Craving Spiritual Milk: Growing in God's Word

May 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Hunger That Won’t Wait

A newborn’s cry pierces the air, demanding immediate nourishment. Peter compares our spiritual hunger to this primal instinct—not a polite request, but an urgent craving. Just as infants refuse to be pacified without milk, believers must pursue God’s Word with raw desperation. The gospel isn’t optional nutrition; it’s the lifeline our souls scream for. [44:53]

Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life because He knew our deepest hunger. Peter’s metaphor strips away spiritual pretense—growth begins not with maturity, but with childlike dependence. When we treat Scripture as optional, we starve ourselves of the only food that sustains eternal life.

How often do you delay spiritual feeding for “more urgent” matters? Set alarms for Bible reading. Keep a verse on your fridge. Fight for time with God like a hungry infant fights for milk. What practical obstacle is keeping you from craving God’s Word today?

“Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
(1 Peter 2:2-3, CSB)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to give you a physical ache for His Word, like a baby’s hunger cry.

Challenge: Set three phone alarms labeled “FEED” today. Stop when they ring to read one Bible verse aloud.

Day 2: Stones That Speak

Builders rejected a jagged rock, tossing it aside as useless. But God declared this discarded stone—Christ—to be the cornerstone of His eternal temple. Peter recalls Isaiah’s prophecy: Jesus’ humiliation became the foundation for our salvation. The world still stumbles over the cross, but believers build lives on this unshakable rock. [52:04]

Every human life rests on some foundation—careers, relationships, or self-sufficiency. These crumble under life’s earthquakes. Only Christ the cornerstone holds firm. His resurrection proves that what men called failure became God’s victory.

Inspect your life’s blueprints. Are you trying to fit Jesus into your plans, or building entirely on Him? Name one area where you’re trusting personal effort over His finished work.

“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”
(1 Peter 2:4-8, CSB)

Prayer: Confess where you’ve built on sand. Thank Jesus for being your unmovable foundation.

Challenge: Write “CORNERSTONE” on a rock. Place it where you’ll see it daily.

Day 3: Royal Milkmaids

Slaves became royalty overnight in ancient conquests. Peter startles believers with their true identity: “You ARE a chosen race, royal priesthood.” Not by merit, but by Christ’s declaration. This isn’t earned through spiritual performance—it’s gifted through baptismal rebirth. [53:50]

Our culture ties identity to achievement or victimhood. God says you’re royalty because the King wore your rags. Priests don’t beg for access—they approach the throne boldly.

When shame whispers “imposter,” declare your blood-bought title. How would today change if you believed you’re God’s treasured possession?

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
(1 Peter 2:9, CSB)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for making you royalty. Ask Him to show one person needing your priestly prayers today.

Challenge: Text one friend: “You’re God’s royal child. How can I pray for you?”

Day 4: Table Talk Tactics

Paul stood in Athens’ idol square, smelling roasted sacrifices. Instead of condemning, he connected: “I see you’re deeply religious. Let me tell you about the ‘Unknown God.’” He used their hunger for meaning to serve gospel truth. Like recommending a good restaurant, we share Christ best through relational hunger. [59:10]

People aren’t projects—they’re image-bearers starving for purpose. Your coworker’s stress, your neighbor’s grief—these are entry points for the Bread of Life.

Who in your circle is “always searching but never full”? Commit to ask one intentional question this week about their deepest hopes.

“For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”
(Acts 17:23, CSB)

Prayer: Ask the Spirit to highlight someone’s hidden hunger.

Challenge: Memorize this phrase: “What gives you hope when life gets hard?”

Day 5: Daily Bread Discipline

The disciples watched Jesus break bread, saying, “This is My body.” Hours later, they abandoned Him. Yet after the resurrection, He served them fish breakfasts and repeated the meal’s meaning. The Lord’s Prayer’s “daily bread” includes both physical needs and the constant craving for Christ’s presence. [23:36]

We ritualize communion, but Jesus designed it as regular soul-fuel. Like manna that spoiled if hoarded, grace must be gathered fresh daily.

Do you treat spiritual nourishment as a Sunday snack or life-sustaining diet? What one habit could anchor you to daily gospel feeding?

“Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
(Matthew 6:11-12, CSB)

Prayer: Thank God for today’s portion of mercy. Confess where you’ve sought tomorrow’s worries over today’s bread.

Challenge: Before eating any meal today, whisper: “Christ my Bread, feed my soul too.”

