Satisfy the Craving

One of my wife's favorite things to hear is when our kids express their absolutely dire situation by stating that they are "starving". More often than not, it is my teenage son who never seems to be satisfied with the amount of food intake given to him. Obviously, this is an over-expression of their slight hunger, and they are nowhere close to actual starvation.

Do we as Christians feel hungry for Jesus? Do we feel the deep craving for the nourishment of God's Word and just can't seem to get enough of it?

1 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV)
¹ Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Peter tells us that we as Christians need to love one another. We need to cast aside the anger, deceit, bickering, gossiping, underlying grudges, or any other animosity we may be feeling toward others. We must lay these at the foot of the cross and let go. Otherwise, how can we grow closer to God if these things are between us and Him? If our hands are full, how can we reach out to feed ourselves?

Peter then challenges us to have the instinctive desire and deep longing for the true nourishing milk only God provides. It is by digging into and devouring His Word, the Bible.

When we are nourished appropriately, we can grow in strength and remain healthy. Our bodies need appropriate nourishment to properly function. Our hearts and spiritual relationship need to be fed in order to grow and not wither. So, the only nourishment that allows for that  Spiritual growth is from the Word of God.

Peter reminds us that once we've tasted how good the Lord is, then we should long for his nourishment even more. All we need is a taste of His love and grace. I know when I am incredibly hungry after a long day at work, and that first bite of my favorite meal, moreover, that first touch of the food on the receptors of my tongue, sparks an emotional reaction and my brain registers the desire to devour that amazing nourishment. Do we have that same feeling after tasting that the Lord is good?

Therefore, we need the humility to set aside our conflicts so that the attitude of our hearts is receptible to growth from God's nourishment. Then, it’s only through diving into God's Word that will continually improve our bond with God. It’s a process, but you must start somewhere…small bites that will eventually progress through the full meal. God has prepared a feast for us, but we need to take that first bite. Then, when we demonstrate that strong desire, or craving, to be fed and grow in our walk with Him, then the way we address others, talk at work, interact, and live our lives will be a true reflection of what God is doing in our hearts. Let us be the example for those around us and for our children.

My challenge for us as Christians, especially myself, is to remember what that initial taste of the Lord was like. If we can't remember, let us rediscover how good God is. Let us be like an infant and have that instinctive longing for the nourishment of God, and the only way we can do that is to start with a small bite of God’s Word and then build from there. Find the time and take the initiative because He is there waiting to speak to us and grow us. He’ll meet you where you are at.