Today we meditate on what Peter says about the growing up process. Peter went through a challenging growing process from the time he first met Christ. What a journey in life he had to look back on in his old age – and his old age was challenging because Jesus had told him that his death would not be a natural one (see John 21:18,19).

His 1 Peter 2 which we read today starts by telling readers the things they must “put away” before they can “grow up”. These include “all deceit and hypocrisy”. The cleansing should be so thorough that they become “like new born infants (who) long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation” (2:2). This growing process should be wonderful, but tragically, such is the pull of human nature, some grow up to become tares (weeds) or goats. How is your growing up progressing?

After the word “salvation” Peter uses the powerful little word “IF”; he writes, “IF indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good?”. Think about that question. Does growing in a relationship with Christ seem good to you? It is interesting to check out the word “good” in Scripture. Jesus said, “There is only one who is good” (Matthew 19:17) using the Greek word ‘Agathos’ and referring to God.

When he told the parable of the Wedding Feast and described the final gathering of guests so that “the wedding hall was filled with guests” and “both good and bad” were there (Matthew 22:10), Jesus said that only the good remained (see Matthew 13:48). The lives of the good become more like their Master (see Galatians 4:19).

Our growing up should be such that it leads us to “come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood …” (1 Peter 2:4,5). Wonderful but challenging! Are you making progress? “Over such”, Jesus was to reveal in Revelation, “the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years”.

Let us concentrate our minds on the present, noticing verse 9 “you are … a royal priesthood … a people for his own possession …”. Are you growing so that this is happening?