Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Matthew
5:6 (NRSV)
Being
blessed is a matter of craving the righteousness of God like a starving man craves
food. What is the righteousness of
God? It is simply the goodness you see
in Jesus.
A
good appetite is a sign of health. A
child in the crib that demands to be fed is
Loss
of appetite is a danger signal. The number one measurement of the health of
your spiritual life is your appetite for spiritual things. Let's take the temperature.
·
Do you love to study God's
word?
·
Do you have a deep desire to
have the blessing of God on your life more than watching TV, sleeping-in?
·
Is it one of the great joys of your
life to be around God's family?
·
Do you love to give testimony
of what God is doing in your life?
Jacob
wrestled fiercely with the angel of God all night long,
vowing he would never let go until he had the blessing of God. John Knox hungered and thirsted after God so
intensely he cried, "Give
me Scotland, or I die."
It
is the NORMAL CONDITION OF A HEALTHY MORAL SOUL TO DESIRE SPIRITUAL
GROWTH.
A
common beech tree will drink 65 gallons or more each day, drawing it sometimes
over 100 feet to the top branches. We
still don't know how that really happens, but the tree hungers and thirsts for
it. When it stops, it is a signal that
it is dead...Not dying, DEAD!
There
is a parallel. You may have once
realized your need, been poor in spirit. You may, in spiritual mourning over your sins
been born into the kingdom. In true
meekness you became a servant of God – but then, did you lose your appetite for
the water of life somewhere? You started
with promise, but are you STILL hungering and thirsting for God's Word, His
righteousness? Are you serving and
seeking Him like a starving, thirsting, desperate man? Or are you ignoring the hunger? Have you become spiritually-anorexic?
If
so, there is still time to change.
For You, Today…
The Psalmist said Taste
and see that the Lord is good[1].
Begin growing again.
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