Milk part 3
Drinking milk helps your bones grow, so you can stand tall. This is important in light of Ephesians 4:14, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." And notice that we've been talking about how milk is good for you... when you're a child. Its what you need to start out with. The revelation of righteousness should be what we feed new believers a steady diet of. That's the foundation. That's where it starts. We need to know who we are, so we can stop trying to be someone we're not. Let me say it this way: when you know the truth, you can ignore the lie. When you're standing on the Rock you will not be shaken. But in order to stand tall... you have to stand FOR something. Because if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. And I emphasize "for" because I see folks, especially religious folk, who are against everything and anything. "What do you believe in?" "Well, we don't believe in this, that, and the other." Ok. But what DO you believe in? Those things that we talked about yesterday, the things that are true, and pure, and good. Those are the things to believe in. Righteousness, peace, joy, grace, forgiveness... love. Those are the things to stand for. To stand on. To believe in. To fill yourself with... and overflow with. Because those are the things we've already been filled with. That's what righteousness is. I think I said this before, but I'll keep saying it: There is nothing more righteous than loving someone. Letting God love you and loving the people you come into contact with. Receiving and releasing God's love. Receiving it by releasing it. Releasing it by receiving it. And watch this, because I never really hear this verse preached, but I love it: "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). We think the whole journey is getting ourselves up from where we've fallen. But its not. The truth is, we don't have to stumble. We don't have to fall. We can let God--let LOVE--hold us up. And when God--LOVE--is holding you up, nothing can drag you down. When your bones are strong, from all the milk you've drank, you can stand tall. Stand firm. You won't be carried about with every wind of doctrine. You won't let the things going on around you get into you. You'll be able to ignore what people say, if they're saying anything other than the truth. And, as we just saw, God is able to present you faultless. Remember now, we are complete in Him. We don't need to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and improve ourselves until God can finally love us. God always has and always will love us. And when we didn't know it, He showed us. He gave us His only begotten Son. He gave us His life. His Spirit. His love. He gave us Himself. And it all starts with that milk of righteousness. Drinking until you're full of it. Because righteousness isn't just something you have. The righteousness of God in Christ is who you are! That's where--and how--you can make a stand. Standing FOR things. Standing for love. Standing IN love. Knowing who you are, and being who you are. No matter what anybody else says!