Sermon Summary

We confess the faith together, pray for the world, and receive absolution and the Lord’s supper as the means by which God feeds and forgives us. We recognize that days like Mother’s Day bring joy and deep wounds, and we bring those varied feelings to God for comfort and strength. We name needs, lift up leaders and missionaries, and receive the assurance that Christ has paid our debt and seated us in his mercy. We share the peace of Christ and the body and blood that strengthen faith and keep us in life everlasting.

We then turn to spiritual growth and notice how hard it can be to see growth in our souls. We notice the picture Peter gives us: like newborn infants we must long for pure spiritual milk, the gospel that conceives, nourishes, and equips us. We accept the gospel as the constant food for our whole lives, not a phase to outgrow. We remind ourselves that real growth comes from receiving more of Jesus, not from trying harder to earn favor.

We build our lives on the living stone, Christ, who alone holds when jobs, health, plans, and reputations crumble. We accept the identity God gives us by grace: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession. That identity requires no performance because it rests entirely on what Christ has done. From that secure place we proclaim the excellencies of God, even when suffering sharpens rather than silences our witness.

We see that tasting the good news compels us to tell others, just as a good meal naturally gets shared. We practice feeding on Scripture daily, receiving baptismal promises, and partaking at the Lord’s table so the gospel keeps shaping us. We commit to speak the hope we carry into the ordinary places where God has positioned us, trusting the Spirit to use the word to accomplish God’s purposes. We go forward craving, receiving, and living in the pure spiritual milk that never runs out and is always ready to be shared.

Key Takeaways

1. Crave the pure spiritual milk We must desire the gospel with the same urgency an infant has for milk. That craving drives consistent Bible use, regular reception of the sacraments, and dependency on God rather than self. When we hunger this way, growth becomes a pattern of receiving Christ rather than striving for status. [43:49]
2. Build life on Christ alone All earthly foundations fail, but Jesus stands as the living stone on which we can safely construct our lives. We reorient priorities so work, security, and approval do not become idols that collapse under pressure. Trusting Christ reshapes how we respond to loss and suffering, because hope rests on his victory. [52:04]
3. Identity rests in grace We already are a chosen race and royal priesthood by God’s decree, not by our performance. That identity frees us from proving worth and sends us out with confidence to serve and speak. Living from grace changes our motive for obedience from earning to thanksgiving. [53:19]
4. Proclaim the hope around us Tasting the gospel compels us to tell others where true nourishment lies, not as technique but as loving witness. We share our testimony and the simple truth of Christ with those God places near us, trusting the Spirit to work through the word. Even suffering can clarify our witness and make our hope more credible. [56:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[14:08] - Apostles Creed Confession
[14:35] - Opening Prayer and Intercessions
[22:08] - Mother’s Day Prayers and Care
[23:36] - Confession and Absolution
[25:49] - Communion and Peace
[37:58] - Children’s Ministry Moment
[38:41] - Mother’s Day Emotions and Intro
[43:49] - Peter’s Milk: Longing for Word
[45:26] - Luther on Gospel as Food
[52:04] - Christ the Living Stone
[53:19] - Our Identity in Grace
[56:42] - Be Ready to Give an Answer
[57:51] - Taste and Share the Gospel
[1:01:00] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Peter 2:2-10 (CSB)
2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Observation Questions

What metaphor does Peter use to describe our relationship to God’s Word, and what does it imply about our spiritual posture? ([43:49])
How does Peter describe Jesus in 1 Peter 2:4, and what contrast does he highlight about how people view Jesus versus how God views him?
What four identities does Peter give believers in 1 Peter 2:9, and what is their purpose?
In the sermon, what everyday example was used to illustrate how sharing the gospel should feel natural? ([59:10])

Interpretation Questions

Why might Peter compare spiritual growth to an infant’s craving for milk? How does this challenge common assumptions about “maturity” in faith?
What does it mean for Jesus to be a “living stone” (1 Peter 2:4), and how does this imagery address the instability of earthly foundations like jobs or reputations? ([52:04])
Peter says believers are called to “proclaim the excellencies” of God (1 Peter 2:9). How does suffering, as mentioned in the sermon, sharpen rather than silence this witness? ([55:50])
The sermon compared sharing the gospel to recommending a good restaurant. Why is this analogy effective, and how does it align with Peter’s call to proclaim hope?

