If we have tasted something that is good, will we want more of it? It is but natural for anyone to want more. In fact, others will do everything they could to enjoy it as long as they can. Spiritually, this should also be our attitude. To emphasize this, the apostle Peter said, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3). Since we have tasted the goodness of the Lord, we should want more of it and the only way to have it is to grow in the knowledge of the Lord through his Word. We should crave for the Word of God in the same manner that we crave for good physical food. It is not unusual to hear people say, “Can I have a bite?” when they see their friends eating their favorite food. But how often do we hear believers say, “Can I borrow your Bible?” when they see their friends reading their Bibles? We need to be like newborn babies that crave for the milk of the Word of God and will not stop wanting for more until satisfied.
Now that we have tasted the goodness of the Lord, no one should want to go back to where they came from. Everyone should want to stay blessed. King David in his Psalm said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). We have every good reason to stay on course with the Lord. Needless to say, those who choose to do otherwise will suffer for it. The apostle Peter said, “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud’” (2 Peter 2:20-22).
To turn away from the Lord is not only to miss his promised blessings, but also to jeopardize our own salvation. The Bible often talks of possibilities, but there are a few things that are impossible—and one of these is the restoration of those who turn their backs against the Lord. The Book of Hebrews said, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (Heb. 6:4-6). We need to be faithful to the Lord and enjoy everything that he offers, even life forevermore.
Now that we have tasted of the goodness of the Lord, let us pass this on to our children. If there is something that we can leave behind that will be lasting, it is our faith in the Lord. However, let us make sure that we are indeed faithful, because our children are looking for leaders. Foremost, they look up to the fathers as leaders. They get their cues on how they live their lives from them. The next leader they look up to is the mother, who is very influential to the children. The father and the mother should learn a lesson on leadership from Gideon. When Gideon led Israel into battle, he told his troops, “Watch me. Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do” (Judges 7:17). Gideon was leading by example and this is how parents should lead their children, so that they will not depart from the faith. But while we need to follow our leaders, this is not absolute or “blind obedience.” If the leader is not doing what is right before the Lord, we need to resist and obey the Lord instead. Bad leadership was demonstrated by Abimelech when he, just like Gideon, said, “Quick! Do what you have seen me do!” (Judges 9:48). However, the motive was for evil. By all means, resist those who ask you to do wicked things.
Having tasted the goodness of the Lord, let us continue to persevere in the faith. Let us lead others, especially our children, to do the same. Let us not be like dogs that go back to their vomit, or pigs that, after being washed, go back to their wallowing in the mud. Let us be men and women of faith that will serve the Lord faithfully. Hallelujah!
