Milk

1 Corinthians 3:1-2a

"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it."

As the mother of a one-year-old who really enjoys his bottle, I’m thankful for milk. I mentioned in I love the ability to spend a some quieter time with my little man (while he’s being still!) as I rock him to sleep with his bottle. This wouldn’t be possible without the milk in the bottle. Occasionally, we run out and I’ll use warm water instead. He rocks and drinks it just as well... but he doesn’t go to sleep as well. The milk seems to help prepare his tummy for the fast during sleep.

Milk helps little ones to grow and prepares them for the next step. God does this with His children, too. Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 3:2a: “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.”

Even though I've been a christian more than 20 years, I think this discipline of being thankful has become my spiritual milk. It really is a very basic principle of following God, and has opened my eyes to a whole new and wonderful world, filled with blessings, contentment, joy, and peace, just to name a few. Not that I was completely void of these things before, but it is a foundation from which I can begin to eat more solid food.

And I rather enjoy my bottle. I think it's important to note that milk is still useful to supplement the solid food. Were I to stop my discipline of thankfulness, my foundation would crumble, and my solid spiritual food would be less relevant. Rather, I am to not only have milk. I must continue to practice the basics alongside the more advanced principles.

The most famous example of this is in 1 Corinthians 13: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.” Let me not forget the basic principles of Christ - why I do what I do.

I thank God for His working in my life through thankfulness, my spiritual milk. I pray it blesses you, too, and that He would lead you to search out His workings in your own life, producing in you the thankfulness and trust He deserves.

Have you found thankfulness to be your milk?