Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Healthy Appetite - #5919

Thursday, September 17, 2009

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I'm told that many new babies actually lose a little weight between the time they're born and the checkup they have two weeks later. Oh, not when our little granddaughter was new! No! No! And we know why. She was extremely dedicated to eating often and eating a lot. Her mother's milk obviously agreed with her. She had been one happy little girl, until it was time to eat again. At which point she would crank it up and let us know in no uncertain terms that "I'm hungry and I will not be delayed and I will not be denied!" I think that's what she said.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Healthy Appetite."

Watching my granddaughter's demand for mama's milk has actually helped me understand even more how God uses that example in showing us how to grow in Him. I feel like He's talking about my little darlin' when He says in 1 Peter 2:2 , our word for today from the Word of God, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."

I know how our granddaughter was about her milk - insistent on getting it on a regular basis. Is that how you are about the spiritual milk of God's Word, the Bible? Are you insistent on getting into His Scriptures on a regular basis? Or do you consult God's Word when you have time - when you're in a jam - when you feel like it?

We're not talking here about some mechanical, grudging fulfillment of my Christian duty to read my Bible. Our granddaughter didn't seem to be saying, "Well, I know I'm supposed to be getting some milk. I guess it's my duty. I'd better stop and eat." No, it's not a duty for her; it's an insatiable desire. It's not occasional either; it's regular. Just like our time with the Lord in His Word needs to be. Almost every detour from God's way and God's will can ultimately be traced to one thing - neglecting our time with Him.

Time with Jesus in His Book has to be a commitment - something you insist on, no matter what. It's easy to quote the verse about "seeking first the kingdom of God" but it's hard to believe you mean that if your time with the King isn't the highest priority of your personal schedule. So, is it? Better yet, is He? Because it's all about Jesus. It's all about being with Him, not being with a Book. But like the person you love connecting with you through the love letter that they write to you, our main connection to Jesus is His Love Letter called the Bible.

Frankly, we are so clueless about how to handle this day's challenges without time getting God's perspective and God's direction. God's Word is designed to be your anchor, the one thing that does not move when everything else is. God gave you His Word to be your flashlight to illuminate the ground you have to walk on today. It's your harbor where you can find God's peace in any storm. And in His words, God reveals your orders from heaven for this day.

So without the heaven-link of time in God's Word, you are living a day without your flashlight, without your anchor, without your harbor, without your orders. It's time for you to make your time with God in His Word the non-cancelable, non-negotiable of your daily schedule.

It all comes down to appetite. If you've allowed an appetite for TV, or sports, or music, or news, or friends, or the Internet, or anything else to marginalize your appetite for God's Word, things are messed up. Ask God to give you, like a baby, a desperate appetite for more of what He has to say. It's the only way to "grow up in your salvation."