Don’t Settle for Glue: Pursue the Pure Milk

Have you ever seen a picture of a bowl of cereal with milk being poured into it? You know, like this one?

Here’s the thing: it may not actually be milk. Yep, milk can be really hard to photograph and doesn’t have the thick consistency needed for those glossy ads. It’s not uncommon for product photographers to use glue as an additive or substitute. Crazy, right? There are all sorts of tricks in that line of work. (Check out this article later to see other tricks)

Beyond the fun example of product photography, impure milk has a long, sad, and even deadly history. For instance, in the 1850s, thousands of infants died in New York City from tainted milk. The milk came from cows eating the mash left over from local whisky distilleries. Since the cows were sick, the milk had a “thin and unnatural, bluish tint, [so] vendors stirred in additives such as chalk, flour, eggs, and Plaster-of-Paris to achieve a (slightly) more agreeable color and consistency.” (You can read more about it later.)

Now, I know you’re probably scratching your head. Why in the world is this on the Gentle Reformation blog? Well, God warned us about this thousands of years ago. First Peter 2:2 says,

“desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (NKJV).

Here’s my point: we need to be going after the pure milk of God’s Word. Our hunger and thirst should be for the Word of God. It is in God’s Word, as it is applied to us by the Holy Spirit, that we taste and see that the Lord is good.

Yet, as Christians, we are bombarded with so many other things, even good things, that promise to give us vitality. We must always remember that the pure milk of God’s Word is our true desire. The constant partisan news cycle will not make you grow in holiness. Opening up Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, CNN, NBC, Fox News, Daily Wire, and so on are false foods. If you believe you will grow in holiness by diving into the depths of the media of this world, you will become spiritually anemic.

But the false food danger is even deeper. You may be doing it even here—within Christian circles. There are times when Christians, even mature Christians, will seek their spiritual growth in Christian literature. Please hear me out. I’m not saying that all other writings are inherently wrong. But if you are seeking to grow spiritually and go to plumb the depths of Calvin, Beeke, Rutherford, Piper, Augustine, Van Mastricht, Challies, etc., rather than opening up the Bible, you are feeding yourself false foods. These writings can deepen our understanding, but they should supplement, not supplant, our engagement with God’s Word itself. You may even think you are becoming a spiritual bodybuilder by adding the “protein” of thick theology to your diet, not knowing that even too much protein can become toxic to your body. (Bodybuilders have been known to die from protein overdose!)

Do we long for the Bible? When things are confusing, do we go to the Bible? When the pit of despair seems to offer little light, do we open the Word? As the pain of grief and death gnaws at your soul, where do you go for comfort and hope? When the sun rises in all of its glory, where do you find words of praise? The chaos of the culture drives you to constantly gnash your teeth—how do you find peace? Anxiety overwhelms your soul—how do you know what to do?

Do you hunger and thirst after the pure Word of God?

Right now, I’ve got a 3-month-old. Last night, little Judah didn’t care that his mom and I were tired. At 3 a.m., he was screaming. We didn’t have to ask him, “Why are you awake at this hour, our wee little bundle of depravity?” No, we knew. His blood sugar was low, and it was time to eat. Nothing would soothe or satisfy him but milk. Are we like newborn babies in our intensive desire for God’s Word?

If you haven’t been in your Bible today, don’t go read those linked articles. Go to the Bible and read. Don’t settle for substitutes when the pure milk of God’s Word is freely offered. There is no sweeter taste, no richer sustenance, than the unadulterated truth that flows from His Word. May the Lord make you grow up thereby.

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