This is from my Daily Devotional book that I read each morning. Credits are below the post.
1 Peter 2:2-3
Like newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The birth of a baby has to be one of the greatest miracles of life. On average, about four babies enter our world every second. During that same second approximately two people die, so that the world population is increasing at the rate of about two people per second. It is a statistic that I have a hard time with, because I know how much pain and sadness there is in our sin-sick world. My prayer is Lord, take care of all those precious lives. A human life is a unit with the greatest known value.
As each healthy baby comes into the world kicking and screaming, it is generally hungry and is ready to eat. When mother cradles baby in her arms, the food is right there at the infant’s mouth, and baby is programmed to root around and latch on and start sucking, drinking in that life-giving milk-another profound miracle story of production. When you study the system from a designer’s perspective, it looks “very good.”
So what is in mother’s milk? Is it good nutrition for the newborn? Does it meet specifications for growth and development? Much research done during the past two decades clearly shows that it is the perfect baby food. It appears to be designed by a loving Creator who knows what He is doing. Consider these observations.
For the first few days mother’s milk ( called colostrum ) is rich in proteins and low in sugar and fats. A perfect nutritional blend, it boosts the baby’s immune system and kick-starts the function of the infant’s fairly inactive and inexperienced digestive tract. For the next few days the milk changes to a sweet watery liquid called transitional milk. The baby gets fully hydrated, and the sweetness appeals to the baby’s awakening senses. Roughly two weeks into life, mother’s milk composition shifts again to the so-called mature milk with watery foremilk and thicker, creamier hindmilk. The fat and sugar content continue to rise, and the immunoglobulin levels fall. After about six months babies begin supplementing their diets with a little solid food as they continue their growth and development. What an analogy. God calls us out of darkness into marvelous light. Born again, we grow unto salvation by feeding on the pure milk of the gospel. It too is just what we need for spiritual development.
Lord, may I hunger and thirst after righteousness. Feed me till I want no more!
13 March 2013
God of Wonders: A Daily Devotional by David A. Steen, PH. D.
Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology Department at Andrews University