“For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
– Hebrews 5:13-14

One of my greatest joys as a coach is watching players mature as they move through the program. It’s always exciting to see that young, skinny, uncoordinated athlete leave for the summer and return in the fall three inches taller, twenty pounds heavier and able to complete drills flawlessly. Like the ugly caterpillar that turns into a beautiful butterfly, you don’t recognize them as being the same creature. It’s also rewarding to witness these athletes grow confident in themselves and begin to believe in the system being taught by the coaching staff. No longer content just to be on the team and stand on the sidelines, they want to lead and get into the action. The growth and maturity of these athletes is usually the direct result of consistent and persistent training of their minds and bodies. In simple terms, they want to get better; they’re not content to stand still in their development!

Like athletics, spiritual growth requires consistent and persistent training as well. All too often, we witness the joy of salvation with little or no lasting change in a person’s life. We see example after example of infant Christians perfectly content to continue drinking spiritual “milk” rather that moving toward the “solid food” of Christian maturity. In order to grow from infant Christians to mature Christians we must learn to separate good from evil and right from wrong. Where do we go for this knowledge? Look no further than God’s Word—The Bible. George Mueller, the 19th century evangelist had this to say: “The vigor of our spiritual lives will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our lives and in our thoughts.” As we grow in the Lord and put into practice what we have learned, our capacity to understand will also grow. Just like the athlete, we must always be striving to get better and refuse to stand still in our development.

Lord, give me the desire to grow in my knowledge of you and your Word. Push me Lord, to grow in my faith and to live it out each and every day. Amen.