Helping Babies Grow Up

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12

We loved you so much that we gave you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. 1 Thessalonians 2:8

Sheri had a newborn. It wasn’t a human baby, but a raw egg she had to tote around for two weeks in a plastic butter tub lined with cotton balls. It was a school assignment designed to give her a taste of the responsibilities of parenthood.

Everywhere that Sheri went, her egg was sure to go.

Except the day she forgot it on the corner of the lunch table.

It took Sheri only moments to realize her egg was missing. When she raced back to her table, she found her raw egg scrambled on the floor.

It’s an enormous burden to care for an egg as if it’s a human baby. But you might have an even bigger responsibility: Do you know anyone who has just trusted Jesus? If you do, you can be sure that God wants to involve you in some part of the care of that baby Christian.

You don’t need to bundle up all the baby Christians you know and lug them around with you. But new believers freshly born into God’s family do need spiritual care and protection just like newborns need physical and emotional care.

So what can you do to care for the spiritual babies in your life?

First, supply nourishment. New Christians need to feed on God’s Word to mature (see 1 Peter 2:2). Remind them what happened when they trusted Christ:

• When you trusted Christ, you became a child of God (John 1:12).

• Your sins were forgiven (1 John 1:9).

• Jesus Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20).

• He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5-8).

• Your old life is gone (2 Corinthians 5:17).

• You have received eternal life (John 5:24).

Second, do some bonding. Without hugs and cuddling, newborns don’t develop. Just like babies need to bond to their parents, new Christians need to be surrounded by the love of other believers. Introduce them to Christian friends. Invite them to church. Welcome them into your Bible study or Sunday school class.

Does this all make sense now? God trusts you to nurture new Christians. Take up the responsibility—and don’t leave them alone at the lunch table!

TALK: How do you feel about the awesome fact that God trusts you to be a spiritual parent to new believers?

PRAY: Ask God to equip you to meet the needs of new believers.

ACT: Plan ways to help a new Christian in your life. If you don’t know any, pray that you can do your part to help someone in your life trust Jesus.