6. Who are being urged to form a longing for the “milk”?

⁶ When we diligently strive to do God’s will, our minds and hearts are prepared to feed on the Scriptures. But still more is involved in developing a fine spiritual appetite. The apostle urged: “As newborn infants, form a longing for the unadulterated milk belonging to the word.” (1 Peter 2:2) Milk totally satisfies newborn babies. They want no other food. Like such infants, new believers need the ‘milk of the word’ and should cultivate a real desire for it. Then, on attaining Christian maturity, they would certainly want to have a like craving for the solid spiritual food.​—Hebrews 5:12-14.

CULTIVATING A TASTE FOR SPIRITUAL FOOD

 8. What should incite us to want to gain a better understanding of the Scriptures?

⁸ Our love for Jehovah God and Jesus Christ should move us to want to understand as much of the Bible as possible. It is through the pages of the Scriptures that we are aided to come to know our heavenly Father and his Son better, drawing us closer to them.

 9. (a) What may work against a good spiritual appetite, and why so? (b) What can be done to improve our spiritual appetite?

⁹ What if you find that your longing for the “word” is not very great? Take time, then, to think appreciatively about what Jehovah God and Jesus Christ have done in your behalf. Also, examine whether you have spoiled your spiritual appetite by giving undue attention to the philosophies, speculations and propaganda of a world alienated from God. Another enemy of a spiritual appetite is a person’s largely restricting his reading to picture magazines or to material that does not require careful thought and meditation. It simply must be recognized that the Bible was written to instruct, not to entertain. While the words themselves may not be difficult, often the thoughts expressed convey a depth of meaning that can only be fathomed by taking time to reflect prayerfully on what is said.

10. What facts about the illustrations of Jesus Christ prove that casual reading of the Scriptures is not enough for one to gain accurate knowledge?

¹⁰ The illustrations used by Jesus Christ, for example, are simple. But the vital truths that they reveal cannot be discovered merely by a casual reading of any translation of the Bible. Remember, Jews who heard the Son of God speaking in their own language did not get the full impact of what he taught. Though ordinary persons understood the words that he used, the significance of what Jesus said remained hidden even from the educated. Why? The majority of Jesus’ listeners lacked humility and a longing for spiritual food. Hence, they made no further inquiry to gain real insight.​—Matthew 13:13-15.

11. Why should we not be satisfied with superficial Scriptural knowledge?

¹¹ Certainly, we do not want to be satisfied with a superficial knowledge of the Bible, perhaps being familiar with the Bible narratives or “stories,” as well as elementary doctrines. If we claim to love God and Christ, we need to be willing to spend time with the Bible, exerting ourselves to get the import, the sense and spirit of what it says and then to apply these. No worthwhile skill is gained without effort. Therefore, should we not expect to put forth great effort in order to increase our knowledge of Jehovah, the source of all wisdom?​—Compare Proverbs 2:1-6; 1 Timothy 4:13-16.

12. What bearing does our attitude toward gaining accurate knowledge have on the blessings that we may receive?

¹² Our attitude toward gaining a better understanding of God’s Word will have a direct bearing on the blessings that will be bestowed on us. A failure to use our opportunities to the full in coming to know Jehovah God better may not necessarily result in losing our lives. But it could lead to our being guilty of not carrying out the divine will in certain respects and then losing out on blessings. In one of his illustrations, Jesus showed that ignorance will not shield a person from a measure of loss. The servant who does things deserving of strokes because of not understanding his master’s will is still punished, though not as severely as the slave who, with full knowledge, deliberately disobeys. (Luke 12:47, 48) It is, therefore, a serious matter when a person fails to make room in his life for regular study of God’s Word and, as a result, is not making the needed advancement in Christian conduct and activity.

13. What can God’s Word help us to secure, and how should this affect our spiritual feeding?

¹³ The entire Word of God is designed to help us to “grow to salvation,” that is, to secure our final salvation as approved disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, if we are truly interested in our eternal welfare, this should be manifest from our earnest desire to come to a better knowledge of Jehovah God and of his Son by means of the inspired Scriptures.