Cultivate a Longing for Spiritual Food
1 Do you have a longing for spiritual food? Are you looking for opportunities to increase your understanding of the Scriptures to strengthen your own faith, and to be better equipped to help others to come to an accurate knowledge of the truth? How do you feel when a day passes without your having given much thought to spiritual matters? Do you sense a certain emptiness?
2 Our having a real longing for spiritual food does not come automatically. Before we became disciples of Jesus Christ, we may have been completely absorbed with the daily affairs of life and pleasures. Hence, a person must exert himself to get out of that routine and to begin centering his life around spiritual things. The apostle Peter urged new believers: “As newborn infants, form a longing for the unadulterated milk belonging to the word.”—1 Pet. 2:2.
3 But not just new ones should be concerned about their spiritual appetite. (Heb. 5:14–6:2) Just as a person cannot continually neglect his physical needs and expect to do quality work day in and day out, he cannot have strong, sustaining faith without feeding himself spiritually. When repeatedly faced with the unresponsiveness of relatives, acquaintances and people in the territory, he may find that he does not have the spiritual fortitude to keep on witnessing, convinced that he is doing God’s work and that the reward is sure. (1 Cor. 3:9; Heb. 6:10; 11:6) Without a proper spiritual diet, a person simply cannot be enthusiastic about declaring the “good news.” His heart will not be filled to overflowing, causing the mouth to speak.—Luke 6:45.
HOW TO CULTIVATE A SPIRITUAL APPETITE
4 This gives rise to the question, What can we do to improve our spiritual appetite? We do need some definite stimulation to move us to want to consider spiritual things. The apostle Peter called attention to this when he wrote, “provided you have tasted that the Lord is kind.” (1 Pet. 2:3) So, if you find that your desire for spiritual food is not what it should be, take time to think about what you have already tasted. In fact, all of us can benefit by reflecting on questions such as these: What evidence can I point to that the Lord Jesus Christ has been kind for me? Am I not indebted to him because of his having given his life to me? Has it not brought joy to my heart to be in association with his disciples who have genuine love among themselves? Am I not grateful for Jehovah’s mercy and undeserved kindness? Our considering these things time and again can have a wholesome effect on our heart, moving us to want to show our appreciation to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ.
5 How will this appreciative attitude manifest itself? We will want to be taught by Jehovah and his Son through the pages of the Bible and Bible-based publications. Also, we will be stirred to imitate their perfect example. Yes, it takes effort to read the Scriptures and Bible-based publications and thereafter to think about what we have read and to apply the information to ourselves. But is it not true that maintaining good friendships always requires effort? And what could possibly be of greater value than taking steps to grow in our love for Jehovah and his Son? May we, therefore, work at having and maintaining a good spiritual appetite so that we can prove ourselves to be friends of God and Christ, and an encouragement to our brothers. Furthermore, may we be diligent in helping others to form a longing for spiritual food by stimulating their appetite with the good things we have already tasted.