“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,  now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” 1st Peter 2:1-3.

Our today’s insight connected to what we discussed yesterday and the day before yesterday. As a result of your re-birth into God’s household, which (1) God planned in His foreknowledge in the eternity past, (2) the Son of God (Jesus) perfected in time, (3) Holy Spirit led you and set you apart with His sanctifying work, (4) upon hearing and accepting the preaching of the eternal and imperishable word of God -the good news of the gospel of salvation and by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, a newly born again person can now be different from the old.

Our insight says, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” These traits are the usual traits of all people. It is not hard to see people with these traits, but it is hard to see people without these natures. However, one who is born again into God’s kingdom has the capacity and resources available to be different. I meant the capacity because, before the re-birth, we have only the flesh as the mechanism to respond. Naturally, it reacts in malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of all kinds. Now we have another power of powerful tool inside us- the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. 

You see, the Holy Spirit who guided and convinced you the truth about the salvation available in Jesus Christ does not leave you after His conviction work. Bible says the same Holy Spirit who guided and convinced you the truth permanently indwell in you to facilitate the development of divine nature in you. Holy Spirit convicts (John 16;8), indwells in you (John 14:17(d) and 1st Corinthians 3:16), teach you and remind you (John 14:26), reveals things to you (1st Corinthians 2:10), guides you into all the truth (John 16:13), gives spiritual gifts to believers in Christ (1st Corinthians 12:7-11), He helps us (Romans 8:26-17), He sanctifies and empowers believers to bear beautiful spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-25). The indwelling Holy Spirit is the source of all new and divine capacities. 

Secondly, a newly born again person has a wonderful heavenly diet to grow healthy, balanced, and become all God wants him or her to become. What is it? Our today’s insight says it is the spiritual milk of the word of God. You see, it is by the power of the imperishable seed, the word of God, you are born again into God’s household, as we discussed yesterday. The same word of God is the heavenly diet facilitating your spiritual growth. It says you crave spiritual milk, so that you may grow up in your salvation by it. You already tasted the Lord, and His word is good because you are born again by it. Now you crave for it every day and every time. A newborn infants’ craving for mom’s milk is so strong that nothing stops them from it. 

Beloved, a systematic Bible study, is the resource for your spiritual growth. If that does not happen, you need to make it happen. You can regularly attend a Bible preaching and teaching church to study the Bible; you can go to a Bible-teaching seminary or Bible school to study it. In your room, you can begin reading and studying the Bible by yourself as well. Ask God to open the door to study His word. He will faithfully pave the way for you. And in a short period of time with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the study of the Scriptures, you would wonder how much you have grown to bear manifold fruit for the Lord. 

“Father in heaven, I thank you for saving me because you included me also in your eternal plan of salvation. Now help me to obey the Holy Spirit of God who indwells in me. Help me to lean on him every day and all the time. Lord, you gave me the craving for the spiritual milk, the Bible. Help me to study it and grow up in my salvation to bear beautiful fruit for your name. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”