Thursday | 26 February 2026
Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that [continually] proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Mat 4:4. As a Christian, we now live by the proceeding word. This word is coming to us, continually, through the word of His messengers whom He sends to us from the presbytery.
When the word of the Lord first comes to us, it comes to feed us and to give direction to our lives. For those who are new Christians, the word comes as the sincere milk of the word that enables them to grow as Christians. As the apostle Peter instructed, saying, ‘Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure [or sincere] milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.’ 1Pe 2:1-3. The word speaks to a new believer, personally, about their habits and culture, enabling repentance and change to come to their life. It does this as it is ministered ‘precept upon precept’, ‘line upon line’, ‘here a little, there a little’. Isa 28:10.
For a Christian, the initial season of new birth is a time of reorientation for them. The new way of living that they have chosen, as they make Christ the Lord of their life, will have an impact upon their family and social relationships. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, said that their new orientation as Christians precipitated for them a season of persecution and affliction. He said, ‘For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.’ 1Th 1:5-6.
Further Study:
1 Peter 2
References:
Mat 4:4
But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’
1Pe 2:1-3
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Isa 28:10
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.
1Th 1:5-6
For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.