Long for the Pure Spiritual Milk

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:1-5 ESV)

Faith in Jesus Christ, because it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2), and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13) – and because it is persuaded of God (John 6:44), which is the meaning of “faith,” it is going to align with God’s will and purpose for our lives. And it requires of us that we die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).

Therefore, when we come to genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our bodies to make us obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ our Lord (Romans 6:1-23).

So, if we have indeed tasted that the Lord is good, via this God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, and so we have died with Christ to sin that we might now live to his righteousness and no longer in slavery to sin, then we are to put out of our lives all sinful practices, such as malice, deceit (lying), hypocrisy, envy, and slander, etc. These and other sinful practices are no longer to be active in our daily lives, deliberately and habitually.

And now we are to long for the pure truth of God’s word like a newborn baby longs for her mother’s milk. We should desire it in the same way to where if we do not have it that we end up hungering after it. We can’t wait until we have time alone with God to where we can drink in the truths of His word so that, by faith, and in the power of God, we may apply its truths to our daily lives, so that we now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his Word.

And this is so that we may grow up into salvation, that we might grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, so that we can bear much fruit for the kingdom of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit. And this involves us denying self, dying daily to sin, and walking in obedience to our Lord in holy living. And this engages us serving our Lord in ministry in doing whatever it is he has called us to do for the glory and praise of God.

Now we who believe in Jesus Christ with this genuine God-gifted faith in our Lord are all part of his body, his universal church. He has gifted us all in various ways, by the Spirit, and he has assigned us all specific roles within the universal body of Christ which he wants us to fulfill. And we aren’t all going to be the same body parts, but all of us are necessary to the proper working of the body as she builds herself up in love and faith in Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

And we are all to offer to God acceptable spiritual sacrifices to him, the main one of which is to offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him, which is our reasonable and acceptable worship of God. And we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we are to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God so that by our lives we prove what is God’s perfect will for our lives (Romans 12:1-2).

For, Jesus didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us of our sins so that when we die we can go to heaven, and not hell. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and that we might live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives in walks of holiness and in obedience to his commands.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Luke 9:23-26]

But if we continue living in deliberate and habitual sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord in righteous and holy living, by the Spirit, then, according to the Scriptures, we are not born of God, we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with God/Christ, we are not saved from our sins, and we are not on our way to heaven, but to hell. For true faith that comes from God leads us to die with Christ to sin and to live to his righteousness.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

The Lord’s Anointed  

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving. 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to 

Reward those who are seeking Him.

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear, 

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior, 

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness, 

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations. 

https://vimeo.com/114836524