Now What? I'm Starving-Weekly Devotions

 Now What?

I’m Starving-Weekly Devotions

1 Peter 2:1-3, Hebrews 4:12-13

Question: Have you been so hungry you would eat anything?

Intro: My wife would proclaim that I am a picky eater. Here is a list of things that I am willing to eat: green beans, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cooked cabbage, carrots, and more. Things I won’t eat: pickled beets (I tried and spit it back into my mother-in-law’s hand), tuna salad, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, sushi, just to name a few. If you noticed, the things I typically don’t like are condiments. They are food maskers, to help mask the taste of bland food. I tell my son that he doesn’t like salad, but it’s the only way to eat ranch without getting curious looks.

What we eat spiritually matters. We are not called to rely on masking our faith (Sunday church attendance). God desires us to grave fellowship with Him, to dig deeply into His word and prayer, and to develop unity with His Holy Spirit. We are not called to just eat the condiments of this spiritual life, but to develop a deeper appetite for the meat of God’s word.

Got Milk, 1 Peter. 2:1-3: “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”

The Got Milk? Campaign is still incredibly large today. To this day, this campaign uses professional athletes and musicians to promote the drinking of milk in cafeterias across America. Growing up, I remember seeing the likes of Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, and Mark McGwire promoting the drinking of milk in our own cafeteria at school. There is only one problem; I am not a fan of white milk and the chocolate milk at school was to be desired (Chocolate skim milk, ick). 

The goal was to rid America’s youth of sugary options that did not promote a healthy lifestyle. Milk was pushed to help students have a more nutritious option that helped build stronger bones and bodies. Young believers must make active choices to rid ourselves of the junk (sinful living) and begin to pursue pure things. We must be willing to change our diet in pursuit of drawing closer to God and seeing His plan for our lives come to fruition. 

With any good diet, if we are to be spiritually healthy we must remove things that reflect our old selves: anger, lying, hypocrisy, envy and gossip. Peter tells us that as new Christians, or young Christians, we must crave the Word of God like a newborn infant. Think of the infant; it cries until something is given to him. We too must earnestly seek God’s word as it provides nourishment to our souls as a newborn seeking milk to grow stronger and healthier. 

As we gain this access to this nourishment, we will start to see a craving for more of God’s Word. This will lead to a desire to seek avenues to grow on our own merit. Christians must learn to begin to feed themselves beyond being served at church by a pastor, small group leader, or an evangelist. Part of “crying out for nourishment” means that we begin to seek ways to pursue growth in ourselves. We must develop a consistent devotional life, find uplifting podcasts, and listen to music that points to Christ.

Down to the Bone, Hebrews 4:12-13: “12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

Have you ever cut yourself really deep? I did it two Christmases ago and it was not so fun, ha! Morgan bought new end tables and while she was gone I thought I would be a good husband and put them together. The metal legs were zip-tied together and I decided to use my new pocket knife to cut the zip-ties. (Such a bad idea). About the time I thought to myself that this was a bad idea, the knife slipped along the metal leg and I stabbed my hand. Oh my goodness, did that hurt. I started to look for super glue because I never go to the doctor’s office. In an attempt to find super glue, I started to look for gauze and tape to wrap my hand. I could not find either of these items so I used a folded up paper towel and painter’s tape to cover the wound. 

To make a long story short, I decided to go to the doctor’s office to get stitches and a tetanus shot. I was also hoping to do this all before my wife arrived back home. That failed and she ended up meeting me at the doctor’s office. There is so much more to this story overall, from my emergency contact to how my wife found out, but I will save that for another day.

We see here that the Word of God cuts us deep spiritually. The more we read God’s word, the more it begins to pierce us and change how we think and act. The word division is significant here because our mind and spirit work against each other. If we are truly committed to growing in our relationship with God, we must submit to the Word of God inserting its way into our hearts and transforming us into a new being. As long as we allow things of the world to influence our behaviors and thought process, we will never reach the fulfillment of God’s plan in our lives. The Word of God is meant to be a tool that cuts away the bad and mends us toward the will of God.

The more we study God’s Word the more we will become aware of issues that are hindering our growth in Christ. The Word of God is living and breathing, which means that it moves in our lives to redeem, transform, and renew us. We must learn to study the Word of God, meditate on it, and let it breathe transformation into our lives. As we develop a commitment to understanding God’s Word, we will begin to seek God’s wisdom, intervention, and guidance in all that we commit to do.

If you are a new Christian, understand that as babes of the faith that you need the presentation of God’s Word in ways that your spiritual stomach can tolerate as you consume it. Like a newborn’s digestive system can only handle the gentleness of mother’s milk, a newborn Christian must develop a tolerance for more substantial food. Be careful to not get overwhelmed in deeper studies to the point of developing a sense of confusion of the Word.

Likewise, as you grow, don’t stick to the simplicity of the Word of God. Be willing to dig deeper and study God’s Word in more profound ways that will stretch and grow your individual faith. God wants so much more for you and as you develop more reliance on His leading and understanding, you will see the Holy Spirit reveal more depths of God’s Word. Commit today to studying God’s Word on a daily basis in a variety of ways so that you will find yourself hungering for more of God’s Word.

Blessings,

Nick Engleman

As always, if you have any questions about this devotional, or would like to know more about Jesus, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at nengleman902@gmail.com, or by phone at 417-808-1049.