Don’t Settle for Milk – Hebrews 5:11-14
Sep 23, 2025 11
[11] About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. [12] For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, [13] for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. [14] But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (ESV)
[CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST VIDEO DEVOTION WITH DAVE MIERS]
Still on Milk
The writer of Hebrews is blunt: by now these believers should have been teaching others, but instead they still needed someone to go back over the basics with them (vv11-12). It’s an uncomfortable picture – a grown adult stuck on baby food.
If you’re new to faith, milk is right. Newborns need milk. But if you’ve been following Jesus for years, Hebrews is clear: don’t settle for milk. Grow up in Christ.
Feeding for Growth
Solid food belongs to those who are training their powers of discernment through constant practice (vv13–14). That means taking responsibility to feed yourself on God’s Word. Sermons, podcasts, and Bible studies are wonderful gifts, but they can’t replace your own daily intake of Scripture, prayer, and obedience.
Like an athlete who builds strength through a steady diet and training, Christians grow strong through consistent rhythms in God’s Word. Maturity doesn’t happen overnight. It comes slowly, daily, as the Spirit shapes us through truth.
Taught by Christ
We don’t mature by sheer effort or discipline alone. We grow because of Jesus. He is the living Word who pierces our hearts and trains us in righteousness (v14). He is the faithful Teacher who guides us into truth by His Spirit. And He is the Son who lived the perfect life we couldn’t, offered Himself once for all as our sacrifice, rose victorious, and now reigns as our great High Priest. He provides the solid food that strengthens our souls and equips us to strengthen others.
Reflection
What’s one step you can take this week to move beyond milk and begin training in maturity with Jesus as your Teacher?
Leave a Reply