FOMO. The word is not in the old dictionary that’s still hanging out on my shelf after my college years. It has only appeared in our English language in the lifetime of my grandchildren. Yet this word has already found a place in respected online dictionaries like Merriam-Webster, although I think Mr. Webster would have absolutely no grasp of the culture that created this word.

I thought about this word as my life, speeding along this year of 2019, rounded the curve of a milestone birthday this past weekend.

And FOMO has infected me as I keep pondering three verses that the Spirit highlighted for me when I recently read again one of my favorite books—1 Peter. These verses have been on my mind every day for almost a month, so it’s high time to be sharing these thoughts with you.

So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
(1 Peter 2:1-3)

Did your mind shut off after reading Get rid of evil behavior? Or did something snap awake as you went on to the next sentence? That’s what happened to me. Evil behavior—yes, I’m done with that. At least, I want to be. But look again at the examples Peter then lists. Those things keep nudging their way into my life, often in the most subtle ways. As I write this, I’ve been awake less than an hour of this new day, and already I’ve battled one—no, two—of those things Peter links with the word evil.

How stealthy and cunning our enemy is, as he works to lure us off God’s path! So stay alert today, sisters and brothers.

The second thought about this passage is that Peter writes of having a “taste” of the Lord’s kindness. To understand this, go back to the preceding paragraphs. Peter has just written about God’s wonderful salvation—that long ago, the Creator already had a plan to rescue us from the evil that infected the world, save us from an empty life, cleanse us, and re-birth us into a new life that will last forever.

Oh! To my soul, that seems much more than a “taste.” That’s life-giving food and water to me.

Yet Peter calls this only a taste of all God has for us. There’s more, so much more. There’s a “full experience of salvation.”

Now, are you feeling tremors of FOMO rising in your heart and head?

FOMO is the new word—acronym, buzz word, or slang, whatever you want to call it—for the Fear Of Missing Out. In these days dominated by the internet and social media, we are bombarded by all kinds of information about the world and other people’s lives. And for some people, FOMO sets in: a fear that something exciting or wonderful is happening somewhere, and I am missing out.

What Peter wrote centuries ago has triggered a case of FOMO in me. Another birthday has come and gone. (For those of you who haven’t discovered it yet, here’s the law of earthly birthdays: The higher the number, the more quickly the year evaporates.)

Yes, I am living a life that will not end. But in this season of my life—in this earthly season—I don’t want to miss out on the full experience God has for me.

God’s “plan of salvation.” We hear those words and think of Jesus Christ dying for us, forgiving our sins, and promising us eternal life. Yet through Peter’s words here, God is telling us that’s only the beginning, only a taste of everything He has planned for those who come to Him. He says, There’s a whole lot more, my children!

Do you want the full experience of your salvation? I do.

Peter writes, “Cry out for this nourishment.” That’s what I’ll be doing in the following weeks. Come along with me. No matter where each of us is on the salvation journey, God has so much more planned.

This week, cry out for the Spirit to cleanse your life of evil behavior, and ask that He guides and nourishes us as we grow up into the full experience of our salvation. God’s Word reassures us that He rewards those who seek Him and draws near to those who draw near to Him. He’ll be here with us.