August 11-15

Build on the Basics

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God…” — Hebrews 6:1 (ESV)

In 1961, Coach Vince Lombardi stood before his Green Bay Packers team holding a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” His team had just lost the NFL Championship in a game they should have won. He brought them back to the fundamentals. Blocking. Tackling. Running. Passing. Even with professional athletes, Lombardi knew that growth required going back to basics and building from there.

That is exactly what the writer of Hebrews was saying. The early Christians were stuck in spiritual infancy. They should have been teachers by now, but they were still stuck on the ABCs of faith. Instead of growing in knowledge and holiness, they were coasting on the same lessons of repentance and faith.

God is calling us not just to remember the gospel but to apply it in deeper ways. To move from milk to meat. To stop lingering in doubt and start walking in obedience. Maturity comes when we practice the truth we know and hunger for more. It is not about learning fancier facts; it is about becoming more like Jesus. So, how are your fundamentals?

Reflection Questions:
1. What spiritual basics do you find yourself revisiting again and again?
2. How can you begin building on those basics to grow toward greater maturity in Christ?

Suggested Prayer: Lord, thank You for laying the foundation of truth in my life. Help me not to stay stuck in the same lessons but to grow in wisdom, obedience, and grace. Build me into someone who reflects You in every way.

It’s Time to Grow Up

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”— Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)

When comedian Brian Regan jokes about adults still saying, “I like the moon,” we laugh because we’ve all met someone who never really grew up. Physically? Yes. Emotionally or mentally? Not so much. Sadly, the same can be said for some in the church. People who’ve been Christians for decades but still can’t digest the “solid food” of God’s Word.

The Hebrews writer confronts this head-on. These believers had access to rich spiritual truth, but they weren’t growing. They couldn’t handle the meat of the Word because they hadn’t practiced the milk. Real growth takes constant practice. It’s not about being in church for 20 years, it’s about what you’ve done with what you’ve learned. Have you let it shape your decisions? Have you trained your mind to discern right from wrong?

Pastor Jim often reminds us that spiritual maturity isn’t measured by knowledge alone. It’s also about obedience. Are we serving? Forgiving? Giving generously? That’s how you know you’re moving from milk to meat.

Reflection Questions:
1. What’s one area of your life where you’ve avoided practicing obedience?
2. What’s one way you can move toward spiritual “meat” this week?

Suggested Prayer: Father, I want to grow beyond the basics. Train my heart to practice truth, love deeply, and discern clearly. Help me crave more of You and less of myself. In Jesus’ name, amen.

A Serious Warning

“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened... and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance…” – Hebrews 6:4, 6 (ESV)

In 2003, a man named Aron Ralston got trapped while hiking alone in Utah. A boulder pinned his arm, and after six days, he did the unthinkable. He amputated his own arm to escape. Drastic? Yes. But necessary to live. He said, “I didn’t lose my arm. I saved my life.”

Hebrews 6 delivers a spiritual warning just as drastic. It describes people who have seen the light of God’s truth, tasted the heavenly gift, and still turned away. The author warns: turning away from Jesus after knowing Him isn’t just backsliding, it’s soul-threatening. It’s not saying you can lose salvation like misplacing your keys. It’s describing people who come all the way up to the edge of saving faith and walk away.

This warning isn’t meant to paralyze true believers with fear. It’s meant to shake us out of spiritual slumber. If you’ve tasted God’s goodness, don’t drift. Don’t play games with grace. Cling to Christ like your life depends on it, because it does.

Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever felt tempted to drift or walk away from your faith? What helped you hold on?
2. How can you encourage someone else today who may be spiritually stuck or drifting?

Suggested Prayer: Jesus, keep me close to You. When I’m tempted to wander, pull me back. I want to walk faithfully. Strengthen my resolve and guard my heart.

A Simple Example

“For land that has drunk the rain… and produces a crop receives a blessing… but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed…” — Hebrews 6:7–8 (ESV)

In Georgia, we know the difference between good soil and thorny ground. Plant something in soft, tilled earth with the right mix of sun and water, and it thrives. Toss the same seed in rocky, dry dirt, and you’ll get weeds or nothing at all. That’s the image the writer gives us. God has poured out His rain, which is His Word, His grace, His blessings. What’s the crop of your life showing? Fruit? Or thorns?

Spiritual maturity isn’t about how much you know, it’s what your life produces. The gospel rains down on all of us through sermons, studies, worship, and prayer. But what grows from that? Faithfulness? Or forgetfulness?

This simple farming illustration reminds us: we’re not responsible for the rain, but we are responsible for the response. Your life is either showing that God’s grace is transforming you, or it’s not.

Reflection Questions:
1. What kind of spiritual “crop” is growing in your life right now?
2. What weeds or thorns do you need to ask God to pull up?

Suggested Prayer: Lord, I want to be good soil. Help me respond to Your Word with obedience and joy. Let my life produce fruit that blesses others and brings You glory.

Growing Forward

“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity…” — Hebrews 6:1 (ESV)

In 2014, a first-grade teacher in Kentucky went viral for sharing a note from one of her students. The child had gotten in trouble for talking too much in class. Her note to the teacher said: “I’m sorry for talking. I will never talk again unless I need to say something.” The teacher laughed so hard she had to stop class. The kid's logic? Bulletproof... kind of. It was adorably immature, sweet intentions wrapped in six-year-old reasoning. The note became a hit because it was honest, well-meaning, and completely missed the point.

Hebrews 6:1 is a call to action: “Let us go on to maturity.” Not drift. Not stay. Go. Spiritual growth requires movement. Yes, we start with the elementary basics of repentance, faith, baptism, and resurrection. But we’re meant to go beyond them. To love when it’s hard. To serve when it’s inconvenient. To give when it’s uncomfortable.

Just like that little girl’s note, many Christians have good intentions but stall in spiritual kindergarten. God’s Word isn’t just meant to be heard; it’s meant to transform. If our lives are only sprouting weeds, we may need to ask whether we’re truly growing at all.

Reflection Questions:
1. Where are you still immature in your faith?
2. What’s one step you can take this week to grow spiritually?

Suggested Prayer: Father, thank You for calling me to more. I don’t want to coast or get complacent. Help me grow in faith, hope, and love and walk more like Jesus each day.