Because you have purified your soul through obedience of the truth by
the Spirit in sincere love for the brethren, therefore, lay aside all
malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as new new
born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word of God, that you may by
it grow. All these you do because you are now a child of God (1 Peter
1:22-2:2).
It is interesting to note that we are called to two things, first, to lay aside some things; second, to desire the sincere milk of the word of God. You cannot do one without the other. You let go of one to be able to do the other. For example, you cannot hold unto malice, live a hypothetical life, speak evil of others, and desire the sincere milk of the word of God at the same time. It just does not work. Those who have tasted that the Lord is gracious lay aside all malice and desire the sincere milk of the word of God: this is their emblem.
I am born again, but in Me is the flesh that still wants to be malicious, deceitful, vengeful, hypocritical, envious, and speak evil of others, but as a child of God, my response to these fleshly tendencies is to desire the sincere milk of the word of God; what this means is that I will seek to know what the word of God requires of me in place of any of these fleshly tendencies. For example, the word teaches that I should be truthful, therefore, in laying aside deceit, I walk in truthfulness; the word of God teaches that I speak evil of no one, therefore, in laying aside evil speaking, I will speak good of them. This is how I lay aside the tendencies of the flesh, and desire the sincere milk of the word of God.
It is interesting to note that we are called to two things, first, to lay aside some things; second, to desire the sincere milk of the word of God. You cannot do one without the other. You let go of one to be able to do the other. For example, you cannot hold unto malice, live a hypothetical life, speak evil of others, and desire the sincere milk of the word of God at the same time. It just does not work. Those who have tasted that the Lord is gracious lay aside all malice and desire the sincere milk of the word of God: this is their emblem.
I am born again, but in Me is the flesh that still wants to be malicious, deceitful, vengeful, hypocritical, envious, and speak evil of others, but as a child of God, my response to these fleshly tendencies is to desire the sincere milk of the word of God; what this means is that I will seek to know what the word of God requires of me in place of any of these fleshly tendencies. For example, the word teaches that I should be truthful, therefore, in laying aside deceit, I walk in truthfulness; the word of God teaches that I speak evil of no one, therefore, in laying aside evil speaking, I will speak good of them. This is how I lay aside the tendencies of the flesh, and desire the sincere milk of the word of God.
Toni
