“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matt. 5:6
Devotional Thought For The Day
What would cause a person to “hunger and thirst” for righteousness? Obviously such a person would be keenly aware of a shortage of righteousness – within himself and within others. This would move a person to deep repentance, sorrow and remorse over his sins, both those sins he has committed and also the good things, the righteous things, which he has left undone. Where can such “righteousness” be found? All religions and philosophies other than Christianity direct such hunger and thirst back to the individual – he must clean up his act, stop doing evil and start doing good. However, all such efforts leave a person hungering and thirsting for righteousness, for as the Scripture asserts “if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” and also “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” [1 John 1:8; Is. 64:6] After a time those who seek righteousness in themselves are forced either into despair or into delusion, but they can never be properly “satisfied.”
The Scripture directs us to another righteousness, the righteousness of God which is received through faith in Christ. “Abraham believed the LORD and He counted it to him as righteousness.” [Gen. 15:6] This is the righteousness that the apostle urges us to hunger and thirst for, and to have by faith, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” [Rom. 3:22] Paul laments those who “being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, did not submit to God’s righteousness.” [Rom. 10:3] He urges all to join him in faith in Jesus Christ, receiving the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing of God – “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” [Phil. 3:9] This is a righteousness that does “satisfy,” for it is God’s righteousness and therefore perfect righteousness, and we can have it “through faith in Christ.”
Those who seek “righteousness” without having the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, cannot truly seek righteousness – for they are still rejecting the gift of God in Christ and rebelling against His grace, mercy, and forgiveness, seeking to establish their own righteousness apart from His. They are trying instead to build their own “tower” to heaven, much like the early inhabitants of Babel. [Gen. 11:4] Ironically, those who have already received the righteousness of God through faith are compelled by their experience of God’s wondrous and gracious love to love for God and love for others, and love is the fulfilling of the law. [Rom. 13:10] They hunger and thirst to do this more and more, not because they do not have righteousness, but because they already have God’s perfect righteousness through faith in Christ. In this they are both blessed and satisfied, to even now have righteousness and salvation, and to be actualizing already in this life what they are to be for all eternity.
Christ Himself pronounces those with faith and righteousness to be blessed! We struggle to realize just how blessed we truly are, in so many different ways, to have been brought to know and believe the love that God has for us. As the peace of God reigns in our hearts we are truly satisfied, and eager and satisfied to be about the will of God despite our ongoing sin and weakness. How blessed we are in all of this!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, You have brought all blessings and blessedness to us, in Your suffering and death on the cross for our sin and guilt, and by Your glorious resurrection. You have provided us with what we could never produce on our own – righteousness. Through faith You continue to work in us both to will and to do of Your good pleasure. Increase our blessedness and our joy in Your salvation, that growing in faith and joy, we may be satisfied. Amen.