Written by Crystal G.H. Lowery
26 April 2019
Hebrews 6:14 (TPT) – “…And they have been adequately trained by what they’ve experienced to emerge with understanding of the difference between what is truly excellent and what is evil and harmful.”
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Every day we gain more experience. Babies have relatively little experience while seniors are packed full of experience. Those of us in the middle continue to acquire this valuable commodity just from living life. What do we do with this experience is what really counts.
Those who are supposed to be experienced and knowledgeable, we are told in Hebrews 6:11 (TPT), have sometimes become “too dull and sluggish to understand.” At a time when you should be in your prime, full of energy, wisdom, and experience, and ready to instruct others, you are too dull and sluggish to understand. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that you’re instead like little children. Instead of being full and sharp with understanding, you are still needing to learn basic principles.
It is no different now than it was at the time Hebrews was written. As a person grows in the natural from infant to child to adult, the type of nourishment changes. A baby can only drink milk. The baby can only drink a certain amount of milk that is determined by the size and age of the baby. A baby cannot eat solid food. It has no teeth and cannot digest this type of nourishment. But, the milk provides the nutrients and vitamins it needs to grow and get stronger. After a point in the growing process, the baby becomes a small child and can drink more as well as to begin to eat solid food. The amount a child eats is much less than an adult. As the child is nourished and grows, it then eventually becomes an adult and will be able to take in and will actually require adult size portions. Just as this is true in the natural, it is true spiritually, which is the analogy which is made in Hebrews.
What we find in some cases however, is that people who are supposed to be “adults” in the spiritual realm, are not very mature and not that strong. They are instead still taking in milk as an infant would instead of eating solid food in adult size portions. They are not growing properly and they are malnourished. They are in fact sickly. Instead of being in the prime of spiritual life, they are very behind and not flourishing. They are failing to thrive.
These malnourished and weak adults should be contributing to those under them in age and experience to help them grow, but are not able to do so. They, in fact, need food and resources to help them grow themselves.
When you are still only drinking milk, you aren’t ready to digest solid food because that is for the already mature person. Hebrews 6:14 (TPT) says that “solid food is for the mature, whose spiritual senses perceive heavenly matters.”
Verse 14 goes on to say, “And they have been adequately trained by what they’ve experienced to emerge with understanding of the difference between what is truly excellent and what is evil and harmful.”
When someone with experience has been maturing and getting stronger, they are becoming a mature adult and are able to eat solid food. This person can perceive heavenly matters. They are the ones who are in the life roles of professors instructing the others as they should be, teaching and demonstrating the life of the mature Christian.
The important point I want to make is that we do not like all of our experiences. We do not want all of our experiences. Sometimes, we would rather have the good experiences and not the painful, teachable, learning ones.
Romans 8:28 (KJV), a favorite passage of mine, says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” The Passion Translation says it this way, “So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his purpose.”
There are times we go through things, challenges, or hardships that we would rather avoid. When these times come, by faith, God will take us through them. We will come out or emerge on the other side with something so valuable and so relevant that we would not have otherwise. Yes, we prefer not to go through those tough times. Some can be avoided with wisdom and discernment and some are unnecessary. However, sometimes the challenges do come. How are we to think of these times? As strength building. As muscle building. As stature building. God will use all of this experience we gain (and it is definitely an asset) to mold us and shape us into who we are designed and created to be – someone to be used and to fulfill His purpose.
Look at your life. Look at those past experiences you have faced and have emerged from. Look at the present circumstances that seem to be insurmountable. Prepare yourself for the future obstacles that will present themselves. All of these are, for the faith filled believer, to be experiences that will move you from infant to child to mature adult. Adults have experience. Babies do not have very much experience. We would never trust an 8 year old for some solid advice or guidance. But, we would very much trust the experienced, mature adult of 70 years old. How much life experience does the 70 year old have – good and painful? This combined experience into one’s life results in a powerful set of knowledge, wisdom, and discernment.
We are meant to grow. We are not meant to remain babies forever. We see this just happens naturally. Babies just grow naturally. Just as it is in the natural, it is meant to be the same in the spiritual realm. We are meant to continue growing and maturing and strengthening.
If you have children, you know that when you visit the pediatrician, they have growth charts. From the time the baby is born, they measure the growth of the baby in length and weight. They examine the baby to make sure it is growing and developing normally. The pediatrician will tell you that your child is in the 97th percentile for height or 90th percentile for weight. They can assess the child’s growth and development with what has been measured and assessed in other children. A progress report is generated at each visit. As spiritual beings, we also need a progress report to measure our spiritual maturing. There are times when we should expect to see growth and development. It should continue upward on the maturing scale.
We need to see all of life’s experience as being for our good. It is not meant to defeat us, if we have faith, but it is meant to propel us and launch us into the next good season or assignment. We should not remain stagnant or become dull, but continue to sharpen ourselves and exercise our faith muscles.
A very good friend of mine wrote recently that the same place where Jesus died is the very same place where He rose from the dead. This is so powerful when you think about your experiences. The painful ones, the most difficult ones, the ones where you “died” are there for your good. The place or experience where you feel like you died or was the most painful is the place where God soil bring you back to life. He will use that experience to strengthen you and propel you into your rebirth of purpose and destiny.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (TPT), Paul spoke of how God’s grace and power in his (Paul’s) own weakness was an continually sufficient and source of victory. There it says, “…’My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.’ So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.’ So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.”
Wow! Our weakness can become a portal to God’s power. That is powerful. That is a statement we should read a few times. We want to ignore our weaknesses and brush them aside. We are embarrassed by our weaknesses. We have a desire to emphasize and speak about our attributes and strengths and gifts. But, the truth is that our weakness can be the place where God’s power comes in and shows off his love and plans for your life! Your weakness can be the place where you come back to life and there is a rebirthing of purpose.
When you see and understand life’s experiences in this way, you will be looking through mature lenses. You will not remain in the experience. You will get through it. You will emerge. You will be rebirthed in purpose. You will have the power of God surging through the place of the experience you wanted to dismiss. You will not only emerge, but you will emerge victorious from the experience with understanding. BASED ON FAITH.
Crystal G.H. Lowery, Esq. is an Estate and Elder Law Attorney and is the owner and founding attorney of Law Office Of Crystal G.H. Lowery, LLC. Crystal also is the founder of Based on Faith. Based on Faith is an ministry intently dedicated to inspiring others through Biblical provoking truths with a goal of helping others build their faith, teaching essentials related to law and faith, and foremost loving and obeying God.
First publication April 26, 2019. Copyright 2019, 2021 ©, Based on Faith and Crystal G.H. Lowery. All Rights Reserved.