1 00:00:02,700 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:13,379 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: to Daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stonge, and 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: today's devotion is inspired by 1 Peter 2, verses 1-3, 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,380 Speaker 1: which says, So put away all malice and all deceit 6 00:00:27,860 --> 00:00:33,350 Speaker 1: and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, Like newborn infants 7 00:00:33,710 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you 8 00:00:37,100 --> 00:00:40,860 Speaker 1: may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have tasted 9 00:00:41,260 --> 00:00:45,979 Speaker 1: that the Lord is good. What kind of life is 10 00:00:46,060 --> 00:00:50,090 Speaker 1: a follower of Christ called to live? We're called to 11 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,990 Speaker 1: put away the fruit of sinfulness, meaning we're supposed to 12 00:00:54,030 --> 00:00:56,590 Speaker 1: be tossing it in the junk drawer of our lives 13 00:00:56,890 --> 00:00:59,730 Speaker 1: so it gets lost and forgotten because we've been made 14 00:00:59,750 --> 00:01:04,500 Speaker 1: a brand new person. Scripture tells us we've experienced a 15 00:01:04,660 --> 00:01:07,940 Speaker 1: new birth in Christ, and our walk with Him begins 16 00:01:08,020 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: with a form of spiritual infancy. Generally speaking, what do 17 00:01:14,140 --> 00:01:19,110 Speaker 1: infants want? Well, they want rest, they want to receive comfort, 18 00:01:19,590 --> 00:01:22,910 Speaker 1: and they want to eat food. If any of those 19 00:01:22,970 --> 00:01:26,289 Speaker 1: things are missing, they usually make a point to scream 20 00:01:26,450 --> 00:01:30,510 Speaker 1: until the situation gets rectified. And when it comes to nourishment, 21 00:01:31,060 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: Once they discover that they enjoy the food they're consuming, 22 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,320 Speaker 1: they tend to crave that food more and more. Our 23 00:01:39,380 --> 00:01:43,850 Speaker 1: relationship with Christ operates in a similar way. Once we 24 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:47,150 Speaker 1: taste the goodness of His grace, the depth of His love, 25 00:01:47,670 --> 00:01:50,690 Speaker 1: and the comfort our souls find in Him, we tend 26 00:01:50,730 --> 00:01:54,390 Speaker 1: to crave those things more and more. We want to 27 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,110 Speaker 1: be nourished by what only He can supply. And as 28 00:01:58,170 --> 00:02:01,889 Speaker 1: we welcome the various forms of spiritual nourishment he offers, 29 00:02:02,390 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: we grow more mature in our faith. As he pours 30 00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: into our lives from his word and from fellowship with 31 00:02:08,860 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: other believers and through prayer and with his peace that 32 00:02:12,540 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: is beyond human understanding, we are built up and we're 33 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:24,730 Speaker 1: made strong in him. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you 34 00:02:24,790 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: for your word. And we thank you for the privilege 35 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:28,940 Speaker 1: that it is to be able to read this portion 36 00:02:28,980 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: of Scripture from the book of 1 Peter today. And Lord, 37 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,859 Speaker 1: as we look at this portion of your word, we 38 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,299 Speaker 1: see that it's your priority for us that we would 39 00:02:38,419 --> 00:02:42,940 Speaker 1: grow as believers. That we wouldn't continue to reflect or 40 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,620 Speaker 1: resemble the type of person we once were. You tell 41 00:02:46,660 --> 00:02:52,140 Speaker 1: us here to put away things like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander. 42 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,540 Speaker 1: Things that used to characterize our old life. and things 43 00:02:55,580 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: that certainly characterize many of the people that are still 44 00:02:58,470 --> 00:03:01,630 Speaker 1: part of our lives. But Lord, you don't want us 45 00:03:01,690 --> 00:03:04,310 Speaker 1: to embrace those things. You want us to put those 46 00:03:04,350 --> 00:03:06,889 Speaker 1: things away, to get rid of them. And Lord, we're 47 00:03:06,930 --> 00:03:09,210 Speaker 1: grateful that in this portion of Scripture, you show us 48 00:03:09,430 --> 00:03:13,609 Speaker 1: what we're to desire instead. You tell us to long 49 00:03:13,710 --> 00:03:18,470 Speaker 1: for pure spiritual milk, the things by which you are 50 00:03:18,650 --> 00:03:20,970 Speaker 1: nourishing us so that we will grow up in our 51 00:03:21,030 --> 00:03:24,220 Speaker 1: walk with you. And Lord, we're so grateful for the 52 00:03:24,260 --> 00:03:26,820 Speaker 1: fact that you choose to nourish us with the goodness 53 00:03:26,860 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: of your grace and with the depth of your love 54 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:34,179 Speaker 1: and with the comfort that our souls find in you. Lord, 55 00:03:34,220 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: as we experience these things, we learn to crave them 56 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,770 Speaker 1: more and more. And we thank you for being so 57 00:03:40,830 --> 00:03:42,750 Speaker 1: generous with us and for the fact that you are 58 00:03:42,810 --> 00:03:46,050 Speaker 1: happy to supply these things to us so that we 59 00:03:46,090 --> 00:03:49,030 Speaker 1: can continue to grow, so that our lives will be 60 00:03:49,110 --> 00:03:53,500 Speaker 1: marked by spiritual maturity, so that our faith in you 61 00:03:53,590 --> 00:03:56,130 Speaker 1: will be invested in with what it needs to grow. 62 00:03:57,210 --> 00:03:59,510 Speaker 1: This is such a blessing, and we're grateful to be 63 00:03:59,550 --> 00:04:02,550 Speaker 1: able to read these things today and to think about 64 00:04:02,650 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 1: the great things you desire for us. Thank you, Lord, 65 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:09,980 Speaker 1: for what you're facilitating in our lives, and we pray 66 00:04:10,020 --> 00:04:13,420 Speaker 1: this all in Jesus' name. Amen.