Grow In Our Worth

“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” (1 Peter 2:2-3, NIV).

The Police Superintendent of the City told the police trainees to increase their worth, so they could become more useful in the society or in their job. Earlier, he emphasized to them not just to think what they can get from their work, but what they can contribute into it. So, he encouraged them to pursue personal development, to continue in upgrading their value as policemen. According to him, as they become more valuable, they could contribute more good things to the police force, to the government and to society.

How about us in our church, are we just thinking for the benefit(s) we could get from it, or are we thinking what benefits we could contribute into it? Are we just thinking for the good things we could enjoy as Christians, or are we also willing and ready to contribute good things to the body of Christ or to our fellow believers and other people around us? Do we just focus our interest on the blessings we could receive from our Heavenly Father, or are we al-so prepared to endure difficulties in order to contribute for the promotion of His Glory?

I want to believe that everyone of us here would like to contribute something, so others could be benefited, that everyone of us would like to give good and favorable things to others, especially to our fellow believers, that everyone of us would like to contribute for the promotion of the Glory of our Blessed Father in Heaven. So, let us not be content of what we are now. Let’s aim to upgrade our value as workers in the vineyard of our Father, not only to be able contribute more to His Work, but also to fulfill His purpose for us – to grow as His children.

So, let us, “Grow In Our Worth,” which is my topic this time, as we deal with our text (1 Peter 2:2-3, NIV).

How, then, could we grow in our worth that God intended for us? Should we enroll to get a Bachelor, Master or even Doctorate in Theology? Of course, academically, it could help us. But, we should not let just our head to grow big. The Bible offers many effective ways how we could really grow as believers and in our text, we could identify one.

But, before we discuss it, let’s remember again that Peter was the writer of 1 Peter. He denied Jesus three times. But, before the event of his denials and even before Jesus said he would deny Him, He told Peter: “…And when you have turned back, strengthen your broth-ers” (Luke 22:32, NIV). Peter, indeed, had turned back and confessed his affection for Jesus three times and followed Him to the end.

While he was in Rome, he wrote 1 Peter before A. D. 68 and addressed it both to the Jewish and Gentile Christians, who were scattered throughout Asia Minor and were suffering local persecutions. Some years later the persecutions even became intense and widespread. Pe-ter himself suffered the horrible death, according to tradition, when he was crucified upside down in A. D. 68.

Truly, difficult condition was being suffered by the original readers of 1 Peter and the condi-tion became more difficult for them as years went by. And Peter did not just strengthen them in order to face their present trial, but even to prepare them to endure greater trials in the future.

At the very start of his letter, he channeled their thoughts on what God had done to them and so they ought to live accordingly.

He implied that the Christians then should live or react not according to their trials, but ac-cording to what God did to them. They should not focus on what their persecutors were doing against them and so they should not live as persecuted, oppressed, or threatened. They should live as true believers, as we learned last time.

And now, in our text, Peter pointed out to them that they should not be content just in their present condition as believers, but they should grow.

We read 1 Peter 2:2, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (NIV).

Notice the phrase in the center of the verse: “CRAVE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK.” And that’s the point that we are going to concentrate this time.

In the King James Version we read, “desire the sincere milk of the word.” In the English Standard Version: “long for the pure spiritual milk.” In the New Century Version: “you should want the pure and simple teaching.” In the God’s Word Translation: “Desire God's pure word...” And in the Bible in Basic English: “Be full of desire for the true milk of the word...”