Abiding Fellowship, part 5

Tozer is speaking of more than just a study of God’s Word but rather a devouring of God’s Word as sustenance to the soul. He is talking about more than just taking God’s Word into the core and center of our beings, he is talking about the desire to have the Word of God there. The desire is what creates spiritual capacity – not the mere study of it. Hebrews 5:13 “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the mature.” 
 

Solid food or “meat” is for the mature. The babe has no capacity for meat. Just think of that little stomach that has never had anything but fluids. It’s all shriveled-up, there is nothing in it. You have to introduce meat to it in very small quantities until it finally gets big enough to handle – lots. Babes are on milk, the mature are on meat. There’s a difference between the meat and the milk of the word.     
 

Milk or Meat?

1 Peter 2:2 “... like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Let’s take a moment to consider the milk and the meat of God’s Word. Many consider the milk of the Word to be the light stuff and the meat to be the deep stuff. I tend to disagree with that. The Bible does talk about these different aspects of God’s Word, but I don’t believe the difference between milk and meat has much to do with depth.
 

Milk is a food that has gone through the digestive system of something else before you receive it; whereas meat is a food that you must digest yourself. In light of that truth, I cannot present to you, meat, but rather milk. I can only present to you, what I have digested no matter how deep or shallow it is. You cannot receive anything more than milk from me. The writer of the book of Hebrews said the difference between milk and meat is determined by the receiver, not by the Word itself. The only thing the babe can receive is milk. Meat is for the mature.

So, what is the difference between the babe and the mature? Reason of use. Remember what Hebrews 5:13-14 said: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the Word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” The reason they are mature is because of practice, or reason of use. 
 

Practice of what? Well, it’s a practice of doing the Will of God (obedience) – no matter what that means for you. Maybe, God’s Will is for you to develop a deep prayer life – or Word life – or evangelism – or developing a skill/talent He has given you to share with others, whatever it is, the doing of God’s Will, is what is being referred to, as reason of use. Or having our senses trained through practice.

Continued Monday