Ever told your kids not to snack on sweets before a meal? Or you remember being told that as a youngster. Why? Because sweets will ruin their appetite and they won’t want to eat a good, nutritious meal.

Ever seen kids that only snacked and didn’t eat good meals? Did they look healthy to do? What if they continued doing that into their adulthood? Chances are that either they may not make it to adulthood or they will have all kinds of medical issues.

Physically we understand this. But we often miss this when it comes to spirituality. Why do we have no appetite for the word of God? Isn’t it likely that we have so spoiled our appetites with junk food that we have no appetite for the good meal?

How would you know you have lost the appetite for the word of God? See if this is how you feel:
Ps 119:162-167
162 I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood
but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
165 Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for your salvation, O LORD,
and I follow your commands.
167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.

Honestly, how do you feel when a pastor challenges you to read the word of God every morning for a week? Does that sound like a delight to you or a guilt trip that forces you to do something you don’t want?

Why are we like that? Apparently, the psalmist LOVED the law. And he only had first five books of the Bible! We have the Prophets, Wisdom sayings, AND the gospel! We have all the more reason to love, to delight, to praise and to rejoice in the word. But why don’t we?

We’ve been eating too many sweets. TV. Internet. frivolous conversations, etc.

How do you cure it? By weening off junk food and craving the pure milk of God. It will be hard at first. You know how tough it is to go on a new diet. The word of God won’t seem to satisfy the way TV or internet does. But give it time. God is faithful. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Once you get a taste for the word, you will spend hours each day… (because you want to).

Try a media fast. Try it for 3 days. See for yourself how addicted we are to junk food…

PH