Conviction draws near

Condemnation shrinks away

Draw near. Keep growing.

-James 4:1-10

God’s word is supernatural. Unlike any other printed material, it’s alive. From a book thousands of years old you can find new insight for your 21st century life every day. That’s cool! Compare this to a newspaper which changes daily. It provides information and opinion but doesn’t free me from entangling sins I face. Unlike newspapers, God’s word doesn’t change with the weather. It endures. Every morning Genesis is at the front and Revelation is at the back. Yet reading those loving, unchanging words changes us from the inside out - eternally changed!

One danger of filling too much time with other things is your spiritual appetite becomes dull. Many church-goers are spiritually starving but have no hunger for the word. Entertainment and news take the edge off that craving that you can’t quite identify, but they don’t nourish you. To make a natural comparison: if you eat 3000 calories of Twinkies, Twizzlers, soda and potato chips and never have any meat, vegetables or water, you may not feel hungry at the end of the day; but you will feel draggy, edgy and have a craving for “something” that you’re not quite sure how to fill. Naturally speaking a steak and salad would hit the spot. Spiritually speaking you need some milk and meat from the Word!

God says in Isaiah 55:2 -

Why do you spend money for what is not bread
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me
And eat what is good
And delight yourself in abundance.

The good news is we can regain our spiritual appetite. Dig into the Word. At first it may be just a discipline, but eventually your desire for the Word will grow. Beware! This is a behavior-altering substance. It will cause you to love people you thought were unlovable, to behave with calm when you used to panic, and to be joyful for no apparent reason; and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Here are a few scriptures to whet your appetite: Psalm 1, Ephesians 5:26-27, 1 Peter 1:23-2:3