Nobody is certain who wrote Hebrews, but the writer is speaking to people who should be further along in their walk and aren’t. Verses 11 and 12 set that up. Then comes verses 13 and 14.
“Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” — Hebrews 5:13-14
I love the word “but” in verse 14, because it means something good is coming. And the phrase worth keying on is near the end: “by constant use.”
Motion vs. Action
I’m rereading a book on habits right now, and one chapter separates motion from action. Motion feels productive. It’s planning, preparing, researching, getting ready. You tell yourself, this is useful, this is what I’m supposed to be doing. But the real thing is on the action side.
The same book clears up a common myth about habits. It isn’t really about a magic number of days. It’s about repetition. Do something three times a day and you might lock in a habit in ten days. Do it every other day and it could take three months. The days don’t matter. The repetition does.
Mature Means Using the Word
Being a mature Christian isn’t knowing the word. Plenty of people know the word. It’s using it. James says not to be merely hearers, but doers. If we read and then don’t act, we’ve done the motion without the action, and what we read carries no weight.
That’s why the Old Testament talks about writing God’s word on the tablet of your heart. You’re etching it in until it becomes who you are and what you do. Reading the whole Bible is great, but are you actioning the Bible? That’s the part that counts.
How You Learn to Discern
People ask how they can tell whether something is of God. One answer is that you’ve trained yourself to know, through repeated action. That’s how you learn to tell the difference between the Holy Spirit leading you and your own voice telling you what you want. It’s also worth remembering that the heart can be deceitful, and that every good and perfect gift comes from above.
The first half of this passage looks like a school system. You can’t hand a second grader a trigonometry problem and expect an answer. They’re not ready to hear it. In the same way, you can attend church for ten years and still not be able to take in anything weighty if you’ve never put what you heard into practice.
Why It Matters
Growing up in faith isn’t only for ourselves. It’s for our spouse, our kids, the person in the next cubicle, even the barista handing us our coffee. And we get there through action, not motion.
Two Questions
One simple formula was shared on the call: every time you open the word, ask, “Lord, what do you want me to know, and what do you want me to do?” Then do it. Know and do. Action, not motion.
You can catch this devotional and every weekday message live on carltondewaynedunko.com, Monday through Thursday at 9:15 AM Eastern. DeWayne also co-hosts the original 9:15 Devotional, where you'll find the full video archive and more ways to connect.