God desires that all men be saved. That salvation can be found within the words of the Bible.
Intelligent individuals should want to know more about how to obtain salvation. Peter in his writings said that man should desire the word of God. He was writing to Christians but all men should seek to know their creator.
Peter wrote, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2).
Those to whom Peter wrote had been and were suffering from persecution. They needed strength, both from the word of God and from other Christians. Peter by inspiration wrote to encourage and uplift those who were being oppressed.
The words that Peter penned still need to be heeded today. All should "desire the sincere milk of the word" that they might learn how to become a child of God and then how to grow as children of God.
Spiritual food is needed today, just as it was in the time of Peter’s writing. Without having a steady diet of spiritual food, the possibility of "perishing from hunger" exists.
Peter’s illustration of a child shows just how important the word of God really is. Just as the baby counts feeding time as an important event, so should all men but especially the child of God.
As one begins to take in the spiritual nourishment, the appetite for things spiritual will increase. It must become the focal point of one’s life — serving God and feeding on his word.
A steady diet of the word of God will help one to realize the need for God in their lives each day. Parents want their children to have the right food so that proper growth occurs. It is also important that children of God feed upon the proper food.
Some have fallen into the trap of getting just any translation of the Bible to study, never once questioning if it is reliable or not. The two most reliable translations are still the King James Version and the American Standard Version of 1901.
Just because someone calls a volume the Bible does not mean it is truly God’s word. Man, down through the years has tried to change God’s word. One must be careful in selecting a Bible.
Desiring the word is something that will last a lifetime. Just as man must continue to take in physical food during their lifetime, one must continue to feast upon God’s word. Failing to keep nourishing one’s body will lead to sickness and death. Failing to nourish one’s soul will also result in death.
Study of the word produces faith (Rom. 10:17), repentance (Luke 13:3), leading one to be willing to confess Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 10:32), and then a desire to have one’s sins washed away by baptism (Acts 2:38).
Heed Peter’s admonition, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby" (I Peter 2:2).