“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4) What did you eat today, food for the body and the Spirit? There is a vast difference between the two, the One who spoke these words knew what it meant to be hungry, forty days is a long time to be without food, (Matt. 4:2) His physical stature must have been a strong one, but I’m guessing He did not look the part of Savior after that long without food.
Most of the people I am presuming that you know probably eat at least once a day, more often than that more than likely, but how often do you see them living off the Word of God, do they strike you as “Spiritually filled” individuals. I will say that most of those that I have met over the decades do not strike me as individuals who have been eating very well, at least not in the Spiritual terminology. Oh, they may go to church, they may even have a few memory verses in their head, but they most generally come across as those who just nibble here and there at the Word, they do not seem as if they ever sit down to a full course meal.
With all that is happening in the world at this time, it seems that quite a few of them just want to skip all the hassle of chewing on the truth, and instead just want to head straight to the dessert table, in other words, “bring on the rapture.” I liken some of these to Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 3:2 informing the individuals of his day that it is time to stop drinking milk, and high time to get to the table, pick up a knife and fork and get to chewing.
Reading the Bible is an excellent habit, but if we do not contemplate the words of Scripture, if we do not apply them by reaching out to the lost and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ to carry their burdens, then we will forever be in the milk. Many have read the Scriptures, few are by spiritual discernment and wisdom able to perceive them correctly, to see the truth of this, just open your phone book, look under the heading of “Churches,” and discern the truth for yourself. Even when all we had was the King James Bible, cults and false religions still sprang up, today whatever you decide to believe in there is more than likely someone or some place that calls itself a church that will come close enough to what you have decided is the truth of the Scriptures to feed you.
It is how so many are so easily led astray, they do no research on their own in the Word, they will take whatever is handed to them on their plate and eat it right up. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” (1 Cor. 10:23) From those still in the milk, to the foolish Galatians, to those that James was talking to who were attempting to persuade people that they were saved but had no works of the Spirit to back up those words, (James 2:18) very little has changed over the centuries, the lies and deceits are still there, it is just with more people on the planet, sin as a whole grows exponentially, until we finally reach the edge of the plateau that we now stand on, the apostacy. (2 Thess. 2:3)
Each one of us has ample opportunity to search the Scriptures every day, there is no viable or reasonable excuse, even if you do not open your Bible for that day, you have read the accounts, you know the examples that have been set down there for us, very, very few of us are so busy or have a need to be consumed within our day that we cannot contemplate the words of God. It is how we learn to chew, too many have never decided to leave the milk, for many today, as it was in Paul’s day, the verse still stands true, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” (Hebrews 5:12)
The table is set, the food is prepared, as wisdom says, “She hath killed her beasts,” (Prov. 9:2) are you willing to start eating, or will you always need someone else to feed you.