Welcome to the POG Blog! Today’s scripture is 1 Peter 2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
It takes energy, even passionate energy to do a good job of holding on to malice, being deceitful, maintaining a hypocritical lifestyle, being envious and slanderous. Oh, these things come naturally to me, don’t get me wrong, but they do take energy! Perhaps they don’t take much effort but they do take energy! They are spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally draining. And most of all they ruin my appetite, craving, longing for the good stuff! That is what God is using this verse to show me today!
I am on an "ice cream" kick! I love ice cream especially at night! I am realizing though, over time this ice cream thing I have going on at bedtime will be disastrous on me. Oh, no will I have to get rid of "ice cream"! Not only is it not all that nutritious perhaps the space it takes up in my diet should be filled with "good stuff"! But, I like my ice cream and a lot of it!
So spiritually speaking, Peter is saying “put aside”, “let go of”, “get rid of” malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander because as long as I am dining on those things I will not “crave”, “long for”, “desire” the pure milk of the word of God. Peter is using a powerful metaphor with the whole infant analogy! Like a newborns “longs for – desire – crave” the pure, enriching, fortifying, antibody rich, well balance milk from the breast of their mother so you now “crave, long for, desire” that enriching, well balanced, enemy resisting, strength building pure milk of the word.
Physically, a high carb, refined sugar diet will squelch my appetite but I will not be strengthened, nutritioned and fortified for the long haul. So spiritually, I will lose my craving for the purity of God revealed in His word if I don’t get rid of the junk food! I love this call God is making on my life through this word. “Delton, get rid of some of the things you are focused on so you can “long for” the good stuff.”
We talked last Sunday about “Setting apart (sanctifying) Christ as Lord in our hearts!” This is what Peter is talking about I think! When I am turning from the junk food and longing for the real food my heart is considering and consecrating Christ as Lord! Then I am moving in the right direction to live the day!
What do you think about all this? What is Peter getting at here?
delton