“like
newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow
in respect to salvation” – 1 Peter 2:2 (NASB)
Summarize in a Word: Desiring the word of God.
Key Principle: God’s word is necessary for our spiritual
growth.
Key Application: Absorb the word of God
Main point of the Passage: God
grants spiritual growth through His word.
Illustration: Newborn babies require milk for growth.
Exhortation: Would you just not taste, but would you eat
the whole counsel God?
It is
one thing to know the importance of reading Bible,
but what really matters is reading the
Bible actually. Apostle Peter in 1Peter 2:2 goes further: he commanded us to
desire the undiluted word of God as a life source. Bible reading is not for
self-satisfaction; neither for achievement nor to raise up hands when somebody
asks, “How many of you read Bible this week?” Peter wants us to go beyond reading and even studying. It is to be craved,
to be desperately in need of; to be ingested, to be digested. Do you hunger and
thirst for God’s word?
We are
born again through the word of God (1Pet 1:23). The word of God operated
internally in our minds, hearts, and souls. We understand, affirm and response
to the word of God. In the process, we have tasted the power of the word of
God, which is the grace of God. Like every newborn babe needs a milk for growth, true Christian
who is born again requires spiritual milk for his growth, which is the
word of God. Would you just not taste, but would you eat the whole counsel of God,
(like Psalm 1:2) meditating upon it day and night?
It is a
pure word of God– unblended, unmixed, not compromised, nor adjusted. How often
do we tone down the word of God? How
often have we considered the commandment as a suggestion,
obligation as optional to cope our sins? We must obey the word of God for as it
is – all of it, the hard truth and the hard commandment! That includes
repentance and delight in God!