Application Questions

What practical step could you take this week to “crave” God’s Word with the urgency of an infant craving milk? How might this look different from your current habits? ([46:15])
When have you felt your identity shaken by a crumbling foundation (e.g., job loss, health issues)? How could focusing on being “chosen by grace” reshape your response to future trials? ([53:50])
The sermon emphasized that sharing the gospel flows naturally from tasting its goodness. Who in your life is “searching for hope” right now, and what simple way could you point them to Jesus this week? ([56:14])
How might viewing yourself as a “royal priest” (1 Peter 2:9) change the way you interact with others in your workplace, neighborhood, or family?
The sermon warned against making “good things” (like success or security) into “god things.” What “good thing” do you most struggle to hold loosely, and how could you actively surrender it to Christ? ([50:48])
Reflect on a time when suffering clarified your dependence on Christ. How could that experience equip you to encourage someone else in their hardship?

Sermon Clips

31s

#chosenByMercy

“You're chosen, not because you earned it, but because God is merciful. You're a royal priesthood. You have access to the father through Christ Jesus. You're a holy nation. That means you're set apart, not because you're perfect and got your life in order, but because you're covered by the grace and the mercy of Jesus. That makes you God's possession too. And as God's possession, he is absolutely, completely, and utterly thrilled to have you as his own.”

39s

#JesusSimpleTruth

“It's not a technique or feeling or secret level of spirituality. It's simply Jesus. Jesus for you, crucified for you, Jesus risen for you, Jesus forgiving you, Jesus giving you life. The milk is that simple profound truth that that you don't save yourself. You don't fix yourself. You cannot build your way to God. Christ has done everything for you. That means you don't outgrow that milk either. Because that milk is how you grow, by returning to it again and again and again.”

40s

#NotByPerformance

“Now notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say, if you behave really good, you'll become a chosen race. If you try really hard and get your life in order, you can become a royal priesthood. If you show how much you earn and and deserve this, you can become a people for his own possession. No. There is no performance tied to this. You already are this. You are this because of Jesus. This is your identity given to you by God's word in your baptism, strengthened at his table this day, proclaimed to you when you get into his word because of Jesus.”

41s

#ProclaimHisExcellencies

“Before you do anything, this is who you are, by God's own declarative word to you. And he gives you this identity because he's got a purpose for you. He's got a plan for you. And Peter tells you more about that plan, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You've tasted it. You've seen the difference. You know what it's like to be in darkness, to be lost, to chase things that don't satisfy. And now, being in the presence of Christ Jesus, you've brought into the light. So you don't keep quiet.”

31s

#MilkThroughSacraments

“This milk isn't something that we grow out of. This milk isn't something we get too old for or too spiritually mature for. No. This milk is what we need the most. The message that comes from God about the good news of forgiveness through Jesus. A message that comes to us as we hear God's word and as we receive that word through real physical things connected to that word in the waters of our baptism, connected to that word in bread and wine, the very body and blood of Christ.”

39s

#FeedUsByGrace

“Forgive us for the times when we've laid that aside and built our lives under things that that don't satisfy. Things that might even be good that have been given to you, but we put them not in the good place. We put them in the god place, and eventually, it leads to our downfall and our despair. Despair. But you do not leave us in that despair. You come after us to once again feed us with that pure spiritual milk, and we are saved by grace through faith and what you've done alone. Help us by grace to receive that again this day, to live in it this week in the places you perfectly positioned us, realizing there's people all around us searching for hope, searching for meaning, searching for purpose.”

38s

#TellHungryPeople

“Because when you've had a good meal, you share that information with other people. When you've had a good meal, when something you've tasted is good, you share it with other people so that they too can know the enjoyment of that good food. And if we do that with with a restaurant, why don't we do that with the gospel? Because people who have been fed tell other hungry people where the food is. Not just true with restaurants, but even more true with the pure spiritual milk of the gospel.”

35s

#IneedGodsHelp

“We're not spiritually fit, we just need a little bit of help. No. By nature, I'm gonna wander. By nature, I'm going to leave. And God, if it's left up to me my power, and getting my life in order, I'm toast. I won't make it. And so I need you, God. I need you to intervene. I need you to seal, take my heart, and seal it seal it for thy courts above, as we say. That's an admission of our nature, to go after and to pursue things other than the pure word of God as the first and most important thing that we build our lives upon.”

42s

#ReceiveMoreJesus

“Returning to his word daily being in it. Receiving his word connected to his promises at his table like we did this morning. Receiving his presence and his promise because growth in the life of a Christian isn't about trying harder or doing better, it's about receiving more of Jesus for you. That's your fine foundation. That's your identity. That's your life. So come back to it. Crave it. Receive it. Live in it. Because the milk is still good, and I can tell you this, it will not run out.”

