Feed Me!

 

A few months ago, my son prayed to receive Christ as Savior. It was a highlight as I was entrusted with the privilege of leading him to Christ. It is a day I’ll remember until my last breath. The excitement was tethered quickly by the sobering reality that many young children “pray a prayer” without truly meeting a person. I began praying and seeking the Lord about this. I wanted the Lord to confirm if my son truly met Him or if this was some type of an emotional act. I realize that ultimately, my son will have to examine whether he be in faith but studying my children is something that I feel is extremely important to the training ministry that has been given to me by the Lord. Their spiritual growth is of immense importance to me so I’m constantly monitoring how they respond in certain situations.

I could share many points of confirmation that I believe the Lord has given me regarding my son’s salvation. I’ll share one from this morning as I returned from a prayer walk. As I walked by the dining room table, I noticed my son reaching for his Bible and grabbing mine as well. He handed me my Bible while proceeding to the table taking a “feed me” position at the table. We had prepared breakfast for the kids already so I knew that he wasn’t positioning himself for Cheerios. He wanted me to feed him the Word of God. Praise the Lord!! By the grace of God, this is not uncommon with my son. Recently, he asked if I would explain faith from Hebrews 11:1. This type of behavior is evident that the Holy Spirit of God indwells my son. Again, what I think about his salvation is secondary to what he will think about it as he grows. However, it does give me direction and clarity on how to proceed with his training.

Speaking to a group of Jews who had believed on Him, Jesus said this:

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

For doctrinal clarity, we must point out that the Lord was not teaching salvation by works. The point here is simple and clear. What proves salvation is not the prayer that one prays, but the life that one displays over time that proves the sincerity of the prayer that was prayed. One of the most obvious signs of salvation is an ongoing appetite for the Word of God.

Parents of infants and toddlers become extremely concerned when there is a lack of appetite in the child. The Bible teaches that newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby (1 Pet. 2:2). Desire and growth go hand in hand therefore, when there is a desire to feed, there will be growth. As a leader having spent time with many people over the years, the lack of desire to feed on the Word of the God sets off a loud alarm to me because without that, one of two problems are on the table and in some cases, both:

                1.            The individual is out of fellowship with God.

                2.            The individual is not saved.

Like a parent of a small child, if there is a lack of desire for the Word of God in our lives, we should be very concerned regarding the state of our walk with God. This should lead to a careful and prayerful examination of where we be in the faith and if we are, then the cry ought to be, “Lord, whatever it takes, I beg You to revive my desire for Your Word.”