From 1 Peter 2:2-3: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
From Hebrews 5:13-14: “For everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.”
From Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Searching the local bookstore for one of the all-time classics to read, I find myself wandering the nearly infinite rows of bookcases, overflowing with books of every kind. I am not looking for just any book, mind you. My reading appetite hungers for something rich in prose, but the book needs to fit my personal definition of a classic.
As I walk around, my eyes notice many classics of American literature. I flip through pages of book after book. Hmm, “not this one” becomes my common response. Frustration is beginning to set in, and the time is growing late.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
While these books would fill many lists of some of the most treasured novels to read, my appetite is still looking for something with the “crowning glory” of literature. My vigilant book search continues.
Coming around a corner, the final section of the enormous store is laid out in front of me. This overly small section of is buzzing with activity. A large gathering of book lovers are digging all over its shelves. What stories are these readers of classic literature finding here?
“Jonah and the Whale”
“Moses Leads Israel Home”
“Daniel in the Lion’s Den”
“David vs. Goliath”
“Abraham and Isaac”
“Noah Builds an Ark”
Feeling the excitement now as well, my eyes capture a beautiful volume with the above stories, but I also discover “The Greatest Story of All-Time” about a Galilean named Jesus Christ.
My spiritual journey has finished at last. The Holy Bible will fill my spiritual hunger for an eternity. Amen!
One of the biggest dangers for believers is a failure to mature. To grow, we must have nourishment from God’s Word, and to become strong, we need the exercise of obedience.
From Hebrews 5:12-14: “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.
From 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”
The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me. The Bible is not antique or modern. It is eternal.
From Matthew 4:4: “But He [Jesus] answered, ‘It is written, One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”