36s

#WhenGoodBecomesGod

“See, our cravings can get so distracted in this world. Think of the things we crave, the things we strive after. Things like success, stability, approval, comfort, control, security. And I know what you're thinking, those those aren't bad things. Those are actually, most of them, pretty pretty good things. But the problem is when we take pretty good things and we make them god things, we find ourselves facing a crisis when the trouble comes, when the things that we've built upon and the things we're pursuing aren't truly satisfying.”

41s

#IdentityInChrist

“And when that happens, if your identity is built on those things, it crumbles, and you're left wondering and wandering. Jesus is that only foundation that holds. And as Peter invites us to crave that pure spiritual milk of God and his word to build our lives on Jesus, the cornerstone, the foundation on which we can depend, he gives us also an assurance of our identity. And he says our identity as God's people is this, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.”

25s

#CraveSpiritualMilk

“But but it's not just what Peter's talking about a child craving milk. He's also using that analogy to say when it comes for when it comes for God's word, that spiritual milk, that pure spiritual milk, our desire for that milk of God's word should be like that infant who desires milk to be fed, craving, longing for it, desiring it, focused on it. That's the only thing that I need.”

40s

#JesusOurCornerstone

“And so back in first Peter, Peter gives this image not just of milk, but he also gives this image of Jesus as being the the cornerstone or the living stone, the the foundation on which we can build our lives upon. Because all of us have something on which we build our lives upon, the thing that we trust the most, most dependent on. Sometimes we build our lives on our jobs. But then when that job disappears, it can be pretty pretty scary. Your health can fail you at any time. Your reputation can crumble. Your plans can collapse.”

28s

#FightForGodsWord

“And so Peter gives us this image that when it comes to our walk with Christ, when it comes to craving God's word, it shouldn't be something where we think to ourselves, I gotta find time to be in the Bible. I gotta find time to to share God's word, to to be in a Bible study because our struggle isn't just against flesh and blood. Our struggle is against the old evil foe, Satan himself, who doesn't want you in God's word at all.”

41s

#MothersDayEmotions

“Mother's Day is an emotionally neutral day. For some, they long for that desire to to be mothers, to have children, but God has not or hadn't given them that that opportunity. Days like this can remind us not just of what we have, but also of what we've lost or never had. And wherever you're at this morning on that spectrum, whether in joy or in grief or in somewhere in between, the word of God comes to us this day, meeting us not just on the joy highlight reel, but meeting us in the deep and the tender and the sometimes painful places too.”

29s

#LifelongSpiritualHunger

“It's something that we never outgrow, but something we keep craving our whole life that we can never ever get enough of, that pure spiritual milk. And I love that image of that infant that Peter gives us because if an infant is hungry and crying and it's needing to eat, there is nothing that's going to prevent that child from getting what they desire as long as a willing adult is going to intervene and and help them out.”

29s

#HardToSeeSpiritualGrowth

“You see, it's it's easy in our lives to tell if we're growing academically, we get degrees. It's easy to tell if we're growing financially, commas more commas come into that that portfolio. It's easy to see if we're growing professionally. We get advancements in in at work and and the like, but but when it comes to growing spiritually, that can be a little bit hard to see. Because it can look like we've got our lives all together to the outside, but we could be completely stalled when it comes to our faith.”

32s

#PetersRoadToFaith

“It's an incredible statement that Peter makes, one that I don't think he fully grasps and understands until Jesus does what he's really come to do, which is to die on the cross and rise from the grave. And then Peter really gets and understands who that messiah, who that Christ is, Jesus. In fact, he'll go be willing to give his life to declare that Jesus has risen from the grave and that forgiveness found in his name. And in some of the things we have left of Peter's, we have a couple of his his letters that he wrote to the early church.”

31s

#BedtimeBibleMoment

“I was reminded of it this week. I was it was on on Tuesday. My my son, my nine year old, had a baseball game, and it got to be pretty late, and so I took our youngest home. It was way past bedtime. She needed to get to bed, get the shower, get the bedtime routine finished. And I was getting there, and I was putting her into bed, and I was saying goodnight. I was giving her a blessing, and she says to me, dad, don't forget the Bible story. You're right, Priscilla. Let's get that Bible story. It wasn't long, but it was the word. We need that word.”

42s

#MothersDayAcknowledge

“It's important here on this Mother's Day as we begin this message to acknowledge, especially on days like today, that Mother's Day is filled with a myriad of emotions. It's not an emotionally neutral day. For some, it is a day of great joy and celebration. You're you're with your mom. You get to celebrate your mom. You have good memories that you give thanks for for for to God for your mom. For others, it's a little bit more difficult. Maybe it's difficult this year because you're not with your mother, either separated because of brokenness in your relationship, separated by death, or just just drifted apart.”

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