Bible Verse of the Day Tuesday April 25th, 2023

1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

This verse begins with "like," but some versions use the word "as." The Greek word is "Hos" (Strong's 5613), which translates to "as, like, about, as it were, and accordingly." The words "like" and " as " bring into play a correlation and comparison between physical growth and spiritual growth. Our physical growth begins when we draw our first breath in this life. Our spiritual growth starts at the first heartbeat after we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our physical growth will occur with or without our personal involvement; however, our spiritual growth will depend on our daily walk with Christ Jesus, our level of daily prayer, daily Bible study and service to God and others, and most importantly, our commitment to spreading the gospel to all to all lost souls in the world (Acts 1:8).

We are all born physically through the joining of our mothers and fathers; additionally, we are born again when we accept the "Father's" invitation to accept the "Son's" free offer of mercy and grace that Christ won for all on Calvary's Cross. Therefore, the desire to surrender our hearts, lives, minds, bodies, and souls to Christ Jesus and become closer to Him daily with a diet of prayer, Bible study, and service to Him and others should dominate our beings (Psalm 42:1-2). A vigorous and healthy baby will always crave the nourishment of a mother's milk; we do not have to inform them that they want or need it.

F.B. Meyer once wrote: "Who are the newborn babes? In a sense, we all are. "The most advanced among us, in knowledge and attainment, are, in comparison with what they shall be, only as babes." Father God's desire for all His children is that we live on a daily diet of the truth of His Holy Word. Just like the dangers of feeding our young children junk food, the risks are ever-present if we fill our being on the "junk food" of false teachings and counterfeit doctrines. There is no problem with reading and studying commentaries and other devotional literature; however, we must always research the authors and ensure they align with the truth of God's Word. Still, there is no substitute for time spent daily in the pages of God's Holy Word, the Bible.

We determine and ascertain the grace and mercy of God in and through a personal connection with Christ Jesus. The more we learn of God's deep love for all people, the deeper our desire to worship and praise Him will become. We cannot enjoy a genuine personal relationship with Christ Jesus remotely. We must spend quality time with Him hourly and daily, in and through a consecrated prayer life, daily Bible Study, and time spent with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.