A Ravenous Appetite

In the third place, there must be a ravenous appetite for Bible study. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them.” “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” If you don’t love to study the Bible, you’d better postpone this course of study, but the appetite grows by what it feeds on, and if you haven’t any appetite, you need praying for. Sometimes a person is run down, and goes to a doctor. Before the doctor makes a diagnosis, he begins to quiz you. The first question is, how is your appetite? If you have no appetite, you need medicine. When a Christian has no appetite for God’s Word, it is a dangerous symptom. Remember what the Israelites said in the wilderness, “Our soul loatheth this light bread.” Light bread, indeed. It was angels’ food. If it was good enough for the angels, it ought to have been good enough for the Israelites. We remember the food of the Egyptians—cucumbers, melons, garlic, etc. Many people prefer novels or newspapers to the Bible—members of the church too. They have no appetite. To make any progress in Bible study, you must love the Bible. Unless you put your heart into the work, it is drudgery, and it never succeeds. The highest success is the spirit in which you do your work. God never says, “Well done, thou good and successful servant,” but “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Cultivate your appetite. A strong spiritual appetite is the greatest spiritual safeguard. “How sweet are Thy words unto my mouth, yea sweeter than honey to my lips.”