REPOST FROM FEBRUARY 23, 2026

 Mary Lynne Webb

February 23

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Yesterday during Sunday School we talked about how we as a church don’t “take care of our baby Christians.” Then during announcements at church, we were reminded to pick up the daily devotional books available to use in the back hallway. I don’t usually get these, but thought I would look at them. I read one devotional from each of the two booklets I picked up. The first took me one minute and 22 seconds, had one short Bible verse and a reminder to not let busyness with good things keep us from thinking about God. The second one took me 55 seconds, had one short Bible verse and a story about children playing with boats on the pond.

Are we teaching new believers that one verse and one minute is enough to grow in spiritual maturity? This breaks my heart. Did we do this on purpose or did we have good intentions that went terribly awry. Would child protective services be involved if parents only fed their child one ounce of formula or one cracker a day? Would that be enough nourishment to keep the child growing and healthy? When we have new believers in our church family, we need to make sure they eat nutritious scriptural meals daily. We all need to be growing daily. 

God wants us to grow into mature believers, measured by Christ’s fullness. 

Ephesians 4:12-15 Holman Christian Standard Bible

12 for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ.

God wants us to be filled with the knowledge of His will, to be fully pleasing to Him, to bear fruit, and grow in our knowledge of Him.

Colossians 1:9-11 Holman Christian Standard Bible

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy

Baby believers need us to help them drink scriptural milk in sufficient quantities daily. The eventual purpose is that all believers learn to feed individually on God’s Word, the scripture He inspired for our benefit.

Hebrews 5:11-14 Holman Christian Standard Bible

11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

We study scripture because through them we see God’s precious and magnificent promises. Through scripture we become sharers in the divine nature. 

2 Peter 1:4 Amplified Bible

4 For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.

We study scripture because it is God’s Word, spoken through His Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:19-21 Amplified Bible

19 So we have the prophetic word made more certain. You do well to pay [close] attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and light breaks through the gloom and the [a]morning star arises in your hearts. 20 [b]But understand this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of or comes from one’s own [personal or special] interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

We study scripture to see if what we were taught, what we think, or what someone else has told us is true. Don’t trust me, or your Sunday School teacher, or the Sunday School book, or the pastor, or the pastor of the large church who has a weekly broadcast on TV. Trust scripture. Read and study scripture daily to see if what you hear is true.

Acts 17:11 Amplified Bible

11 Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

We study scripture because it is God breathed. God’s Word is for instruction, conviction, correction, training in righteousness,. Studying God’s Word makes us complete and equips us for the good work God has planned for us to do.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 Amplified Bible

14 But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God’s Word was written for our instruction so that we can have hope and confidence in His promises.

Romans 15:4 Amplified Bible

4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

We study God’s Word because it exposes the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.

Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible

12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged [a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the [b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Studying God’s Word keeps us from being ashamed.

2 Timothy 2:15 Amplified Bible

15 Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.

There are countless other reasons why we must study scripture to grow to maturity. 

How do we help new believers understand the importance of studying scripture? And, the hardest question of all is how do we correct the error for old in years but spiritually immature believers that a one verse, one minute devotional is enough?