[When available, audio recordings of these devotions are posted at http://www.redeemerclc.info/audio-devotions]
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Ephesians 4:14-15 ...we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ...
GROW UP WITH GOOD FOOD!
When you were born into the faith, you were born into the love of God as your sins were forgiven and faith came to life in your heart. Through the study of the Word you learned that our love for God comes from His love for us, and that His love produces in us the fruits of faith -- that it is the Holy Spirit who works through the Gospel to produce in us "...the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).
From God's Word you know how God wants you to live, and through the Word, the Spirit is prompting you to live that way, to put off your sinful flesh, and to live for Him. And that includes especially the desire to use God's Word, to use the Means of Grace, to make use of the Sacraments.
Sadly, many people push those holy desires aside. They ignore the voice of the Savior and the prompting of the Holy Spirit and decide that they have had enough of God's Word to last them a lifetime. And so they stop using the Word. They stop coming to church. They despise the use of the Sacrament of the Altar, ignoring the fact that it is the Spirit who is working in them through the Law and the Gospel to bring them to repent of their sins, to continue to come to Christ for forgiveness, and to move forward in the strength of faith.
If you don't feed a baby his milk, he will starve to death. But when that baby gets old enough to feed himself, he still needs to drink his milk. You can't eat only meat and potatoes, you still need the simple things. You need a balanced diet. Likewise, you can't eat only junk food. The same is true of your faith. You can't stop feeding your faith a balanced diet or it may die. Your source of nutrition needs to continue to be the Word of God.
And you can't stop drinking your milk. Some fall into error because they've stopped drinking their milk and focus all of their attention on the meat and potatoes, the more difficult doctrines of Scripture, and have lost their first love, that is the Gospel. We do want to study Scripture in depth, but our greatest need as sinful human beings is the constant assurance that God has forgiven our sins because of Jesus.
My Maker, be Thou nigh
The light of life to give
And guide me with Thine eye
While here on earth I live.
To Thee my heart I tender
And all my powers surrender;
Make it my one endeavor
To love and serve Thee ever.
Upon Thy promise I rely;
My Maker, be Thou nigh.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 335:1)
