Be Prepared for the Last Days!
Children develop habits that often are considered OK by their parents, though not very wise. When the kids grow past childhood, some of those habits must be forsaken and mature habits adopted in their place.
One such habit I witnessed when I was a child was that of eating sandwiches. During summer vacations from school, a cluster of kids in our neighborhood would often eat lunch together. Our mothers would make sandwiches for us and we would sit on someone's porch or at a play table to devour them.
That's where habits enter the picture. One boy I recall used to eat the entire center from his sandwich, but leave the crusts behind. When I asked him why he did that, his reply was, "I don't like to chew the crust!" Simple as that.
Similarly, another mother used to trim the crust from the sandwich after she made it, because her daughter didn't like the crust. Imagine! The crust was and still is my favorite part of the bread. But not to my friend. She only would eat the soft center of the bread and leave the best part!
Many Christians today who ought to behave as adults with mature eating habits seem to follow the same habit my childhood friends did. Hebrews addresses this malady:
"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant." 5:12-13.
No bread crusts! Just milk!
I have a friend who loves to attend church and is a faithful supporter financially. She professes to be a Christian. However, she admits to not reading the Bible regularly or at all. Her argument is that she depends on the pastor and friends to impart whatever she needs to know. When urged to read the Word, she smugly refuses on the basis that she doesn't like to read.
She doesn't know Scripture at all. What she knows about the Bible is second-hand information. That, my dear Watson, is elementary and considered milk, according to Hebrews. She is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, and is very much like an infant who cannot consider spiritual matters because she has no real foundation in Scriptural truths.
What will be her outcome as we move farther and farther into the Last Days? The Bible assures us that "the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.
Believers need to be well-grounded in the Word of God so they can discern truth from error and not fall into deception. Recall that the Bible calls the devil an angel of light. II Corinthians 11:14. The soon-to-be-revealed Antichrist who will be the personification of the devil himself will be so cunning that:
"false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance." Matthew 24:24-25.
Jesus warned us ahead of time about what is coming our way as the world plunges to destruction. The accompanying trials, temptations and persecution will be so severe that our faith must be anchored to the Rock, who is Jesus, so we don't give in to lies and the falsehoods of the enemy...the ultimate forfeiture of our soul's salvation in heaven. That grounding comes through studying the Word of God and through prayer, fellowshipping with God Himself.
"But solid food is for the mature who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."
"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God..." Hebrews 6:1.
The only way believers will be able to withstand all the fiery darts of the wicked and remain loyal to God during the Last Days and the tribulation is by eating and digesting the Word God has given to us. We cannot leave out any of it. In other words, it's time to chew the crusts of the bread! Start eating!