Matthew 5:6 (KJV) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Paul wrote to Timothy “ I know whom I have believed.” Okay that sounds right. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. I have found the pearl of great price. Like the song says, “I know, I know there is no doubt about. He’s real in my heart and I’m gonna shout it.” Those who have found (or been found) by Jesus have come into a wonderful place. The eyes of their understanding have been opened and they can say, “I know the maker of the Heavens and the Earth.” I am filled.
Then we read in Philippians where Paul writes, “to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” In another place He tells the Philippians, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended in Christ Jesus.” This is the heart of a seeker. Paul sounds hungry and thirsty. There is a stirring in his soul that can only be filled by knowing Jesus.
Here we see the great paradox of the fourth beatitude as Jesus talks of great hunger and great filling. To be filled with the knowledge and presence of God is a never ending blessing. The joy and peace, the light and glory, the wisdom and knowledge, the love and grace are never ending. There is no searching the height or depth of God. He is unknowable and yet all knowing. Just writing these words stir my soul to great joy in knowing that He loves me and gave Himself for me. And in the peace that flows through my spirit there rises a great hunger, a discontentment. I long for more of His Spirit. I need more of His life flowing through me. Filled yet hungry! Satisfied but thirsty! The more I know Him, the more I love Him, the more I love Him, the more I need Him.
If you have come to the table of God and eaten of His bounty, you are blessed beyond measure and apprehended by a desire that will never cease. Those that say they have been there but never desire to feast on His presence, never seek Him, but live their lives as if He was just a small part will never know the joy of this great paradox. Being filled and oh so hungry.
Showing posts with label filled. Show all posts
Showing posts with label filled. Show all posts
Friday, September 6, 2013
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Matthew 5:6 (KJV) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
They tell us that we are what we eat. If we spend our days eating donuts and pastries we will become a big cream puff. If we eat greasy food our arteries become clogged drains. This line of thinking is even truer when we speak of spiritual matters. If you feed your mind and soul on violence, excitement, erotica, and materialism your life will soon personify them. You will become what you eat. But those that hunger and thirst for righteousness will become more and more like Jesus.
The word “righteousness” is used seven times by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. It is from the repeated usage of the word in Christ’s discourse that we can define His intended meaning. We are to hunger and thirst for “righteous living” and to passionately desire to do God’s will and live in obedience to Him, to see righteousness prevail in this world. We must be aware of a growing need for God and desire to be like Him not just in a superficial way but deep in our souls we must long to reflect His character and bring forth much fruit, the fruit that only the Holy Spirit can offer.
The Psalmist gives us an ideal example of this hunger in his writing as he pens the cry of his soul. “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” Psalm 63:1. In Jesus’ day there was no indoor plumbing or mini-mart only wells and rivers. The land was arid and dry and the possibility of dehydration was a very real possibility if you were far from a source of water. Israelites knew exactly what it was like to be in a dry and thirsty land and long for life giving water. It was a matter of life and death. This is the way we must hunger and thirst for righteousness always hungering, always thirsting, never having enough of God’s Spirit, never satisfied or filled but constantly seeking as if our life depended on it.
It is in our hunger and thirst that we will be filled and as we are filled we become more like what we eat and drink. More like Jesus!
They tell us that we are what we eat. If we spend our days eating donuts and pastries we will become a big cream puff. If we eat greasy food our arteries become clogged drains. This line of thinking is even truer when we speak of spiritual matters. If you feed your mind and soul on violence, excitement, erotica, and materialism your life will soon personify them. You will become what you eat. But those that hunger and thirst for righteousness will become more and more like Jesus.
The word “righteousness” is used seven times by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. It is from the repeated usage of the word in Christ’s discourse that we can define His intended meaning. We are to hunger and thirst for “righteous living” and to passionately desire to do God’s will and live in obedience to Him, to see righteousness prevail in this world. We must be aware of a growing need for God and desire to be like Him not just in a superficial way but deep in our souls we must long to reflect His character and bring forth much fruit, the fruit that only the Holy Spirit can offer.
The Psalmist gives us an ideal example of this hunger in his writing as he pens the cry of his soul. “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” Psalm 63:1. In Jesus’ day there was no indoor plumbing or mini-mart only wells and rivers. The land was arid and dry and the possibility of dehydration was a very real possibility if you were far from a source of water. Israelites knew exactly what it was like to be in a dry and thirsty land and long for life giving water. It was a matter of life and death. This is the way we must hunger and thirst for righteousness always hungering, always thirsting, never having enough of God’s Spirit, never satisfied or filled but constantly seeking as if our life depended on it.
It is in our hunger and thirst that we will be filled and as we are filled we become more like what we eat and drink. More like Jesus!
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