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Scripture

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" Matthew 5:6

Hunger and thirst– what do you hunger for? Thirst for? Hunger and thirst are drives within all of us. The hungrier and thirstier one is, the more extreme his or her behavior might be. A foundational principle of our created being is this: We pursue what we hunger and thirst for until we have it!

As Jesus lived among His friends and fellow humans, He observed that men hunger and thirst for many things that cannot be satisfied. In fact, to hunger after these things and pursue them is like pouring gasoline on a fire, thinking it will put it out. Gasoline doesn’t satisfy or douse the fire; it causes it to rage at a higher, unsatisfied level! He saw us hungering and thirsting for:

• Fulfillment through religion and law-keeping;
• Accumulation and financial gain;
• Sexual expression beyond godly marriage boundaries; and
• Triumphing over our enemies or seeking vengeance.

And the list goes on. These will never satisfy. So what does He point us to? What is He saying to us here? We need a “taste bud transplant!” We need a whole new hunger and desire that causes us to pursue another kind of satisfaction. Righteousness is the central word of the Sermon. Happy is the man who is hungry and thirsts for a right relationship with God through Me, by Me, and because of Me. Not a right relationship with God that comes out of oneself, but one that is given by grace through Me. Whatever you are hungering for IS what you are pursuing!

But He must be speaking of more than simply a right relationship with God by grace. Surely He is also teaching us of hungering and thirsting for a right way of living on the earth! In our world there is an utter breakdown of morality and ethics on every level and in every arena of life. The world has decided that either there is no God or, at least, He no longer has the right to tell us how to live. Morality, righteousness, and truth have all become relative to what we feel and what we think. Is there no source outside of ourselves, beyond ourselves, that is a true and trusted source of right? Of morality? Of truth? Yes, Yes, Yes! John declared at the opening of his gospel, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). What did Jesus give us? Grace and truth. Truth. A clear, clarion call of what is good and right and true in God’s sight! Are you hungry and desperately thirsty for a righteous life before God and man? Not just positionally righteous because of the Cross, but experientially righteous because of the clear guidance of His word and the outpoured Spirit!

The Promise: You shall be satisfied. There is a food from heaven that truly satisfies–righteousness! It provides a deep, inward satisfaction like nothing else on earth! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to no longer feel those deep, inward cravings calling out to you more? A satisfied soul is the promise of Jesus for the person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness.

David said in Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” And the word for want used here can also mean lack. I shall not want for, I shall not lack! How can this be? Surely it doesn’t mean that everything you’ve desired has been given to you by some great, cosmic Sugar-Daddy in the sky. That is not satisfaction! It must mean that in this deep desire for righteousness, all other cravings and desires of life are refined and purified by His righteousness, and satisfaction begins to take over my soul. What are some of the signs of a satisfied soul?

• Gratitude: overflowing gratitude
• Peace: an inner man not driven by cravings of this world
• A Present Focus: when a person is unsatisfied and lives in a realm of intense craving for something to satisfy, he doesn’t live fully in the present; he is always projecting thought and desire into a future fulfillment
• Humor: people who are satisfied laugh easily and often
• Optimism: the satisfied soul is a soul that has found good and believes that God is good, therefore creating an overarching optimistic view of life

Prayer: Lord, give us a deep hunger and thirst for righteousness. We don’t just want to do the right thing, but we want to be people who are so satisfied because of our pursuit of righteousness. Reveal your truth and your grace to us day by day. Satisfy our soul.