How Much Do You Crave the Word of God?

Have I ever mentioned my good friend Russ? Well Russ’ dad and mom, Arthur and Mary, were foster parents. There was a time when they kept newborn babies before these little ones could be adopted or placed with relatives. Russ and I loved to play with the babies. Some of them would only be a couple of weeks old. He would call me up and say, “Danny, we have a new foster baby. See if you can come up and we can take care of it while my mom is working around the house.” So off I would go and we would put a blanket on the carpeted living room floor and put the baby on it.

Our favorite game was when it came time to give them a bottle. Russ would hold the bottle of milk in front of the baby. It was just out of reach. The baby was not old enough to grab the bottle, but it would kick its little legs in excitement and wave its arms wildly. The baby would start taking to the bottle as if to say, “Oh, yes I want you. I want you right now. I am starving.” When the baby would start to cry for the bottle, Mary would know what we were up to. From the other room she would call out. “Now, boys stop tormenting that baby and give it the milk.” As soon as the baby latched onto the nipple of the bottle, it would stop crying and start sucking down the bottle like it was the best thing it every had.

All Christians should have the same desire for the Bible. Peter says, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Some people miss the point of the verse by thinking it only applies to newborn Christians who are to desire the Word of God. However, Peter is talking about all Christians no matter how old or how mature they are in the faith. Throughout our walking on earth as Christians, we are never to lose that strong desire for the Bible.

I have yet to wave a Bible in front of an audience and have them respond the way a baby reacts to the bottle of milk waved in front of them. It would be nice if all of us loved God’s Word that much and desire it in the same way. If all Christians did, they would never fall asleep during a sermon or Bible class. They would never forget to read it daily. They would come to class having prepared their lesson.

The Psalmist spoke of this desire when he wrote,

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

(Psalm 19:7-10)

Also consider the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. It speaks of how much the servant of God loved His Word.

Psalm 119:47 – And I will delight myself in Your commandments, Which I love.
Psalm 119:48 – My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, Which I love, And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:97 – Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Psalm 119:113 – I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law.
Psalm 119:119 – You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; Therefore I love Your testimonies.

Have you developed and maintained a baby-like appetite for God’s Word? When is the last time you went wild and crazy with desire when a Bible was waved in front of you?

– Daniel R. Vess