Hebrews – Chapter 5

…for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. Hebrews 5:13 – As I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate the wonders and specialness of a little baby. Their joy at the simplest thing and their unconditional love is beautiful. When a baby though begins to cry, no one is shocked by this for this is what babies do. A baby acting like a baby is normal, but an adult acting like a baby is a nightmare, and that’s what we see as the example in our passage. The author is telling his readers that they have been adults acting like babies. Not physically though, but spiritually. The readers were not growing up past the baby stages of their life with God and this frustrated the author for he wanted to take them onto more mature things. In our walk with the Lord, we too need to be careful to grow up and not behave as children in our faith. Babies are selfish, making everything about them and their needs. While natural for a baby, an adult who behaves this way is a problem to every community they are within. Babies sleep, all the time, and that’s great for them. Yet for an adult, sleeping all the time never gets the work your called to do done. As believers we need to be growing up. Don’t make life about you, don’t be the complainer in church, don’t be lazy with the mission, don’t settle in the basic teaching of God’s word never seeking any depth. As the author wanted with his reader, so is Jesus wanting with you. Jesus wants to go deeper into this relationship with you, using you for great things. That can’t take place though if we stay babies in the faith. And why would we want to stay babies anyways? Being an adult is far more fun, and being mature in the faith is far more rewarding. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3189

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food. Hebrews 5:12 – Where do you sit in all this? Do you struggle to accept and live in the beginning teachings of God? That Jesus loves and wants you, that you really are forgiven, that you really can talk with God in prayer, that you’re never alone anymore due to God being with you. It’s no surprise that you wouldn’t be helping others learn about that stuff if you aren’t living in it yourself. Before you can move forward in your life with God, there has to be an acceptance, understanding, and practice of this beginning concepts. Really believe and live in these things; take in the milk and grow. Just remember, the reason you are wanting to grow is not just so you can eat the solid food. It’s so once that solid food is in you, you can begin helping others drink their milk and grow too. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac

For Thought by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food… Hebrews 5:12 – Where would you say you’re at with this message? Are you years into your walk with God yet still drinking milk like a new believer? This is what maturing in your faith means, to settle in the basic truths of God and scripture, know them and trust them, then move onto more. Sadly what often happens is we don’t settle in those basic truth which causes us to never move past them. We struggle accepting the fact that God actually loves us and wants what’s best for us. We refuse to trust He is better at being in control of our lives than us. We don’t take the time see feel the value in our lives of a devotional life. If we keep refusing to grow in the basic truth about our life with God we aren’t going to grow and especially not going to be able to help anyone else grow. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 568.5

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. Hebrews 5:8 – This passage is speaking of Jesus. What though does it mean He learned obedience? Did Jesus not know it before he suffered? No, what I believe it’s meaning is that as He suffered and still obeyed He gained the experience of choosing to obey when He could have refused to obey, something prior to His physical life on earth wasn’t possible. Here Jesus showed that even in the deepest of sufferings perfect obedience is still possible. Not only did His obedience through suffering make Him a perfect high priest for us but it set an example for us. That we too as children of God can obey faithfully even when experiencing the worst of struggles. If then it’s possible to obey like this why do we sometimes still chose our own way instead? Know we always have the choice to obey God. Yes, your season of life right now may be difficult, is it though more difficult than what Jesus went through? If He could remain faithful in what He went through, so can we. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1601