Sunday, January 30, 2005

Karis and 1 Peter 2:2

Karis has only been here a week and she is already teaching me a lot about God and a lot about myself. I have known 1 Peter 2:2 on a surface level for years. I have often used it to talk about how God’s Word nourishes our souls. However, little Karis is helping me see this verse in a new light. Peter commands us, “Like newborn babies, crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word that by it you may grow in respect to your salvation (my translation).” The verb I translated as “crave” is a very common but powerful Greek word. It can also be translated as “yearn for” or “earnestly desire.” Why do you think Peter chose the analogy of a newborn baby and its desire for milk? I’ll tell you why: It is the perfect picture of how we should crave (earnestly desire) God’s Word. When Karis is hungry and it’s not time to eat, you better hold your ears. She will scream at the top of her lungs for what seems like hours until she gets what she wants: milk. You could give her anything else in the world and it would not satisfy her because her yearning for milk drowns everything else out. Late one night last week, God got personal with me as I listened to Karis crying. He asked: Do you desire, crave, long for, and yearn after My Word like she is after milk? Justin, is the stuff of the world drowned out by your passion for the Bible? Do you absolutely have to have a dose of My Word as regularly as she has to have milk? Needless to say, I was challenged. How is your craving today?

1 comment:

Rob Tombrella said...

Great reminder Justin! Last night Joel cried nonstop. I must confess, 1 Peter 2:2 did not enter my mind. All I thought about was grabbing a straw, digging a huge hole in the backyard and getting Colby to kick the dirt on top.