Put Away, Crave, and Grow

Put Away, Crave, and Grow

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

We were reminded in the previous chapter that life is very short, and we wither away in an instant. The frailty of life ought to make us continually reevaluate how we are living this life. Are we loving God and loving others? Are we striving to live a life of obedience, which is the evidence that proves that we love Jesus? Peter continues his narrative here, admonishing us to put away those things which not only put a wall of separation between us and God, but also cause division within the body. Instead, he calls us to desire, or crave, the Word of God. Just like a baby craves milk, and will cry and have a fit, until it is fed; so should we crave time in intimate fellowship with God, in His Word. It is this time of reading, studying, praying, and obediently applying, that we will mature enough to begin feeding on the meat of God's Word. As we grow, we will then realize the importance of unity, and how destructive our selfish actions and behavior can be to the advancement of the Gospel. Once we have tasted and truly appreciated God's grace, we will realize that nothing compares to time spent in intimate fellowship with the One who has given us such unmerited favor.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).