Hungry??

Have you ever gotten a taste of some food or drink, that left you thirsting for more, and you just couldn’t get enough of it? You acquired an insatiable appetite for the particular item. The cravings kept you coming back for more and finding it so satisfying. Job said of God’s Word, “. . . I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” in Job 23:12. Peter tells us to “ . . . desire the sincere milk of the word, that [we] may grow thereby:” in the same way a baby longs after his mother’s milk. So let us “taste and see that the Lord is good” as ones who have “tasted the good word of God” (Psalm 34:4; Hebrews 6:5).

My dad found honey very delectable, so that we always had it available at our table to make things a little tastier. The sweetness of the Word of God is emphasized by its comparison with honey. Thus, we ought to find reading and following God’s Word as very palatable. In fact, the Scriptures are said to be “sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10b).  It is okay to indulge in some sweetener to add some enjoyment to our lives, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalm 119:103)!
 
My Father-in-law is more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Who doesn’t love a good steak once in a while? A big hearty piece of steak can really be filling. At some point we must all outgrow settling simply for milk and start to dig in to the more substantial teachings of the Word. We shouldn’t stay babes in Christ forever. Paul rebukes the Corinthians by saying, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able (1 Corinthians 3:1–2). Are we reading for understanding and in order to sink our teeth into something we must chew on for a time so that all the nutrients can be derived from it? There is so much goodness and discernment (both determining between right and wrong, or even between good, better and best within the will of God) we can gain from the Word. Listen to Hebrews 5:11-14 with the intent of moving on to maturity in Christ, “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  Your proper intake will determine your proper output!