From Milk to Meat
The Musings of Augustus Merriweather
🖋️ Welcome, dear readers! 🖋️
I’m delighted you’ve joined me for another Sunday evening reflection. Before we dive in, I’d like to extend an invitation: if you have any questions or topics you’d like my perspective on, please don’t hesitate to send them my way. Now, let’s embark on our weekly journey through Scripture together.
📖 Hebrews 5:11-6:20: Growing Pains of the Soul 🌱
My cherished friends and neighbors of Palmetto Cove,
As I sit here in my study, the warm glow of my reading lamp casting shadows on the bookshelves, I’m reminded of the time my youngest, Sarah Beth, struggled with her algebra homework. “Daddy,” she said, frustration evident in her voice, “why can’t I just stick with simple addition and subtraction? This is too hard!”
Her words, dear reader, echo the sentiments expressed in our passage today. The author of Hebrews admonishes his audience, saying, “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11).
🤔 Key Principle #1: Spiritual growth requires effort and perseverance. 🏋️♂️
Just as Sarah Beth needed to push through the challenges of algebra to progress in her mathematics journey, we too must press on in our spiritual lives. The writer of Hebrews doesn’t mince words:
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food (Hebrews 5:12).
Now, don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with a cool glass of milk on a hot Georgia afternoon. But imagine if that’s all you ever consumed! You’d miss out on the richness of a perfectly grilled steak or the complex flavors of my wife’s famous peach cobbler.
🍼 From Milk to Meat: A Spiritual Journey 🥩
The great C.S. Lewis once wrote, “If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.”
Lewis’s words remind us that spiritual maturity doesn’t happen by osmosis. We must actively engage with God’s Word, wrestle with difficult concepts, and apply them to our lives.
🏈 Action Step #1: Commit to a regular Bible study routine. Even if it’s just 15 minutes a day, consistency is key. (And remember, even the Georgia Bulldogs didn’t become champions overnight! Go Dawgs!) 🐶
As we progress in our passage, we encounter a sobering warning:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened... and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6).
Now, I must confess, dear readers, this passage has caused me many a sleepless night. It’s as perplexing as trying to understand why anyone would voluntarily support the Florida Gators. (I jest, of course... sort of.) 😉
But let’s not lose heart. The author’s intent isn’t to terrify us but to spur us on to greater faithfulness.
🤲 Key Principle #2: Our assurance lies not in our perfect performance, but in God’s unchanging character. 🙏
I’ve quoted this recently, but just by way of a reminder, the venerable John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, once said, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”
These words comfort me greatly, especially when I reflect on my own shortcomings. Why, just last week, I found myself grumbling about the unseasonably warm weather ruining my tweed-wearing plans. Hardly the attitude of a mature believer, wouldn’t you agree?
But the beauty of our passage lies in verses 19-20:
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf (Hebrews 6:19-20).
⚓ Anchors Aweigh: Hope in the Storm ⛵
This imagery of an anchor reminds me of a fishing trip I took with my good friend, Russell Scruton. As we sat in his rather questionable excuse for a boat (bless his heart), a sudden storm arose. The waves tossed us about like a salad, and I feared we might end up as fish food ourselves!
But Russ, with the calmness of a man who clearly hadn’t noticed the peril we were in, simply dropped the anchor. And do you know what happened? That little piece of metal held us steady against the fury of the storm.
🌊 Action Step #2: When life’s storms threaten to overwhelm you, remember your anchor. Spend time in prayer, thanking God for his unchanging nature and the hope we have in Christ. 🙏
As we wrap up our time together, I’m reminded of the words of the great hymn writer, Isaac Watts:
“Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.”
But thanks be to God, we who are in Christ are not borne away to oblivion. We have an anchor for our souls, sure and steadfast.
So, my dear friends, let us press on toward maturity. Let us encourage one another daily. And let us hold fast to the hope set before us, for he who promised is faithful.
Until next time, may your tea be strong, your tweed unwrinkled, and your heart anchored firmly in the love of Christ.
Yours in perpetual growth and occasional befuddlement,
Augustus B. Merriweather III
P.S. Remember, friends, there are additional resources available weekly that don’t go out via email. You can find more devotionals, Bible studies, and other edifying materials by visiting our Walking Points page. And if you’ve found this musing helpful, why not share it with a friend? After all, good news is meant to be spread, much like butter on a warm biscuit! 🥐📬