How's Your Appetite?

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Thursday, March 12, 2015

As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.
— 1 Peter 2:2

Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014. | (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)

I love gadgets, but I don't like to read user's manuals. So when I buy some new gadget, I will start pushing buttons and always end up doing the very thing that I wasn't supposed to do. It is always good to consult the user's manual.

The same is true of our lives. The Bible gives us direction, and it also warns us about things we should avoid. Second Timothy 3:16–17 tells us, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

God's Word is alive. It is full of living power, exposing us for what we really are. I like what Martin Luther said about the Bible: "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me."

One way that a physician can tell whether someone is healthy or sick is by their appetite or lack thereof. When a patient doesn't have an appetite, it is usually an indication that something is wrong. In the same way, if you are a Christian and don't have an appetite for God's Word, that is an indication of a spiritual breakdown. It would say that you are not where you ought to be spiritually, because hungry children are healthy children.

Success or failure in the Christian life is dependent on how much of the Bible you get into your heart and mind on a daily basis and how obedient you are to it. If you neglect the study of the Scriptures, then your spiritual life ultimately will unravel. Why? Because everything you need to know about God is taught in the Bible.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Used with Permission