Have you ever been real hungry or thirsty? I have. It’s not a pleasant feeling and we try to eat or drink something to rid ourselves of that feeling. But Jesus promises a blessing to those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
The heart cannot be satisfied with people, things, or ideas. We were created for more. Our souls can never survive alone in this pleasure-seeking world. Our deepest needs and desires can be met only by a fellowship with God Himself. People hunger and thirst after God.
“Thou has made us for Thyself and our heart are restless till they find their rest in Thee.” – St. Augustine
And this is actually the true test of your Christian experience. Do you hunger after God? Is the desire of your life to have a right relationship with God? If so, you are truly blessed because you will be filled. We will look at the key words in this passage and find out how to find fulfillment in life.
What are we to be? Hungry & Thirsty
It is a real hunger (desire). It is as real a physical hunger. And just like physical hunger, it keeps on until it is satisfied. It does not pass away. But many people try to ignore the hunger in their heart.
It is ann intense hunger. The way the Greek word is used it means hungering for ‘all’ the righteousness. Like saying, “I’m so hungry I could eat a cow.” It is starving hunger. When the prodigal son was hungry, he went to feed on the husks. But when he was starving, he turned to his father.
What are we to be hungry for? Righteousness
We sometimes hunger for the wrong things. Lucifer hungered for power (Is. 14:13-15). Nebuchadnezzar hungered for praise (Dan. 4:29-30). The rich fool hungered for pleasure (Luke 12:16-21).
But it is important to be hungry for God and His righteousness. The definition of ‘righteousness’ is: To be right with God. To be holy. To be like Jesus. It is to be free from the penalty, desire, and presence of sin.
Why do people not feel the hunger? Sometimes we can experience a lack of hunger due to (1) sickness, (2) no exercise, (3) spoiled appetite (eating the wrong things) or even (4) being too busy.
How are the hungry happy? They are filled.
Happiness is a by-product of righteousness. It is much like pain and disease. The pain is caused by the disease and you can never truly get rid of the pain without getting rid of the disease. The doctor that only treats the symptom without treating the cause is a bad doctor. You will never find happiness by looking for it. It only comes as a by-product in looking for righteousness.
Many are trying to find happiness in drugs, sex, education, family, travel, and they will never find it there. They will only find partial satisfaction there. The only true happiness that does not pass away is in Jesus Christ.
Many Christians are searching for the ultimate Christian experience. They travel from church to church, concert to concert, seminar to seminar, listen to speakers, read books, to find what they think other Christians have. I tell you that if you are wanting a happy experience, you will never find it by looking for it. It only comes by hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
You have an emptiness, a desire, and a hunger that you want fulfilled. And you will search your whole life to find peace, contentment, prosperity, and happiness. You, like a starving man, will try it all – good and bad. Jesus gives us the only answer – “Happy are those who are starving after a right relationship with God – for only they will be happy and satisfied.” The answer to all your desires and longings is being right with God.
Do you hunger after Christ? Do you want him more than anything else in the whole world? I hope so. Because this is the only way to be satisfied and content with your life.
You can read my other Sermon on the Mount articles: Life Redefined: Sermons from The Sermon on the Mount.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks