Lenten Reflection #27:Cravings
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV
I often have a sweet tooth. I feel as if I just have to find the right sweet little treat to eat or I wont be satisfied. There are times that what I crave is spicy foods. Most of the times I try to eat well but sometimes my cravings for sweets or other delicious delicacies kicks in I grab hold of that treat to satisfy the craving.
Now, 1 Peter is talking about much deeper cravings of life than just sweets or spicy foods. Peter is talking about our deepest longings and what it is that we strive for in life. He is talking about making our relationship with God something that we crave like a new born baby craves milk. Milk is all a new baby needs to grow and flourish. If you have ever had a child you know that they crave milk constantly and consistently. It seems in the first year all they do is eat, sleep and grow. Well, they do one other thing, which comes from craving so much milk, but I will leave that part out.
Peter says, like the new born baby, you and I should crave not milk but spiritual milk. He goes on with his metaphor to say that the spiritual milk that we are to crave is God and he is good.
Here are some deep cravings I think we all share in common. We all crave peace. We want to have life that is free of stress and worry. We want to have lives that are content where we can find rest for our weariness. We all crave love. Each and everyone of us wants to be loved. Deep done inside each of us is a voice crying out "love me". We also share a deep craving for joy. No one wants a joyless existence. We all need hope. We long for something to give us hope that we can hope in and hope for. No one craves hopelessness. We all crave something that brings us hope.
These are the deep spiritual cravings that exist deep within all of us. The only way that we can really feed these deep needs of hope, love, joy and peace is through a relationship with Christ. This is why Peter says, crave a relationship with God like newborn babies crave milk. Jesus is our peace. Jesus is love. Jesus is our joy. Jesus is our hope. Jesus is all you and I need to grow and to flourish.
Do you crave a relationship with Jesus?
Do you crave him more than you crave chocolate or your favorite drink?
Are we in each moment thinking about and seeking to be satisfied by the only one who can truly satisfy us or are we still seeking to be satisfied by things that still leave us wanting more?
Jesus is what I crave.
In Christ's love and mine,
Doug
1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV
I often have a sweet tooth. I feel as if I just have to find the right sweet little treat to eat or I wont be satisfied. There are times that what I crave is spicy foods. Most of the times I try to eat well but sometimes my cravings for sweets or other delicious delicacies kicks in I grab hold of that treat to satisfy the craving.
Now, 1 Peter is talking about much deeper cravings of life than just sweets or spicy foods. Peter is talking about our deepest longings and what it is that we strive for in life. He is talking about making our relationship with God something that we crave like a new born baby craves milk. Milk is all a new baby needs to grow and flourish. If you have ever had a child you know that they crave milk constantly and consistently. It seems in the first year all they do is eat, sleep and grow. Well, they do one other thing, which comes from craving so much milk, but I will leave that part out.
Peter says, like the new born baby, you and I should crave not milk but spiritual milk. He goes on with his metaphor to say that the spiritual milk that we are to crave is God and he is good.
Here are some deep cravings I think we all share in common. We all crave peace. We want to have life that is free of stress and worry. We want to have lives that are content where we can find rest for our weariness. We all crave love. Each and everyone of us wants to be loved. Deep done inside each of us is a voice crying out "love me". We also share a deep craving for joy. No one wants a joyless existence. We all need hope. We long for something to give us hope that we can hope in and hope for. No one craves hopelessness. We all crave something that brings us hope.
These are the deep spiritual cravings that exist deep within all of us. The only way that we can really feed these deep needs of hope, love, joy and peace is through a relationship with Christ. This is why Peter says, crave a relationship with God like newborn babies crave milk. Jesus is our peace. Jesus is love. Jesus is our joy. Jesus is our hope. Jesus is all you and I need to grow and to flourish.
Do you crave a relationship with Jesus?
Do you crave him more than you crave chocolate or your favorite drink?
Are we in each moment thinking about and seeking to be satisfied by the only one who can truly satisfy us or are we still seeking to be satisfied by things that still leave us wanting more?
Jesus is what I crave.
In Christ's love and mine,
Doug
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