“Our Daily Bread”   http://odb.org/2012/07/09/whos-behind-it/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht  

Philippians 1:9… And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (NKJV)

The love of Christ that fills the heart, mind, and soul of the Christian at the time they are in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit (at the time of their salvation)…is the basis that should make up the life of all believers… A sinner can’t become a Christian in God’s eyes, until they have turned from their life of sin and shame, with Satan as their daddy (John 8:44)…to repenting of their sins, as they seek Jesus Christ to become their personal Lord, their Master, and their Savior… This is a gift of God, by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), by understanding and obeying the gospel of Christ in order to become a child of God…

The Christian is called to love the Lord with all of their heart, their mind, and their soul…and to love their neighbor as their self… These are the two first and most important commandments that Jesus gave us, in…Matthew 22:35-40…  Christians are called to walk in love, as Christ loves us (Ephesians 5:2); and they are called to obey the truth through the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:22-23), who should be left in total charge to direct the life of the Christian…

This growth in love in the opening scripture, leading to knowledge, and eventually mature spiritual discernment between good and evil; comes from reading God’s Word… The Holy Spirit, if left in total control of the Christian’s life, should be urging the new Christian to read the Word; and in the beginning of a new born Christian’s life (just like a new born baby), this is considered desiring the pure milk of the Word… 

The apostle Peter tells us this, in…1 Peter 2:1-3… Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.  (NKJV)

I came across a sermon by John Piper, titled…“Long for the Pure Milk of the Word”…  Here is the link for this sermon, talking about spiritual fatalism, for people that don’t spend time reading the Bible…  http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/long-for-the-pure-milk-of-the-word

This growth and development of the Christian, can only take place by spending time reading God’s Word…  Sunday morning Christians will have a hard time growing in this knowledge and discernment the apostle Paul writes about in the opening scripture…  It is God’s Word that will spiritually mature the Christian, helping to make them complete in God’s eyes…2 Timothy 3:16-17…  This is accomplished by going beyond the milk of the Word; and getting into the meat of the Word (solid food), as scripture is read over and over; discerning the hidden treasures of truth God that wants to reveal to those that diligently spend time reading the Bible…

This spiritual wisdom and maturity comes from the Christian’s Helper, the Holy Spirit; who must be called upon by the Christian for help in understanding these hidden gems God wants us to find…1 Corinthians 2:10…  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.  (NKJV)

Here is scripture written to a group of Hebrews, who were still spiritually immature after much time was spent teaching them…

Hebrews 5:12-14…  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes onlyof milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.  (NKJV)

Reading and understanding the Word of God (known as the Sword of the Spirit, in…Ephesians 6:17b), is the only offensive weapon, out of the 6 pieces of spiritual armor the apostle Paul writes about in…Ephesians 6:10-20… This spiritual armor God gives the Christian to put on…if worn in its entirety…will protect the Christian from Satan and his cronies…Ephesians 6:11-13… All of the other pieces of God’s spiritual armor come from reading and applying God’s Word to the life of the Christian… Failure to be protected from Satan, will leave the Christian vulnerable to all of the temptations Satan will use to keep the Christian from doing the work God has called them to do…

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will show all Christians through Your Word today, how important it is for them to be fed by Your Word… Jesus told us how important this spiritual feeding was, in…Matthew 4:4… I pray Lord, that all of Your children would develop a spiritual appetite for learning more about You, that can only be fed by spending time reading the Bible… Urge all of us Lord, to be the kind of children that will make You proud… I pray for this state of spiritual maturity for all Christians…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills