In relation to the word of God, we are exhorted always to retain the spirit of a newborn baby that craves and enjoys the milk by which it grows. God's word, which is the seed of life, is also the means provided by God to sustain that life. All true desire for the word is the outcome of having tasted that the Lord is gracious.

The more we enjoy the company of the Lord, the more eager shall we be to sit at His feet and hear His word. To seek Christ in all the Scriptures will sustain loving interest in the word of God and make many a difficult passage plain and simple.

Mary of Bethany is a striking example of one who tasted that the Lord is gracious. The result was that she delighted to sit at His feet and hear His word. Had we a deeper sense of the goodness of the Lord, we would ever retain the baby's delight in the word, welcome every occcasion to feed upon the word, and come together to read the word.

The result would be that we would grow up in our salvation. We would increastingly be saved from everything that hinders our spiritual progress until at last we are completely saved at the coming of Christ, when our bodies of humiliation will be changed into the likeness of His body of glory.

The desire for food is the proof of vitality and life in a baby. Spiritual vitality thus manifests itself in the desire for the spiritual food of the word of God. It is not simply the desire for intelligence in truth but the desire for the word as that which feeds the soul. It does this by presenting Christ and making Him more precious to the soul.

Hamilton Smith