Got Milk? Are You Craving It?
Remember the “Got Milk?” commercials where a well-known celebrity was proud to admit they drank milk by revealing their milk moustache on their upper lip? The commercial encouraged milk consumption and the campaign was credited for upping milk sales by highlighting the benefits of milk.
That image came to me this week as I read 1 Peter 2:2 during an online Bible Study group. I was “craving” an intense study of God’s Word – just like that scripture says: “Like newborn babies (crave their mama’s milk), crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” The Apostle Peter was “campaigning” for upping spiritual milk “intake”. I love this new and improved Peter AFTER he received the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Before the day of Pentecost, he was a coward, an ear-slicing-off hatchet man, a denier of His Lord. After Pentecost – he became a mighty man of courage and spoke with authority and wisdom. I’ll listen to that kind-of-leader any day. He had learned his lessons well and wanted us to learn our lessons well, too.
Back to that 1 Peter scripture “Like newborn babies”, he encourages us to “crave spiritual milk” What we know about babies, is they must have a steady diet of their mother’s milk to survive. No milk – cranky, unhappy babies. Got Milk? – Happy, satisfied and nourished babies.
God made our faith work much the same way our bodies work. He designed us to require daily nourishment. A diet lacking a steady intake of God’s Word makes us cranky, unhappy disciples as we face giants of doubt, unbelief, and worry. When I am physically hungry, the hunger pains develop in my tummy. When my faith is lacking, it’s because I’m not in-taking God’s Word. And, when I’m intent on devouring God’s Word, my faith is strong enough to counteract the fiery darts of the enemy when he comes barreling into my life.
You and I must adopt the very same craving for God’s Word as a baby has for his mother’s milk. We must develop in ourselves the need to read God’s Word and study it. As I was thinking about this, I realized that Psalm 119 in the Old Testament is not only the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses, but is a chapter in the Bible filled with one message… Love God’s Word. Just “feast on” some of that chapter here and pray that these words from the Scriptures ring true in you as you develop a craving for the pure spiritual milk of the Word which will make you grow up in your spiritual health and will satisfy your hunger!
From Psalm 119:
Verse 10: I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
Verse 18: Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Verse 20: My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
Verse 35: Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
Verse 93: I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
Verse 97: Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Verse 103: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Verse 105: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.