Hebrews 5:11-14 (NLT)
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Babies are cute; in fact, as I write today’s post I can hear several babies playing (and crying) down the hall from my office. Babies represent new life, growth, challenges, and lessons. Babies also require a lot of oversight; they need a lot of attention and care. Babies cannot take care of themselves; instead, they are dependent on those adults around them to provide for them the necessities of growth.
Babies are cute as babies, and we (as adults) don’t mind coming alongside them to help them grow or provide for their growth. However, it is never cute is to see older children acting like babies. I recall one scene from my teen years. I and several of my friends were hanging out and riding our BMX bikes in one of the area neighborhoods. We were having a blast watching each other doing tricks and riding the jumps in a friend’s backyard. As the afternoon continued on, we heard a disturbance in one of the neighboring houses. SHOUTING. CRYING. YELLING. WINDOWS BREAKING.
Then, we witnessed something that I will never forget. A boy, at least five years old; was crawling out of a bedroom window, yelling at his mom. What’s more, he was only wearing a diaper. BOOM! My mind was blown.
To be fair, I have no idea what was doing on in the home and I have to be careful not to pass judgment on the family. But one thing I do know about life. Five-year-olds are not meant to wear diapers. It’s time for them to grow up.
But what about us; spiritually speaking are we still wearing a diaper? Are we still dependant on others for our spiritual growth. The author of Hebrews really gives us a punch in the gut with today’s Bible verse. Basically, he is saying, no yelling: “GO UP!”
Hebrews 5:11 (NLT)
There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.
It’s time to grow up. We cannot live a life of taking in spiritual nutrition and not applying it or sharing it with others. In fact, there is an expectation:
Hebrews 5:12 (NLT)
You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
We should be teaching others.
What is going through your mind when you read that? Are you a little anxious about the idea of teaching somebody something from the Word of God? That’s a big responsibility. Nevertheless, God’s Word says that we should be teaching others, and let me tell you this; it doesn’t have to be very hard.
Skills To Learn:
If you want to grow up and become an adult in your spiritual life try these skills
- Spend Time in God’s Word regularly. If you want to learn and teach others you have to get your teaching content somewhere. Start with Truth – God’s Truth. As you read the word of God, the Bible, read it in a way that causes you to think and grow. Start with the Gospels or Proverbs. Work at taking away one thing, one principle, one lesson each day.
- Share Your Thoughts. Learn to share openly what God is teaching you in your time with Him. Make it a habit to share with your family what God is teaching. It might look like this:
At the dinner table you might say; “Hey guys, can I share with you what I learned from my Bible reading today?” Start with that statement and see what happens. My guess is that your family will be open to hearing what God is teaching you.
