Sunday, November 10, 2013

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Psalm 5:6)

Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is not something that just happens.  It first results from being broken and recognizing that you are unable to live up to the expectations of God and then looking to God for strength and ability (Matthew 5:3).  As God enables you and begins to perform his work of grace,  you, in an even greater way, recognize the wrong that you have done with your life and you mourn over the deeds and not just the consequences (Matthew 5:4).  Because of this, you become meek and yielded to God.  No longer do you desire to run your life: you recognize that by yielding to God, you gain blessing in your life (Matthew 5:5).

You begin to ask yourself, "What else does God have to offer?  What other errors does your life contain that need to be corrected?"  A stirring begins to happen in your life which brings about a longing for what is right.  At this point, you are hungering and thirsting after righteousness.  As a starving person desires that which is necessary for life: food and water, you too will hunger and thirst for the necessities of life or in other words the things of God.  

The necessities of life are found through fellowshipping with God.  You fellowship with God as you pray and pour your heart out to him.  He fellowships with you through his word and through preaching.  Fellowship also occurs as you labor together with God in meeting the needs of others.  The more fellowship you gain: the more you want.  Fellowshipping with God is satisfying and fills the heart of those hungering for righteousness. 

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