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have been adopted into the family of God. Did<br />
you give or pay anything for this privilege? No,<br />
you have received everything as a gift; the Bible<br />
calls this grace. What does a child say when<br />
receiving a piece of chocolate? Thank you! You<br />
should do this, too, because God has given you<br />
the whole of heaven as a gift. Here, too, a short<br />
example of a prayer of gratitude may be helpful:<br />
“Dear Father in heaven, You have now become<br />
my Father, and I can now be your child. You<br />
have freed me from all sin and guilt through<br />
your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, I<br />
thank You that You have saved me also.<br />
Amen.”<br />
Now the fulfilled life, which God promises,<br />
begins. In the Bible your present state is regarded<br />
as being like that of a newborn baby. Just as a<br />
newborn already belongs to a family, you now<br />
belong to the family of God. Newborn babies are<br />
in a critical stage of life – think of sudden infant<br />
death syndrome, for instance. This is also possible<br />
in the realm of faith. The birth (conversion) has<br />
been successful, resulting in real new life. At this<br />
stage nourishment (milk) and good care are<br />
essential. Naturally, here too, God has provided.<br />
He has done everything necessary for you to be<br />
able to develop properly. “Infant death“ is avoidable<br />
by following God’s directions. Your spiritual<br />
development will be healthy and sound if you<br />
take the following five points to heart:<br />
1 Reading the Bible: Your decision was based<br />
on the words of the Bible, which is the only book<br />
authorised by God. No other book can compare<br />
in regard to authority, truth, wealth of information,<br />
and source. Reading this Word is essential<br />
nourishment for your new life. This aspect is<br />
expressed clearly in 1 Peter 2:2: “Like newborn<br />
babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you<br />
may grow up in your salvation.” The words of the<br />
Bible are this milk. To be informed of the will of<br />
God, you should cultivate the habit of reading<br />
the Bible daily. The best place to start is with one<br />
of the gospels; John is especially suitable. Do not<br />
begin with the books of Deuteronomy or with<br />
Ezra. When learning mathematics, one does not<br />
start with integral calculus. This is something for<br />
138<br />
later, after mastering the essentials. You should<br />
make it a beloved daily habit to read something<br />
in the Bible. We don’t forget breakfast or brushing<br />
our teeth, because these activities have a<br />
fixed place in our daily rhythm; we should be just<br />
as consistent about the Bible.<br />
2 Prayer: Just as we speak to people whom we<br />
encounter in our daily familiar surroundings, like<br />
our marriage partner, our business colleagues,<br />
neighbours and friends, so we should also speak<br />
to God, as we are reminded in Colossians 4:2:<br />
“Devote yourselves to prayer.” According to the<br />
Bible prayers can only be addressed in one of two<br />
ways: To God (Col 4:3) Who is now your Father,<br />
and to the Lord Jesus (Col 2:6-7) Who is your<br />
Saviour, your Good Shepherd, and your Friend –<br />
yes, your everything. Prayers to any other person<br />
(or thing) people might suggest are unbiblical.<br />
Being merely human inventions, they do not arise<br />
from the will of God. If you have previously been<br />
accustomed to directing your prayers elsewhere,<br />
discard such practices immediately, so that you<br />
might not act contrary to God’s declared will.<br />
Prayer will change you, and you will find abundant<br />
power through prayer. All everyday matters<br />
can be prayed for; all your joys and worries, plans<br />
and intentions. Thank the Lord for everything<br />
that concerns you, and pray for the needs of others<br />
around you, especially that they would also<br />
come to a living faith. Bible reading and prayer<br />
comprise a “spiritual circulation” which is essential<br />
for a healthy life of faith.<br />
3 Communion: We have been created to have<br />
fellowship with others. Seek out and cultivate<br />
contact with other true Christians. Note that<br />
many people call themselves Christians, but you<br />
are required to have fellowship with born-again<br />
believers. You will find that you can only really<br />
pray and converse with true believers. When a<br />
glowing coal is removed from the fire, it dies<br />
quickly. <strong>Our</strong> love for Christ will also cool off if it<br />
is not kept burning through fellowship with<br />
other born-again Christians.<br />
Check out the church into which you were perhaps<br />
born, or which you are thinking of now attending,
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