The Beatitudes - 4. Those Who Hunger and Thirst For Righteousness

Hello and welcome to Van life Devotions. Leading up to Easter, we are looking at each of the Beatitudes – the incredible teaching of Jesus that is a part of His famous Sermon on the Mount. After Easter, Session Three will commence and it will be from Turkey, Greece, and Egypt.

The past few weeks, we have looked at the first three Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”, “Blessed are those who mourn”, “Blessed are the meek”. Today we are looking at verse 6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NIV).

When Jesus saw a crowd coming He went to the side of a mountain and then verse 2 says, “he opened his mouth and taught them…” (Matthew 5:2 ESV). In the original language what Jesus was about to teach was of utmost important that comes from the heart. And therefore, He really wanted us to know how important thirsting and hungering for righteousness truly is.

Some of us enjoying snacking our way through the day. I know I do and so when it’s dinner I’m not as hungry to eat the more nutritional meal. Spiritually, you may snack through the day on activities and then find you have no time or too tired to “feast” with God. And yet Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Hunger and thirsting are cravings and when we nibble, we’re not as hungry to be right with God and seeing right done for others in the community. That’s what righteousness means here – to be right with God and seeing right done for others where there is a wrong. Doing justice in a part of this beatitude.

Feasting on God instead of nibbling has been a journey for me. For as long as I remember I have loved God. My baptism at age 13 was real and meaningful. I have always loved the Lord. My calling to be a pastor was and still is very significant. Like most, I have had my ups and downs, doubts and strong faith seasons. I have the assurance that God loves me and has saved me and know that one day heaven will be my prize and resting place.

And yet when I look back, I found that I’ve done a lot of spiritual nibbling. Sure, I do my quiet times and as a pastor I make sure I do extra, and certainly I try to help people, but I think I have been nibbling just enough to feel that I’m doing the right thing. But being a pastor, I have often felt that my spiritual satisfaction comes from whether I’ve put on a good program, or preached well, or helped someone. Conversely, I can easily feel flat when I feel that a program didn’t work or I didn’t preach well, or someone didn’t feel helped by me at all. I’ve done a lot of nibbling.

Nibbling is not bad; it just that it isn’t what’s really needed to fill you. And so, over the past few years God has allowed things to happen in my life that has helped me to wake up that I need to stop nibbling and begin to really hunger and thirst for Him and feast with Him. I don’t need to go into what those things were, that’s not the point; what is the point is that God is teaching me to hunger and thirst to be right with Him and see right done for others where there is a wrong. By God’s grace I am experiencing a deep renewal and fulfillment, and it’s wonderful.

I believe that there is within you an appetite for God. Like what happened to me, it too can be awaken. Jesus invites you to turn from the dulling effects of nibbling and to say, “This much, O God, I want you to be right with You and to make things right for others where they have been wronged”.

Let’s pray.

Lord God, satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst when we are right with You and make things right where there are wrongs. O God, preserve us who travel; surround us with your loving care; protect us from every danger; and bring us in safety to our journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

David Moyes