Cravings

Did you hear about the man who asked his wife what she’d like for her birthday.

“I’d love to be six again,” she replied.

So, on the morning of her birthday, he got her up bright and early and off they went to a local theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park.  Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park, her head reeling, and her stomach upside down. Right to a McDonald’s they went for a Big Kids Meal with extra fries and a refreshing chocolate shake. Then it was off to see the latest Disney movie, complete with candy and popcorn. What a fabulous adventure. Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed. He leaned over and lovingly asked, “Well, dear, what was it like being six again?”

One eye opened. “You idiot,” she said, “I meant my dress size.”

Okay, so this well-intentioned husband got it wrong, but aren’t there times when we would like to go back to being a kid, even back to when we were still toddlers or maybe infants.  I mean, when we were babies, no one expected anything of us except to be cute, coo and smile and when we wanted something all we had to do was cry.  What a life, huh!

Things change though as we start to grow and learn how get around on our own and investigate. Suddenly our parents want us to sit still, listen to them and do what they say.  What happened to getting what we wanted when we simply cried!?

Then we mature even more and we have to go to school, do homework and we even have to do chores at home.  This maturing thing is tough!

Then we get to driving age, the time when we can really get out on our own but then we have to work to pay for the car, the gas and the insurance.

How are we supposed to grow up and learn about the world if there is so much more responsibility laid on us!

The whole idea of growing up and being able to make our own decisions sounds great until all the other stuff, like responsibility, came with it!

Every once in a while I find myself singing the jingle for the store “Toys-R-Us” under my breath.  “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R’ Us kid….hm-hm-hm”

Maturing simply as a human being may not always be fun but we all do it…some more successfully than others but we all have to grow up sometime or face the consequences.  As Christians we also need to mature in our Spiritual growth.

In our reading from I Peter, he writes, “Like newborn infants…long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation – if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Infants crave milk.  It is what they can consume.  They can’t very well sit down to a dinner of meat and potatoes can they?  They need nutrition and they get it in and through their mother’s milk or formula.

Once they have tasted this they know it is good and it fills this need they have, so every so many hours they want more.

This is a healthy process because if they did not crave it and drink it they could not survive.  But as they get older they begin to need more than simple milk.  So they are given the taste of real food in the form of baby food.  With this taste, they are no longer satisfied to simply have the bottle, they want and need more.  And so goes the process of maturing.

In the beginning when we are new in Christ we are like the infant that craves milk.  We need the basic information.  We read and understand John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Soon though we find ourselves hearing things like “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..” and “Forgive others 70 x 7 times.” These lead us to have to try and understand in a deeper way.

We then find ourselves searching the scriptures for answers and reading more to fill our needs.  We also go from praying the child’s prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” to praying, the Lord’s prayer and then we grow into praying words that other’s haven’t simply told us to say, we begin to pray from our hearts.  All this is a part of maturing in our Spiritual walk.

Sometimes though even Christians find themselves singing the Toys-R-US jingle…I don’t want to grow up…  You see it takes more time, more effort, and more desire to mature in our Christian walk and that is not what people always want.  They want to stay on the bottle.  They don’t crave any more because that would mean changing and possibly having to take on a task with a purpose that goes beyond satisfying our self.

Paul saw this lack of spiritual maturity as he wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians:

“I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as . . . infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready. Even now you are still not ready . . .” (I Cor. 3:1-2)  

The author of Hebrews also speaks to the need for the new Christians to grow up:  (Hebrews 5:11-14)

¹¹We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. ¹²In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature…”

A Christian who tries to survive on simple diet of milk is going to find him or herself lacking.  We need more than milk to become Children of God with a purpose.

How boring would it get if every Sunday I stood up here and simply told you, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins, because God wanted you to know just how much He loved you.  God does love you just the way you are.  Amen.  And we ended every service with “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to him belong they are weak but He is strong.  Yes Jesus loves me.”

In our walk we must mature and learn how this basic information pertains to each of us and all of us in a personal way.  We need more that a gushy, surface relationship with God.

How would you feel if I invited you to my house for supper and when we sit down at the table I simply place glass of milk at each place setting?  My guess is you would have been expecting and hungry for a little more to the meal, like meat, vegetables, fruit and bread.  Would I have satisfied the craving you have for a real meal, if all I offered was milk?  No way!

As Christians we cannot be satisfied to never grow up.  Again we can read from the I Corinthians, “Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking . . . but in thinking be adults.” (1 Cor 14:20)  We need to grow up in our Christian walk.  We must crave more than a simple glass of milk.  For that matter, we must also crave more than a PB&J sandwich.  We need to see the Word of God and our relationship with our Lord as a meal of meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, pasta and yes, even dessert.  When we sit down to spend time with God, as maturing adults we don’t simply bring a straw, we come prepared with a fork, knife and spoon.

Are you just satisfied to stay on a diet of milk or PB&J or are you craving for something more?  I don’t believe that God ever wants us to be simply satisfied.  I believe that we are always craving a more fulfilling Spiritual life.

Unfortunately, we too often try to fulfill this craving with earthly things.  Have you ever craved to simply be in the arms of the Lord.  I have, and I can tell you that as much as I enjoy dark chocolate, eating numerous bars at a time like that will never satisfy this Spiritual craving.

NOTHING this world has to offer can satisfy the craving we have to be in relationship with God or to know more about God’s Word.

Where are you in your Christian journey?

Maybe you are still a newborn just beginning your journey with Christ.  If you are, I pray that you are craving the Word of God in the same way a newborn craves milk – regularly and with a real hunger.

Maybe you have had your fill of milk and you are craving something with a bit more substance.

You can satisfy that craving by joining our weekly Bible Study.

Maybe you are craving something even more substantial, why not read through the Bible in a year or find a resource that gives a commentary on your favorite book of the Bible and find some answers you’ve been looking for.

Maybe you are craving to share some of the knowledge and wisdom you have gained?  There is always a need for SS teachers and I love to share my pulpit with anyone who has a testimony or witness they want to share.

Whatever it is that you are craving, search it out and find the best way to fill that need.

Please, though, don’t just settle for being simply satisfied, that will lead to being stagnant.  Who wants to be stagnant – motionless – inactive – dull in their Spiritual life?  Maturing in your Christian life is about always craving more.

I challenge you this week to really consider the following:

*Is it enough to be satisfied?
*What are you craving?

*How will you satisfy that craving?