{"id":967151,"date":"2014-11-04T11:17:06","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T17:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/?p=967151"},"modified":"2014-11-04T11:18:51","modified_gmt":"2014-11-04T17:18:51","slug":"feeding-on-gods-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/?p=967151","title":{"rendered":"Feeding on God’s Word"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first installment of this blog series on our spiritual appetites we considered what the Apostle Peter is saying in 1 Peter 2:1-3 that when we feed the appetite for the flesh, we destroy our appetite for the things of God.<\/em><\/p>\n

That covers verse 1. Then in verses 2-3, we learn that when we desire the things of God, we grow in the ways of God.<\/em><\/p>\n

The text says,<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation, \u00e2\u20ac\u201d (and he adds a conditional clause) if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

This verse tells us about a Christian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attitude, appetite, and aim. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Like newborn infants,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d describes the Christian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attitude toward the word of God.<\/p>\n

Peter is taking us all down to the nursery window and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pointing to a little baby at feeding time. He says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now watch that little baby for a minute.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Watch how his mouth desires life-giving milk from his mother. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a picture of a believer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spiritual hunger and desire for God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Word.<\/p>\n

Peter then looks at us and says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the attitude you should have toward God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s word\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 drawn to it, reaching for it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Long for the pure spiritual milk\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, this is the appetite we should have toward God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s word.<\/p>\n

This phrase \u00e2\u20ac\u0153long for\u00e2\u20ac\u009d means to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153desire\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with the implication of recognizing a hunger or absence while yearning to fulfill it. You have a deep need that can only be satisfied by God Himself. The spiritual food you seek as a believer is the Word of God.<\/p>\n

We are told to long for the pure spiritual milk, which refers to God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Word, the Bible.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pure\u00e2\u20ac\u009d milk meant that it hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been mixed with anything else; this word for pure was used in business documents for sales of unadulterated foods. A person who knows Christ will have a hunger\u00e2\u20ac\u201da desire for the undiluted Word of God.<\/p>\n

When a baby doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have an appetite after several hours, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something dangerously wrong. Likewise, when a Christian doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have an appetite for the things of God, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something dangerously wrong.<\/p>\n

Peter alludes to what might be wrong in verse 3. Remember the conditional clause? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost like Peter is saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever come to Christ, then you know what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m saying here is true. You<\/em> know. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve<\/em> tasted.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

At this point I know someone must be thinking about what it means to desire the word of God. After all, many times even Christians do not feel an all-consuming desire to study the word of God. I feel that way in my own life from time to time.<\/p>\n

Is Peter saying that if I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t desire God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s word with 100% allegiance all the time, then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a Christian? Well, if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case then none of us are safe.<\/p>\n

In my own life I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve noticed there are seasons of desire when I feel great hunger for God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s word. During these times my prayers seem like a fluent dialogue with the Father.<\/p>\n

But then there are also desert times when desire ebbs low. There have been times when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve felt so spiritually ineffective that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lord, I need Your help right now. If You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t minister to me, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way I can minister to others.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

I believe there are various seasons of desire. There is a winter of desire that corresponds to the summer of desire.<\/p>\n

The question then is not \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you have a 100% desire for the things of God all the time\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, but rather do you have any<\/em> desire for the things of God at any<\/em> time? Or even, are you at least willing to be made willing as you hear God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Word?<\/p>\n

The good news in these low ebb times of our spiritual journey is that if you have any desire or inclination toward the things of God\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat desire was put there by your Father in heaven. Only God can initiate that true desire for His Word.<\/p>\n

We must cultivate it, but only God can initiate it. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the good news during those low ebb times when our desire seems to wane.<\/p>\n

Peter is telling us that not only can<\/em> we be satisfied in God\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling us that we must<\/em> be satisfied in God. This is now our priority above all else in this life. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling us that if anyone has truly tasted of the bounties of our Lord, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no way they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll want to turn back to the scraps of worldliness and sin as a regular pattern of living.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean we won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t continue to struggle with the deeds of the flesh. That battle continues for the rest of this life. The real question is: have you ever tasted?<\/p>\n

If a person hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tasted that the Lord is good and gracious, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no mystery that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no appetite for the things of God in their life. This lack of appetite speaks of the person who feels no desire for the things of God at any time.<\/p>\n

In the physical<\/em> realm, birth predicates the desire to feed.<\/p>\n

Likewise, in the spiritual<\/em> realm new birth (or regeneration) predicates the desire to know Christ as He is revealed in Scripture. The appetite for spiritual food naturally follows spiritual birth.<\/p>\n

To have spiritual life is to desire spiritual nourishment. Your appetites in life tell people about your spiritual life. Our appetites send a silent message that speaks louder than words to family, friends, and those around us.<\/p>\n

The old saying goes, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your talk talks and your walk talks. But your walk talks louder than your talk talks.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

My prayer for you is that your appetites and desires will show your value for Jesus Christ and His written Word, the Bible.<\/p>\n

With joy in Christ,
\nPastor Kevin
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In the first installment of this blog series on our spiritual appetites we considered what the Apostle Peter is saying in 1 Peter 2:1-3 that when we feed the appetite for the flesh, we destroy our appetite for the things of God. That covers verse 1. Then in verses 2-3, we learn that when we … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Feeding on God’s Word”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":967152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967151"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=967151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/967152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=967151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=967151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/provbaptist.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=967151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}