Articles & Devotionals
Eat Scripture
Not sorry if I make you hungry!
Well, I must admit, I have a problem. I like to eat. Love collard greens and fried potatoes, steamed broccoli and pizza! Yes, I’m a serial muncher! But I’m not alone, am I? Yes, admit it. Admit it! We probably all share this passion. But did you know that the Bible encourages us to be consumers, eaters, partakers of God’s inspired Scriptures—His word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
As Peter was writing to Christians in what we today call Turkey, he encouraged them to be concerned about their behavior (1 Peter 1:15). They needed to live with a genuine love for others (1:22), “putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander” (2:1). But what would help them do this?
Peter wrote, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” (2:2-3). You see, Peter tells us to long for God’s uncontaminated word, inspired Scripture, just as a newborn longs for the perfectly pure satisfying milk in nursing. And we who have been or are parents know how passionately a newborn wants and needs this!
Likewise, Christians want and need to always be “on the grow” and always hungry for the word of God. Growing “to a mature person, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)—that means growing to be more like Christ. Notice here that Jesus is the standard for growth. Wow! You know what that means? It means that there is always growing to be doing! Learning Him is our objective (4:20), putting off our old sinful self and putting on the new self as that new self is described in Ephesians 4:25-5:2. But to keep growing we have to keep eating, keep filling our hearts and minds with “the word of His grace” (Acts 20:32). Keep letting “the word of Christ richly dwell within” (Colossians 3:16) so that God can help us grow to be the mature saints He wants and longs for us to be. Are you hungry? Not sorry if I made you hungry! jc
