Milk Comes First

Hi friend, and welcome to Our Daily Bread.

I'm Sheridan Voisey, and I've titled today's devotional, Milk Comes First. In the seventh century, what is now called the United Kingdom was many kingdoms often at war. When one king, Oswald of Northumbria, became a believer in Jesus, he called for a missionary to bring the Gospel to his region. A man named Corman was sent, but things didn't go well.

Finding the English stubborn, barbarous, and uninterested in his preaching, he returned home frustrated. I am of the opinion, a monk named Aidan told Corman, that you were more severe to your unlearned hearers than you ought to have been. Instead of giving the Northumbrians the milk of more easy doctrine, Corman had given them teaching they couldn't yet grasp. Aidan went to Northumbria, adapted his preaching to the people's understanding, and thousands became believers in Jesus.

Aidan got this sensitive approach to mission from Scripture. I gave you milk, not solid food, Paul told the Corinthians, for you were not yet ready for it. Before right living can be expected from people, Hebrews says, basic teaching about Jesus, repentance, and baptism must be grasped. While maturity should follow, let's not miss the order.

Milk comes before meat. People can't obey teaching they don't understand. The faith of the Northumbrians ultimately spread to the rest of the country and beyond. Like Aidan, when sharing the Gospel with others, we meet people where they are. Today's scripture reading is from Hebrews chapter 5 verse 11 to chapter 6 verse 2. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 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, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you for reaching us in ways that we could understand, coming down to our level, becoming human, patiently revealing to us the unfathomable God. Would you give us the patience and humility to do the same thing for others as they walk their own faith journey? Not expecting them to obey teaching they just don't understand, but giving them milk when they need it and meat when they're ready for it. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.