Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness
“Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
The verse above
is explained by Matthew 6:1-18. For more on the outline of the Sermon on the
Mount, see the very first post of this blog, entitled The Key to the Sermon on the Mount and posted on
Sept. 26, 2014.
“Be careful not to do your 'acts of
righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no
reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do
not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on
the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like
the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the
street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and
pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not
be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
“For if you forgive men when they
sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
“When you fast, do not look somber
as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are
fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But
when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be
obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen;
and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew
6:1-18)
Hungering and thirsting for
righteousness. That is a trait seldom seen in people in our day and age. I know
people who are hungering and thirsting for a lot of different things, but
righteousness isn't usually at the top of the list. I see them hungering and
thirsting for a better job, a better house, a better car, a better sex partner,
a better high, even a better spiritual life – all kinds of things – but rarely
do I see someone who is hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
Even in our
churches and Christian culture today, righteous living is not often taught or
preached. It seems like we have convinced ourselves that the grace of God – the
truth that Jesus died for our sins so that our salvation is based upon what He
did rather than what we do – has made righteous living an unnecessary burden.
But that is not what Jesus taught.
Jesus
taught that it is a blessing to be hungry for righteousness and he assumed that
his followers would habitually do “acts of righteousness” such as fasting,
praying, and giving to the poor (Matthew 6:1-18). If that were not enough, the entire New
Testament is full of commands to live righteously and the Apostles Paul and
James wrote extensively on this conundrum, that though we are saved by grace,
our faith in God and our desire to please Him will cause us to live righteously.
And what,
exactly, is righteous living, one might ask? Jesus spells it out in the text
above in terms of our behavior, our acts of righteousness, and at other points
he alludes to it in terms of righteousness in our heart, in our innermost
being. We will study these acts of righteousness in the days to come as we
study those verses, but for now I would challenge you to ask yourself honestly,
“Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Is right living the foremost of my
priorities in life? Do I strive to do what is right rather than what is
convenient? Do I try to please God rather than trying to please everyone around
me? Do I habitually and regularly spend time with God, worshiping and praying
and fasting?
If you are
like me, and if you are being honest with yourself and with God, you can likely
see room for improvement in your righteous living. Rest assured, my friend,
that it is not your righteousness that will get you into heaven or even closer
to God. It is the righteousness of Jesus that does that. But it is your hungering and thirsting after righteousness
that brings the blessed happiness that Jesus’ promises.
For as we
hunger and thirst after righteousness, we are hungering and thirsting to be
more like Jesus. And in a sense, when we are hungering and thirsting after
righteousness, we are hungering and thirsting after Jesus himself, for He is
our righteousness.
Remember, when we see God
face-to-face in eternity, it won’t be our righteous acts that will be our
ticket into heaven. It will be the righteous act of Jesus on the cross that
will be our golden ticket. Rest in that while still hungering and thirsting
after righteous living and you will be happy and blessed.
Pray with me:
Father, thank you that I have a right standing with
you because of Jesus. Help me to live righteously; help me to live out what you
have already declared – that I am righteous and holy. Help me to make righteous
decisions in these life circumstances that I bring before you now…continue
praying as you are led…
For further study, meditate on these Scriptures:
Rom 3:21-25 But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Phil 3:8-10 What is more,
I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my
own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the
righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
1 Tim 6:11-12 But you, man
of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
endurance and gentleness.
Please use this blog for
personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family.
However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of
this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy
Brockett of New Song
Foursquare Church
in Colorado Springs , Colorado
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