The Apostle Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby (I Peter 2:2).

The people to whom Peter was writing had been and were suffering from persecution. They needed strength, both from the word of God and from other Christians.

Peter serves as a perfect example of a Christian who knew how to encourage and uplift others.

The words that Peter penned are still needed to be heeded in our day. Everyone needs to “desire the sincere milk of the word” 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.

Hosea in the long ago wrote, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”

The desire Peter talked about means to want for or to seek after. Just as a baby counts feeding time as an important event, so should the child of God count the time when the Bible can be studied.

As one begins to take in the spiritual nourishment, the appetite for things spiritual should increase. The more knowledge attained by study, causes one to want more knowledge and to use that knowledge.

A steady diet of the word of God will help one to realize the need for God in one’s life each day. Parents desire that their children have the right food so that proper growth occurs. It is also important that children of God feed upon the proper food.

One must be careful when choosing a Bible. Some so-called Bibles of the day are mere paraphrases, which only tell what a man thought the Bible said. The two most reliable translations are still the King James Version and the American Standard Version of 1901.

Some do not like the KJV because of the ancient language, but one should remember that the KJV is written on a fifth-grade level. A bible dictionary might be helpful on occasion, and the true student does not mind doing a bit of research to learn more.

Desiring the word is something that must last one’s lifetime. Many times, older people simply stop eating, and before long their body gives up, for lack of nourishment.

The same can be true in the spiritual sense. One must continue to feast upon God’s word no matter what the age.

Sadly, some Christians forget this fact and in their later years lose sight of their goal. They fail to partake of the words of life and just as the dying body turns cold, so does their zeal for God.

This is tragic for many reasons. Older Christians have the ability to teach younger, something that will not happen if the older Christian fails to continue to study and teach.

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).

Everyone needs to heed Peter’s admonition, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby:” (I Peter 2:2).