Eating Machines

Eating Machines

"Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk so
that by it you may grow up in your salvation."
I Peter 2:2

When you look at the characteristics of some of the animals, birds, and insects in creation, it's easy to see how Solomon used them to teach God's ways. From the courage of a lion "who retreats before nothing" as Proverbs 30:30 tells us, to the flight of an eagle who can rise above the greatest of storms, nature teaches us invaluable lessons on life. The title "Eating Machines" is one of the names given to caterpillars and for a very good reason. At birth they are so small they can barely be seen but they eat constantly and voraciously until in less than two weeks they are two inches long.

We have been told so much about the importance of reading the Word of God, that we often lose sight of it's importance. Peter uses the word "crave" in relation to our taking in the Word of God as part of our spiritual lives. Dictionary.com describes "crave" as to want greatly, to long for and to desire greatly. And to make sure we understand, it uses the phrase "to crave sweets" to hammer home the point. Now that most of us can definitely relate to! Reading the Word of God is not another dull routine to be endured, it is a part of our growth and of our sustenance, our source of guidance and hope, and a blessing that we so often lose sight of.

The caterpillar provides us with another insight into the thought of growth by the way it sheds its' skin. A monarch caterpillar sheds its' skin five times during the larvae stage. And here's the key. A new larger skin is always waiting under the one that is shed. Think of that - stages of growth, going from one level to another. Romans 1:17 talks about our going "from faith to faith" or from one level of faith to another. Other scriptures talk about growing in the gifts of the Spirit and in our understanding of God's ways, while others address our growing in grace and love, in patience and trust, all attributes of godly men and women of faith.

I can't help but think as I write this that there are new larger skins, like the caterpillar, waiting for many, if not all, of us in our Christian walks. And as soon as the old is shed, the new is revealed. So often the Word of God is the link to our realizing that we have some "old skin" to get rid of, and some new skin to begin walking in. That new skin will be larger, it may stretch you along the way and challenge you in your attitudes and in the way you live your life. But one thing is for sure, you'll come out a better and more satisfied person, able to see the growth and change in your own life.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church