Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1 Peter 2:1-4
Anyone who has ever eaten too much at a large meal, perhaps a holiday or some other special occasion, knows the feeling of being stuffed. At that moment, and sometimes for several hours afterward, no food seems appealing no matter how good it looks or smells. In fact, even the idea of eating more can make us feel slightly sick. Conversely, anyone who has missed a few meals knows the opposite is also true. When our stomachs are growling, almost anything sounds appealing. There is an old French proverb that says, “A good meal ought to begin with hunger.” Solomon wrote, “The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet” (Proverbs 27:7).
When it comes to our spiritual appetite, the problem is not that we take in too much food, but rather that we consume unhelpful food and thus convince ourselves that we have all we need. Yet the reality is that we always need more of the Word of God. The church at Laodicea was condemned because they thought they had everything together. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). Rather than being self-satisfied and thinking that we already know all we need to know we should approach the Bible like hungry babies approach milk—as an urgent necessity.
God has given us a glimpse into the incredible depths of His wisdom in His Word, and it is folly for us to take it for granted or think that we have fully plumbed its depths. There is always more to learn and we should be eager to do so.
