Increasing Your Spiritual Cravings
By Jennifer Slattery
“Like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2
I know what it is to crave—to want something so badly, my mouth begins to water and my feet soon follow. Chocolate cake, coffee, tortilla chips all seem worthy of whatever is necessary to acquire them.
Can I say the same regarding the things of God? Do I show the same focus and longing for those things that nourish my soul as those that entice my tongue?
I’m embarrassed to say, my spiritual life often represents a diet more than the smorgasbord God intends. In 1 Peter 2:2, we’re told to crave pure spiritual milk like a hungry newborn so that we may grow up into our salvation—into all God has for us.
But how can we awaken our spiritual cravings? Through feeding. Whatever we feed grows and whatever we starve dies. The more chocolate I eat, the more I desire sweets. But when I go weeks or months without desserts, even the smallest bite satiates.
Similarly, the longer I go without reading my Bible, praying, or resting in God’s presence, the weaker my spiritual longings become. But when I carve out time for His truth and grace, my longing is stirred and that little bit is no longer enough. Every bite has a multiplication affect as God lovingly draws and patiently grows me.
We can consistently grow in Christ. We can obey His command to crave the things of Him, and we’ll do so one nourishing bite after another.
Try it. Start today by spending time with Jesus. Do this for daily for a week, and see if He doesn’t awaken something beautiful and passionate within you—a craving for the lover of your soul.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer, editor, speaker, and the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries. She writes for Crosswalk, is the author of eight contemporary novels, and helped write Wholly Loved’s Bible study based on the life of Sarai (Gen. 12-23) titled Becoming His Princess. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall outings with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Visit her online at jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com.
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Originally published Friday, 02 August 2024.
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