“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby…” (1 Peter 2:2).
The Lord guides His people by the light of His Word and the blessed Holy Spirit, who enables us to understand, believe and love the Scriptures (John 14:26), which alone are truth (John 17:17). The Word of God supplies believers with just and holy principles to direct our affections and actions. Those who study the Scriptures in humble dependence upon the Holy Spirit are taught to make true judgments of everything around them and are subsequently conformed, moment by moment, into a humble spirit of submission to the will of God. The Word of God dwelling richly in the believer is the preservative from error and the light to our feet (Psalm 119:105). The Word of God dwelling in us keeps us from being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…” (Ephesians 4:14). By treasuring up in our minds the doctrines, precepts, promises, and principles of Scripture, believers grow in spiritual wisdom and maturity, which enables us to judge right from wrong with certainty (Heb. 5:14). By Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit, the Lord leads believers in the right way, preserves us from the snares of the Devil, and satisfies us that He is and forever will be our guide even unto death. Are the Scriptures treasured in your heart? Do you take delight in feasting on God’s Holy Word? Do the words of John Burton’s hymn dwell richly in your soul?
Holy Bible, Book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine:
Mine to tell me whence I came; Mine to teach me what I am.
Mine to chide me when I rove, Mine to show a Savior’s love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard; Mine to punish or reward.
Mine to comfort in distress, Suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to show by living faith, We can triumph over death.
Mine to tell of joys to come, And the rebel sinner’s doom:
O thou holy book divine, Precious treasure thou art mine.
So often we are discontent with the things we have and when we obtain more material things in order to satisfy the longing in our soul we quickly learn that the hunger continues. This is because our heart’s longing can only be satisfied by the Word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The Word of God is the only food for our soul and it’s what every believer lives by. Scripture alone brings truth, joy, comfort, peace, and satisfaction to our soul. Is your soul discontent? Do you have a longing that’s never satisfied? Your ONLY solution is to feed on the Word of God. The longing can only be satisfied by “letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16). I’m certain you’ve fed your stomach within the past 12 hours, but what about your soul? Have you had your portion of God’s Word today? “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby…” (1 Peter 2:2).