daily fellowship)
– Right quantity of food (enough time in fellowship)
– Balanced diet: (the right topics and right word to make you a robust Christian)
Consistent, adequate and balanced nutrition is the only way to meaningful growth. Meaning the food has to be enough quantity, it has to be regular and it has to be balanced. Not having enough nutrition or not being consistent will cause partial starvation. Your spirit man needs a minimum fellowship time of word and prayer of about 1hr a day. And that needs to be everyday. So if you pray just 2 minutes and read the word another 2 min. Your spirit man will not die but will be seriously malnourished. However If you pray and study for 2hrs (meaning you are giving enough food quantity but its haphazard because you only fellowship on Mondays and Tuesdays), partial starvation will still be the result. If you also only study about certain topic: spiritual warfare and holiness but you do not study about love, fruit of the spirit, prosperity etc you will be a lopsided believer.
– Haphazard nutrition will bring haphazard growth. Robust feeding will bring robust growth.
So if you read the word just 2days in a week, your growth chart is going to follow your nutrition pattern. Have you fed you spirit man today?
Our memory verse for February
2 Peter 3: 18
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Let’s take a few moment to learn our memory verse for this month by heart. It can be memorised in 3 lines:
Line 1: But Grow in grace,
Line 2: And in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
Line 3: To him be glory both now and for forever.
Once you say it a few times it will stick.
Prayer focus: Father help me to have a consistent, adequate, balanced nutrition pattern IJN
On Grace: God’s lavish Grace – Terry Virgo
Masterlife Workbook: The Church is embarking on weeks of discipleship workbook study starting with the Masterlife: Disciple’s cross.