1 Peter 2:1-3 NLT
So get rid of all evil behaviour. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. [2] Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, [3] now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.
When I was at school we had to drink a quart of milk out of small bottles at morning break time.
It was meant to build up our bones with calcium.
It wasn't semi skimmed milk, but the full cream stuff.
In summer, when the milk crates had stood out in the sun, the cream on top started to solidify.
We were sternly supervised to ensure that we drank it all up, but, it was a task that made me, and others, want to retch! Yuk! I could never say that I had a craving for it!
That school playground trauma, put me off drinking milk for life.
Peter, in the passage above, is urging us to crave God's pure spiritual milk. He describes the Lord's kindness to us as that milk. Once we have tasted His goodness, through Jesus, we need to crave it over and over again.
We've all watched babies drinking their milk - as soon as the bottle is taken away, they start wailing loudly until the bottle is returned to their mouths.
Peter wants us to desire the good things of God like that. To make no space for ugly things (like hatred, jealousy, gossip and selfishness).
The media loves to bombard us with sensational stories about human failures in famous people.
We need to break the habit of feeding off of that negativity.
"Get rid of ALL unkind speech" - now there's a 'biggy'!
I can't count the times I've said unkind things, to my great shame.
What a challenge to my casual everyday speech.
We hear so much talk about "hate speech" these days, but, in a very real sense, as Christ's followers, we need to watch our tongues.
Father, give me that desire to drink so deeply of your loving kindness, that I lose my appetite for spiteful words toward others - in Jesus'Name.
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