Resilient: Powerful Hope in a Dangerous WorldSample

Have you ever thought about why you crave the things you do? Like why do we crave caffeine in the morning? Or why do we crave dessert at night? And why is it so much easier to pass on a tray of vegetables than a tray of donuts? More often than not, our cravings are for things that offer us momentary satisfaction rather than lasting satisfaction. And more often than not, we crave what we want rather than what we really need. Things that ultimately aren’t good for us.

1 Peter 2:1-3 talks about how we need to crave the things that we really need to grow in our salvation, to grow more into the likeness of Christ. For some of us, that means we need to go back to the basics; the spiritual milk that newborns need. For others, it means we must put off the things that distract us from the Lord.

But here is the great news: unlike the vegetables we only eat because our body needs them, the spiritual milk the Lord offers us is not only needed but also good! When we experience the Lord, we recognize nothing better we could crave. Psalm 34 talks about the blessings that come in tandem with putting off the bad things of this world and taking on the things of the Lord. So the question becomes - when we have experienced the goodness of the Lord and have seen the blessings that flow from Him, why would we waste our time craving anything else?

Reflection Questions

1. What do you need to rid yourself of to crave only what the Lord says is good?
2. What are the things that you need to crave more of? The good things that help you to experience the Lord.
3. Can you point to a time when you experienced the goodness of the Lord?