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Have you ever craved (i.e. had a powerful desire) for food or drink? Maybe it was something cold to drink on a hot day or something delicious. While some cravings are harmless, others are more dangerous. “My Strange Addiction”, an American documentary, shows people who are addicted to eating strange things, like rocks and nail polish. Movies such as “We Children from Bahnhof Zoo” (1981) and the sudden deaths of celebrities like singer Whitney Houston show how drug addiction destroys lives.
What we eat and drink affects us. People who eat inedible things (rocks) or harmful substances (drugs) seriously damage their health. Similarly, what we consume spiritually affects our spiritual health. The Apostle Peter tells us: “Like newborn infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up into salvation.” (1 Pet 2:2).
Have you ever craved for God’s Word in the same way that babies crave for milk? Babies only drink milk and cry if they do not get it. King David said: “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:103) Can we say the same as King David? I am humbled and encouraged when I observe the hunger of other Christians who love God’s Word deeply. A friend from China is my example. She brought her Bible everywhere and read it so often (e.g. between classes) that her knowledge of God’s Word was better than those who grew up regularly attending Church. Her classmates started asking her about her faith and she had many opportunities to share about her faith in Jesus!
We first believed when we heard the good news of Jesus, the “Word become flesh” (Jn 1:14), who “takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). We will continue to grow as Christians by hearing, reading, and obeying God’s Word. It is not enough to simply listen to God’s Word – we must be doers of God’s Word also. If we say that we love God, we must obey Him (Jn 14:21). Obedience to God’s Word will result in earnest love for one another. This includes putting away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander (1 Pet 1:22, 2:1). By loving others like how Jesus loved us, the world will see what God’s Word means. We will show the watching world that following Jesus is a beautiful and joyous thing.
