"Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6
Before we can understand this verse we must first understand righteousness. I mean how are we to hunger and thirst for something if we don't understand the meaning?
Righteousness: Righteousness is the state of moral perfection required by God to enter heaven.
So, those who hunger and thirst for this will be filled. Hunger and thirst are powerful words. They are living words. We must be fed and we must have our thirst quenched for life. The key is filling those needs with the right notions. If we are not careful we can begin to fill ourselves with potions that will not lead to holy living. Body, mind and soul.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." Matthew 6:33
I can devour a cheeseburger and fries and be full for the next few hours. I can devour God's Word and be filled for the day. But it is something I must remain in. Steady and sure. I can get hungry and simply eat junk that isn't going to be good for me at all. We could say we need a healthy hunger.
"I am the bread of life." John 6:48
The same goes for what I drink. I could sip on soda all day long or I could drink something healthy, like water. Nothing quenches our thirst like water. Just sit down to a Mexican dinner with spices. Nothing cools the tongue like water. This crystal clear, pure drink, fills us like no other drink. In the world we could look at this and compare drinking sugar all day and the lasting effects, to drinking water and what is supplies.
"But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again-ever! In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up within him for eternal life." John 4:14
We need to make wise choices for not only our physical health, but our spiritual health. The heart functions to keep our body alive. It is our very choices that figure in the outcome of our beating heart. It functions with it's own control. Goodness, if it were up to us to keep our heart beating we wouldn't last long. We trust in our heart to do all it's required to do. We have faith that when we sleep it's going to continue to beat and bring us to the morning sun. The same is said in our relationship with Christ. Our faith is in Him and Him alone. Eternal life cannot be found on our own, but only through a loving Savior, who was willing to give all, so that we might have life.
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48
"But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16
We are an imperfect people. We are a work in progress. We cannot attain perfection on our own merit. Only through our Perfect Savior will find heavenly perfection. In seeking Him on a pure level and in seeking Him with all our heart, we strive for perfection. We strive to be all He has created us to be. It is through this faith that we find a hunger and thirst for His righteousness.
When we think of righteousness, we need to understand this is not something we can acquire on our own. We need a Savior to bring righteousness. The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. We cannot get there simply by our good works. It is faith and belief in the One who chose us for His blessing.
"But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed-attested by the Law and the Prophets-that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus."
Romans 3:21-26
We are to diligently seek our Savior. We are to seek His will for our life. His path for journey has been laid out for us. All we must do is follow with a pure heart and determined will for God's grace and mercy. We are to seek all He has for us and dive into His Word as if it is our very breath giving life. When we come to having a personal relationship with Christ we want to spend time with Him. Through His Word faith comes to life as we live it each day. May we hunger and thirst for all God has for us. In doing so, we will find ourselves complete and secure.
