Verse of the day: Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
The Lord uses two of the strongest urges we experience physically as human beings. There have been times when I have been so hungry that I have eaten things that I knew were not good for me, but it did not matter because all I wanted to do was satisfy my hunger; only to regret having eaten whatever it was afterward. I am sure that many of us have been so thirsty that we became weak and would drink whatever was put before us in an attempt to quench our thirst. A person who seeks to be blessed, or happy, is a person who hungers and thirst after righteousness above all else. The truth is that there is a void in our hearts that we often try to fill with the things of this world. The world offers so many vices, and we, like sheep going to the slaughter, follow after these things to our own hurt. Instead of finding happiness, what we soon discover is that all the world's pleaures only bring temporary relief for our hunger and thirst, and the end result is that we become enslaved to the things of this world; alcohol, drugs, sex, covetousness, high status in society (which fills us with pride), and the list goes on. Sadly, because we cannot find real satisfaction in anything the world has to offer, we end up doing that which is more and more wicked in order to obtain that which pulls us further and further away from God. Jesus tells us that when we hunger and thirst after righteouness we will be filled, or satisfied. There is a righteousness that we can obtain that can only come from having a personal relationship with Jesus. It is a righteousness that we cannot earn, but is available to us, and is imputed unto us, when we call upon and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Philippians 3:9 tells us that this is a righteousness which is of God by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ, because He was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin. The bottom line is that there is only One who can fill the void in our hearts when we hunger and thirst for righteousness; and that One is Jesus Christ. As born again believers, we must avoid what the Pharisees attempted to do, in that they tried obtain their own form of righteousness, which resulted in them becoming self-righteous. Romans 10:3 describes them perfectly. They had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. They were ignorant of God's righteousness, and went about establishing their own righteousness, not submitting themselves to the righteousness of God. We, as God's children, are accepted by the Father because of Jesus' righteousness. When we accept that fact and humble ourselves to the Lord, seek Him and His ways, prayerfully, and in accordance to His Word; only then will that void, that hunger and thirst, truly be satisfied in a way that only Jesus can satisfy. Happiness in life is about a hunger and thirst that drives us to pursue the righteousness of Christ; for it is the only desire that can truly be satisfied.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing their sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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