HOW TO CULTIVATE SPIRITUAL APPETITE
The first thing Irewamiri said when I got in was, “Can you imagine what just happened?” I had travelled for about 48 hours. She was pregnant with Danielle. She said that for about 24 hours, she did all she could to get the baby to kick and turn like she would normally do, but nothing happened. She sang. She rubbed her stomach. She played music.
She then mentioned that as I drove in and she heard the sound of the car and then my voice, she began to kick again. We concluded that even a child in the womb knows the voice of the father, delights in it and responds to it. A child in the womb most likely knows when a regular voice has been missing for days.
When the Word of God says, “Like newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby,” it means that a person who is in Christ must crave the Word of God like the baby loves to hear the voice of the Father.
A child must find delight in the words of His father. There is a generation that does not joke with personal devotion. They called it quiet time. They transferred the maxim “No Bible, no breakfast” to us. What a generation. Their Scripture to back this up is in the Book of Job:
“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.”
Job 23:12 NKJV
Their quiet time translated into family devotion. If you ever grew up in such homes where the bell is rung at 6 am and maybe 9 pm every night or there was a signal for the family to gather, you are indeed blessed. The word is searched together as a family, and Bible stories come alive.
Why must you love the Word of God?
It is your daily bread. In the home of one of my childhood friends, bread was always available. It was never lacking at home. We used to even sneak there to eat bread (Matt.4:4)
It is required for growth. You cannot grow without the Word of God. Sunday sermons are never enough. It is like an appetizer. Dig in daily. It is your course finder. It shapes your character (Joshua 1:8)
It is your nutrient for a fruitful life. You begin to grow and bear the fruit of the Spirit. Such graces do not wither (Psalm 1:1-3).
What should you do to the Word?
Beloved, read the Bible consistently. I carried a New Testament Bible with me throughout my days in the National Youth Service orientation camp. It was a great companion.
Get and read God’s book… Isaiah 34:16 MSG
Commit the Word to memory. Some of the Bible verses I know till date are our childhood assignments from family devotion. It is called hiding it in your heart.
Your word I have hidden in my heart…
Psalms 119:11 NKJV
Meditate on the word. You mutter the word to yourself. Bring it from your heart to your mouth to chew on it continually.
Practice the Word. There is the blessing of doing. The person who obeys the Word has a better standing than the person who debates the Word.
If you keep this pattern to heart and practise it, you will soon realize that most of what the world calls “emotional intelligence” is a life that has been shaped by the Word that is bearing the fruit of the Spirit.
© temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa