How hungry are we for God and the things of God?
Brothers and sisters I could not address you as spiritual but as WORLDLY(carnal) – MERE INFANTS in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready. You are still WORLDLY. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not WORLDLY? Are you not acting like MERE MEN? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another “I follow Apollos,” are you not MERE MEN? 1 Cor 3:1-4 NIV
Paul began his letter to the Church in Corinth(first priority!) with the matter of divisions and quarrels in the Church. 1 Cor 1:10. Now in the third chapter he returns to it again and addresses the lack of maturity in the church. In the New International Version(NIV) we see Paul repeats the same words three times over. He says ‘they are worldly — mere infants(baby Christians)’. He gave them milk not solid food(meat) because you were not ready for it(if we try to feed an infant solid food too early it will choke it). Paul had to ‘moderate his message’ because the whole group of believers(some may have been more able to receive a little meat but didn’t have the chance) couldn’t take it. What a shame! They had God’s Apostle there to minister to them and all they could receive from him was the milk of the Word. God has meat for us today but can we receive it or will it choke us?
KEEP FEEDING, even on the milk, it’s your chance for LIFE. I have seen young animals which weren’t feeding and had to try and get them to suck some milk. One learned to suck and lived, actually gorged on the milk, but a sibling didn’t or couldn’t learn to suck. One recognised it was their chance for life.
But Paul is telling the believers(brothers and sisters) that they were too immature(their quarrelling and divisions proved it) to receive solid food. All living things have to feed and exercise in order to grow and develop. Ministers can help us grow to a certain extent but ultimately we have to take responsibility for our own walk with the Lord. It’s also noteworthy that the whole body in Corinth was affected, they all received only the milk of the Word. Are we in a ‘milk or a meat body’? The Christian environment we have chosen to be a part of will greatly affect our spiritual diet!
Please give some thought to what we’re feeding on today, milk or meat? Our eternal destiny is being settled here and now and we need to be seeking and walking with the Lord.
Blessed are THEYWHO HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THEY SHALL BE FILLED( God has promised to fill us if we keep looking for more!) Matt 5:6
God bless and keep you.