Day 348, or December the 14th. Stop being a baby.
Our thoughts today are from Hebrews chapter 6,
verse 1. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary
teachings about Christ, and be taken forward
to maturity, not laying again the foundation
of repentance from acts that lead to death, and
of faith in God. And now the big picture surrounding
this verse. The letter to the Hebrews continues
challenging its readers to find a better alternative.
One by one, the Holy Spirit knocks down the apparently
viable options by logic as well as by the Spirit's
help. The key to believing is maturing in the
faith. This helps to resolve our doubts and dilemmas
and makes us stand firm in the faith. Remember,
God has given us a brain to use as well as faith
to believe. And now, our action step for today.
In his great paraphrased version of the Bible,
which is called The Message, Eugene H. Peterson
is so helpful with our verse today. He wraps
it together with the two following verses and
renders them like this. So come on, let's leave
the preschool finger -painting exercises on Christ
and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up
in Christ. The basic foundational truths are
in place. Turning your back on salvation by self
-help and turning in trust towards God. Baptismal
instructions, laying on of hands, resurrection
of the dead, eternal judgment. God helping us,
we'll stay true to all that. But there's so much
more. Let's get on with it. It's all a matter
of priorities, really. Are we simply going to
cover the same old ground over and over again,
or as a parody of that lovely old hymn, Onward
Christian Soldiers might put it, like a mighty
tortoise moves the church of God? Brothers, we
are treading where we've always trod. And don't
blame the church either, because the church is
you and me. So are we going to grow up and move
on now, or mark time for a while longer as the
world wallows in its lostness? It seems to me
that so many churches are filled with babies,
it's no wonder adults don't want to join.