Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

August 05, 2019

by Pastor Hawtree

BIBLE READING: I Corinthians 3

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Babies are cute. At least most of them. What is not cute is an adult acting like a baby. As Paul writes the church at Corinth, he calls them Brethren, and he comments how he would love to be able to speak, treat, and minister to them like they were adults, but the problem was they were still acting like babies. There comes a point where it is time to grow up. Notice the characteristics that mark the individuals that have never grown up spiritually:

1. THEY CANNOT TAKE THE TRUTH
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
It’s not that they cannot take any truth, it’s just that they cannot take all the truth. Immature Christians accept the truth that is comfortable to them, and that does not challenge them. But immature Christians get very upset when the truth hurts. They either get mad at the truth, or they get mad at the one who is telling them the truth. Babies grow on milk, but there comes a point where there must be something more than milk to keep growing.

2. THEY BECOME JEALOUS (3)
They envy the talent or gift of another Christian desiring it for themselves without asking God if that is what He desires for them.

3. THEY ARE SELFISH (3)
Strife comes from individuals that want their way, and refuse to give in. Babies think only about themselves.

4. THEY CANNOT GET ALONG WITH OTHERS (3)
This is a characteristic of toddlers. Just ask a nursery worker if I’m telling you the truth.

5. THEY PLAY FAVORITES (4)
Let me tell you who their favorites are. People that give them what they want, tell them what they want to hear, or do what they want them to do. They like people that agrees with them.

Babies are cute, but spiritual babies that never grow up can cause constant problems. Let’s make sure we grow into mature “brethren”.