Are you hungry or thirsty?

Do you consider yourself a Christian?  A follower of Jesus?  A servant of God?

If so, you should have an appetite for what is right.  You should be engaged in a passionate pursuit of God. A restless, eager longing to walk with Him and to please Him in every way.  That’s who Jesus was talking about when He said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  (Matthew 5:6)

The servant of God should also hunger and thirst for the world to do right.  You should be grieved by the corruption, inequity, and moral compromises that we see all around us.  We should be unwilling to shrug off the lack of justice and purity in our world as acceptable – as the new norm. 

True righteousness grows out of humility.  It grows through the patient acceptance of what life throws at us.  Whatever life brings us – whether that be poverty or wealth, sickness or health, strife or peace, or just the normal day-to-day problems – we are to stay obedient to God and dependent on God. 

The idea of hungering and thirsting for righteousness may sound a bit weird.  Those who choose to walk with God and seek His blessings will naturally desire to experience genuine righteousness.  Chuck Swindall wrote, “Righteousness grows out of a deep and abiding love for Jesus Christ.”  While we have a responsibility to seek the Lord, the blessings of God were purchased for us by the blood of Christ – not by our own attempts at holiness.

What happens when you hunger and thirst for righteousness as a part of your daily life?  “They shall be satisfied.”  (Matthew 5:6)   A perfect example of contentment.  You are contented in your soul.  You are satisfied within.  Your appetite for righteousness is filled.  You can rest knowing that God will will bring satisfaction to your hungry and thirsty soul.

Matthew 5:1-11

“When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. ² He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.””