Police Devotion 3-11-2017
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1-2)
The apostle Peter told believers in Christ to “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18). He also told us how to do that. Apparently, he was speaking to new Christians because he said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” To grow in your relationship with the Lord—to grow in grace—you need to feed consistently on “the sincere milk of the word” which is the Word of God.
When a person first accepts Jesus as his Saviour, he may not know much about the Bible. Even if he is older when he accepts Christ, he is still, like Peter said, a spiritual “newborn babe” who needs to be fed from God’s Word to grow and become a strong Christian. A newborn baby starts out with milk. In the same way, new believers—and older ones—need consistent, basic Bible instruction about Jesus’ life, faith in God’s Word, prayer, and service. Most of the New Testament, as well as Psalms and Proverbs, are easy to understand and provide good basic spiritual food that believers need.
By way of example, new officers often don’t know much about police work, but they’re excited about it, which is great. That’s why lazy cops should not train rookies. Young officers don’t need their heads filled with whiny stories from lazy veterans about how bad the job is. A rookie needs to hear the truth of how to do the job right so he’ll grow as an officer. In the same way, a young Christian needs to spend time in God’s Word and hear it preached in church so he’ll grow as a Christian.
Peter also said to “desire the sincere milk of the word” which means that it’s possible not to desire the word. Interestingly, Christians can love the Bible but struggle taking time to read it. Bible reading can be lost in the shuffle of life. Yet the Bible can become something you actually enjoy. The way for that to happen is for you to read from it, memorize Scriptures that you particularly enjoy, and think often about what you’ve memorized. Even when you can’t read a Bible, you can recall Scriptures you’ve memorized, and they’ll help you all over again. In that way, Scripture is a gift that keeps on giving. The more time you spend in God’s Word, the more desirable it becomes. That’s why it’s good to have a New Testament, so you can read and memorize even a little when you have time on duty.
You may not always enjoy reading and memorizing Scripture, but the more you do it, the more God uses it to speak to your heart and the more you develop a taste for it and want to do it. Proverbs 2:10-11 says, “When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.” So according to verse 10, it’s possible for knowledge from the Bible NOT to be pleasant to your soul. Yet the more you read and memorize it and attend church where the Bible is preached as God’s Word, the more pleasant it becomes. Your knowledge of Jesus, faith in Him, and your love for Him will grow when you feed on “the sincere milk of the word.”
If you haven’t seen in the Bible how to have eternal life by receiving Jesus as your personal Saviour, please click “Helpful Links” on the top menu and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?” on the dropdown.
Brian Miller 3/11/2017
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822