Reflections On The Gospel Of John Prøve

PUT DOWN THE BOTTLE, IT’S TIME TO GROW UP Something that would probably seem unusual is seeing a 5-year old child sitting in a stroller drinking milk out of a baby bottle. Here is a child old enough to walk, with the ability to use the bathroom on his or her own drinking out of a bottle as if an infant. This is exactly where many of us as Christians are today; we are drinking milk from the bottle when we should be eating meat. Yes, we are to “desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby” according to 1 PE.2.2; however, at some point we have to put the bottle down and grow up (1CO.3.1-3). As young believers in Christ, rehearsing and reciting JHN.3.16 or the 23rd Psalm may have been cute at the time and may have provided a spiritual foundation. But when the attacks of the enemy come, although JHN.3.16 encourages our salvation, it does little to provide us with the armor needed to protect against devil’s onslaught. When we begin to eat the meat of the Word not only do we grow spiritually, we also begin to discover who we are, understand the promises that are ours by right, and begin to speak accordingly. Our prayers will then be less focused on what can be attained for just me and mine, but now have a more Kingdom-minded focus as we also begin to pray and intercede for the needs of others. When we make it our purpose to wean ourselves away from spiritual milk, it is then that we truly begin to focus on the meatier things (2PE.1.3-8). It’s time to put the bottle down because God wants us to grow up so that we no longer just focus on self, but move to a spiritual mindset that begins to focus on others as we sacrificially give of ourselves!