For Righteousness

What will satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst we all experience? Jesus tells us. It is righteousness.

For Righteousness

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled."

(Matthew 5:6, bold added)

What will satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst we all experience? Jesus tells us. It is righteousness; the Greek word is dikaiosuna, to be right in the eyes of God. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, that we are to seek first what? His righteousness. Psalm 107:9 teaches us, "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." God and only God can completely satisfy.

The Bible records the stories of those who were hungry for God and whom God blessed and satisfied. David, who is described twice in the Bible as a man after God's own heart, said these words in Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (See John MacArthur, The Beatitudes, p. 117-18.)

A common theme of the saints of God past and present is this hungering and thirsting for God, to know Him, serve Him, and enjoy His presence in our lives. Augustine, in his powerful work, Confessions, was the first to write this now famous and often-quoted phrase about our restless hearts finding rest in God. He writes, "Great are You, O Lord, and exceedingly worthy of praise; Your power is immense, and Your wisdom beyond reckoning. And so, we men, who are due part of Your creation, long to praise You—we also carry our mortality about us, carry the evidence of our sin, and with it, the proof that You thwart the proud. You arouse us so that praising You may bring us joy, because You have made us and drawn us to Yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in You." (Confessions, Book 1, chapter 1)

What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls? Nothing but the righteousness of Jesus. May the Lord Jesus grant to you His peace, rest, and righteousness as you walk with Him by faith.

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Podcast of the Week

Exemplary Leadership, with Dr. Dondi Costin

Pastor Danny welcomes to the show Dr. Dondi Costin, president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, to discuss his time in the military, his service as a military chaplain, what brought him to Liberty University, and his time there, sharing what he has learned all along the way, which includes a lot about leading and serving well. You don't want to miss hearing his journey and wisdom!

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