Scripture:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness;
for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6
Truth for Today:
We are all familiar with the physical needs of hunger and thirst. Many have felt and heard the rumble of a growling stomach,
but most of us have never experienced true hunger pains. The same is true of thirst. I grew up
on a small farm, so I understand the dryness and thirst that comes from working
in the cornfield all day. Hunger and thirst represent a void or need in the
physical body. However, food and drink are not the only things that fulfill our
hunger and/or thirst. People seek sex and drugs to satisfy addictions, sports
and games for entertainment, and children, and family or friends for affection. We know from experience those things that provide physical satisfaction only last for a season. However, even if these things satisfied the physical for a lifetime, they would not satisfy the spiritual.
Jesus was referring to the
spiritual needs when he said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness.” Jesus called his disciples to himself and began to teach
them saying, out of your emptiness; seek to be filled with something that is
not temporal. In Matthew 6:33 we
are told, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," then
He will take care of our other needs.
What does he mean by righteousness? Righteousness is not
about being a religious guru, knowing “all” about God and His Word.
Righteousness is not just about the position we have in Christ. Knowing God and
accepting his plan of salvation for us through Jesus Christ is foundational to
knowing and understanding God, but righteousness is about how we embody the
very life of Christ. Jesus was telling the crowd that if they would come to
him, he would satisfy the void in their lives. The void in our lives will never
be filled except through the righteousness found through living in relationship
with Jesus. Jesus is saying; 1) talk to me, 2) spend time with me in reading
and meditating on my Word, 3) follow me by walking in righteousness. As we
hunger and thirst after righteousness the Holy Spirit fills us with God’s
character and attributes.
Have you been searching a lifetime, but have never found anything that fully satisfies? I sadly admit there are times when I hunger and
thirst for things that are more worldly rather than things of God.
How do you satisfy your hunger and thirst? Does it closely resemble anything of God or anything that
would draw you or others to Jesus? I challenge you; try Jesus. Jesus righteousness is the only thing that can deliver permanent satisfaction. Not only can He satisfy you, but others will see the difference He has made in you, and they will be drawn to follow Him.
Prayer:
Father, create in me an addiction for your Holy presence and
your Word. Fill me with your righteousness so that others will want to know more
about you. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen
Sadly, this world is full of distractions and so easily we lose our focus and shift our attention to peer pressure and acts that are designed to make others admire us; case in point, a mother boasts, 'my son the doctor' or a son boasts, 'my dads a billionaire'. We forget that we are here in this fire together and if we could only find a way to lift God up that we could lift eachother out of our suffering. Imagine Eden. What must have that been like? Paradise on Earth. Unlimited beauty and peace and really good foods. Never being hungry or thirst; and yes as you said, hunger occurs as a pain in the throat or high up on the chest, not a growling stomache. I wonder if Man will ever get back into the garden, or if we will comtinue in agony until Jesus gets back to rescue us.
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