Grow...part one.

Since many Chick Food readers are new or new-ish Christians, I want to share a series of posts on growing in our faith. If you've made a decision to trust Christ as savior, that's a wonderful decision! You have passed from darkness into His light (1 Peter 2:9). Old things are passed away, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). But receiving Christ is just the first step on a life-long journey of following Him.  If we're going to grow, there's more to do!

You moms out there know that in order for your baby to grow and become strong and healthy, you have to feed her!  The same thing is true of spiritual babies.  In 1 Peter 2:2, we're told "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby..." (NKJV) Other translations render the word "desire" as "crave".  If we're going to grow in faith and Christlikeness, if we're going to discover the new life God intends for us, we need to crave His word, the Bible.  God's word is the spiritual "milk", the nutrition we need to grow strong in our faith.  Although we hear God's word in sermons at church, in songs of worship, or Christian books, there is no substitute for daily time spent reading the Bible.

If your Bible is written in Elizabethan English, with lots of "thees and thous", you may want to get a more readable translation, one written in modern English, such as the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT).  If you attend Crossroads, you can pick up a free NLT on our Next Steps table in the Lobby. So get your readable translation of the Bible (one you can highlight and write in!), join me here at Chick Food tomorrow, and we'll talk about developing the habit of daily Bible reading. 

Today's Verse:  Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,³ now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.  1 Peter 2:2-3 NLT

Prayer for Today:  Dear Father, I long to become a fully devoted follower of Christ.  Help me to grow in my faith as I read Your word.  In Jesus name, I pray.  Amen.