Triumph Over Trials - 1 and 2 PeterSample

Nourishing the Soul

Read: 1 Peter 2:1-3

SOAP: 1 Peter 2:1-2

So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation…

Into the Text

Just as a newborn baby needs milk to grow and thrive, so does a Christian also require the right kind of nourishment. When babies are born, they can’t do much for themselves. But they surely know how to ask for milk! None of us who have had newborns will forget that piercing cry or fierce sucking until their thirst is quenched. Nothing else will satisfy them when they are hungry. In the same way, Peter says, we Christians should crave the words of the Bible. Just as babies are so focused on one thing - getting nourishing milk into them - so we Christians should be focused on drinking deeply from God’s Word.

How is your appetite for God’s Word these days? This is not just about reading Scripture; it’s about allowing God’s Word to nourish our souls and shape our lives (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When a baby does not ever cry for milk, we know that something is seriously wrong. The mark of a healthy baby is a healthy appetite, just as the mark of a healthy Christian is hunger for the life-giving Word of God.

Our spiritual diet profoundly influences how we live. What we consume affects what we crave. Consuming harmful things can poison our spiritual health and appetite. That is why Peter instructs us to rid ourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. It’s as if Peter is advising us to clean out our “spiritual refrigerators,” removing the rotten and replacing it with what is good and life-giving.

Remember the saying, “You are what you eat”? Well, it rings true spiritually, too. This is why we are called to not only read but also to savor and digest the teachings of God’s Word (Matthew 4:4). As we continue to grow in our faith, our diet should grow and change with us. This is not a passive process. It requires a decisive move on our part to foster a deeper hunger for God’s Word—a hunger that keeps increasing as we seek to be more like Jesus every day (Colossians 2:6-7).

Today, take a moment to assess your spiritual appetite. Do you long for God’s Word so much that you are willing to skip other (sometimes good) things, just to spend time with Him? Dive deeper into God’s Word and let it shape your heart, your actions, and your cravings. Embrace the growth God has set before you, and enjoy the rich and sustaining diet of His Word.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, help us to develop a growing appetite for Your Word. Help us to crave the deep, rich truths of Your Word so that we can be more like You. Amen.