Still Worldly After All This Time!

1 Corinthians 3:2-3 "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?"


Sweet Lord, I don't know how long Paul had been in Corinth with these believers, but it evidently had to be long enough for the folks there to be farther advanced in their walk with You than they were. You had even given them Pastors to continue teaching after you had left.

When babies start to grow they start to require more solid food. By the time they are a year old they can start eating what I call "people food" in small pieces, and are not able to eat more like an adult until they reach 3-4 years old. Even then they have to have the "meat" cut in small pieces because they don't know to chew food longer yet and can very easily choke.

I imagine this is where the Corinthians should have been at least, if not like adolescents or adults. After I was born spiritually, it took a few years of almost daily reading and studying before I could handle the adult food of Your Word and there are still times when I have to cut it up in small pieces to be able to chew and digest it, and sometimes Your Spirit has to actually dice or grind it for me.

When our children are at certain ages we find ourselves wishing they could stay that age forever. However; that is a very foolish thought and most of us realize it. There is a strange syndrome that causes a newborn not to grow or mature much at all, but they age just the same. Some age very quickly and die after just a few years. These children, in the most severe state, still have to drink from bottles because they cannot eat any solid food and be must be carried around because they cannot crawl or walk.

The Corinthians should have been adult in their spiritual growth, but had reverted to babyhood. As we grow as Christians, we are to become more loving, patient, gracious and united in Your "mind". They are still worldly and show it by their speech and actions one with another. Unfortunately in our churches today, this is still true. We expect the babies in Christ to ask more worldly because they do not know better yet. But when the full fledged "adults" revert to babyhood, it is a very sad and dire circumstance indeed.

Paul does not tickle their ears here, but brings their behavior and sin to light. This church needs revival, and our churches in America need it too. Folks quarrel with each other over silly things and then the church splits. Lord, if we who are Christ Followers have Your mind and the Spirit to lead us and teach us all truth and Your deepest thoughts and mysteries. We should be more united instead of less. If I look in the phone book just of where I live, there are so many different types and kinds of churches with different doctrinal stands. You are not divided. Why should Your Church be divided? The Enemy has been very successful in dividing Your flock. I believe it is because: we don't stay close to our You, our Shepherd, don't really study Your Word on our own nearly enough on a daily basis, care more about ourselves and our agendas instead of Yours. Consequently, we are easily drawn away by false teachers or our own immaturity. Then we wonder why the world is not flocking to our church doors.

Oh, Lord! We need revival, not only in the USA, but also in Europe and around the world where Christians live. Asia, where Paul's churches once were, is mostly Islamic. Lord, we need YOU!