“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature…” —Hebrews 5:13–14

Imagine a grown adult sitting in a highchair, wearing a bib, holding a bottle of formula, waiting for someone to spoon applesauce into their mouth.

It would be absurd, wouldn’t it?

That’s the image the writer of Hebrews paints in this passage. He’s not rebuking brand-new believers who are just learning how to follow Jesus. He’s speaking to those who have been around a while—long enough to be feeding others. But instead of eating meat, they’re still on milk. Instead of feeding themselves, they’re waiting to be spoon-fed.

The tragedy is not just immaturity. The tragedy is prolonged immaturity.

There’s nothing wrong with milk—for a season. But if you’ve been in the faith for years and still rely on others to digest Scripture for you, you’re spiritually malnourished.

A disciple grows into a self-feeder.

Milk vs. Meat

Let’s be clear: milk isn’t bad. Babies need it. New Christians need it. Milk is the basics—God loves you, Jesus saves, grace is free. It’s the gospel in its simplest form. And thank God for it.

But spiritual growth means we go deeper. We begin to explore the fullness of who God is, what He has done, and what it means to live for Him. We begin to chew on things that aren’t immediately easy to digest. We wrestle. We meditate. We grow.

And here’s the key difference:

Milk is what someone else feeds you. Meat is what you feed yourself.

When you’re new in the faith, you need others to explain things to you. You rely on sermons, small groups, devotionals. But eventually, you need to start learning how to chew—how to open the Word for yourself, how to study, how to meditate, how to be nourished without a spiritual babysitter.

Disciples Are Self-Feeders

One of the greatest signs of maturity is when a believer moves from being fed to feeding themselves—and eventually, to feeding others.

Jesus said,

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” —Matthew 4:4

If that’s true, then feeding yourself on God’s Word is not optional. It’s essential.

Many Christians attend church every week, listen to a few podcasts, and assume that’s enough. But if your only spiritual intake comes from someone else’s study, you’ll stay in diapers.

Disciples grow when they learn to open the Bible for themselves. To ask questions. To chase answers. To slow down and listen. They don’t rely on others to chew their food for them.

They become self-feeders.

Meat Requires Chewing—That’s Called Meditation

Solid food requires teeth. You have to chew it. Swallowing it whole won’t help—it just gives you indigestion. The same is true with Scripture.

You can’t just skim. You can’t just speed-read. You have to meditate.

Meditation doesn’t mean emptying your mind—it means filling it with truth and turning it over, again and again.

Joshua 1:8 says:

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”

Psalm 1 describes the blessed man as one who “delights in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

Meditation is not fast food. It’s slow cooking. It’s savoring. It’s learning to sit with Scripture long enough for it to seep into your bones.

What the Research Shows: Bible Engagement Changes Everything

If you need more reason to believe that moving from milk to meat matters—not just for head knowledge, but for life transformation—consider the findings from the Center for Bible Engagement. This wasn’t a small survey. It was a nationwide study involving over 100,000 Christians of all ages and backgrounds.

The researchers wanted to know: What actually changes people?

They looked at church attendance, small group participation, Christian radio, and devotional reading. But one factor stood above all the rest:

The single greatest predictor of spiritual growth was engaging with the Bible at least four times per week.

Not just hearing a sermon. Not just reading a verse on Instagram. But meaningful, personal engagement—reading, reflecting, and responding.

Here’s what they found when people engaged Scripture four or more times per week:

• Feeling lonely dropped by 30%
• Anger issues dropped by 32%
• Bitterness in relationships dropped by 40%
• Alcohol abuse dropped by 57%
• Pornography use dropped by 61%
• Sharing faith jumped by 200%
• Discipling others increased by 230%

The tipping point wasn’t casual exposure—it was consistency. Shockingly, people who engaged Scripture only one to three times per week showed almost no measurable difference from those who never read the Bible at all.

The conclusion was clear: occasional inspiration doesn’t change us—steady meditation does.