From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: I was saved when I was a small boy, and while I’ve continued to be involved in church, I can’t say I’ve really grown as a Christian. Someone called me a babe in Christ. It hurt me at first until I really thought about it. What does that really mean, and is there a secret to developing a desire to learn more about the Lord? – G.C.
A: The idea of growing mature in the things of the Lord is similar to babies going through the stages of childhood. Each phase causes children to grow physically and mentally, always learning. The Apostle John wrote about becoming mature in the faith. We can never live the Christian life on the highest plane unless we are continually growing and moving forward. Whether a teenager, young adult, career person, or a senior citizen, for those who have been Christians growing strong in the Lord is never finished.
The Bible says, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Read it, study it, think on it, and memorize it! This is God’s letter to mankind. How many things could be more easily solved if a person read what God thinks? What we dwell on, we love. “For as [a person] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). The more we dwell on the Word of God, the more we will thirst after it, and the more it will keep us from wandering from its truth.
When coupled with prayer, we have put on the armor of God to help us withstand the evil that is in the world, and we will learn compassion toward those who do not know Him. These disciplines are essential to spiritual growth, and God blesses those that seek after Him.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2021 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
