My wife and I don't have any children yet, but I've been around enough babies and watched enough movies to know that the one thing they all have in common is they're hungry.

From the minute they enter into this world they've got something on their minds and that is to get something on their stomachs.  They want milk or formula.  I guess one of the most often used methods of getting a baby to stop crying is to put a bottle into its mouth.  Most likely that solves the problem.  

I always found it amazing, as my sister raised her three children, how much formula those babies could take in.  And almost no sooner than they finished off a bottle, they wanted another one.  They had an appetite!

I guess that's kind of what the Apostle Peter meant when he wrote, 
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby."

Peter says instructs us to "desire" the Word of God.  The word translated as "desire" in the original Greek language means "to long for."  Peter says we are to long for God's Word, much like a newborn baby longs for milk.

When I think of that phrase "to long for" several pictures come into my mind.

I remember as a child, "longing for" Christmas to arrive.  I wanted it to be Christmas morning so bad I couldn't hard stand it.  As it drew nearer, my longing grow more intense.  I could barely wait!  On the day before Christmas, it was all I could do to sit still because of my "desire" for Christmas day to arrive.  The night before I couldn't sleep because of the anticipation.   Finally, it arrived and my longing was satisfied.

You know, I still get that kind of longing today about many things.  I ordered a software program for my computer a few days ago and it's supposed to be delivered to me next week sometime.  I am very excited about getting it.  I wish it were here now so I could begin working with it.  I long for it to arrive, I really do.

Then, there's a much anticipated football game on this afternoon.  I'm really looking forward to grabbing some snacks and parking myself before the television for about three hours to watch my favorite team.

You see, there are lots of things that we "long for" that we desire, and there's nothing wrong with those desires, in themselves.  But, I'll ask the question, do we "long for" those things more than we "long for" the Lord Jesus Christ?  

Do we desire the Word of God as much as we desire to watch our favorite football team play?  Do we long for the things of the Kingdom of God like we long for a software program?  Do we desire for Sunday to arrive so we can be in the House of our Savior as much as a child desires Christmas day to arrive?

I'm wondering, are we well-fed this morning, or are we malnourished Christians?

Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."

He's got the table set this morning, He's prepared a feast of the Word of God.