Day 24: Blessed are the Hungry

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 Verse:  Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Thought

Hunger and thirst are both very strong feelings.  When you are really thirsty you can think of nothing else but a cool glass of water.  Generally, I don't know what it really means to feel hunger or thirst.  Even on diet!!  I think of hunger as the empty feeling I get when it's half an hour after my usual lunch time! 

My sister recently introduced me to Pasteis de Nata which are the most delicious Portuguese custard pies.  I am happy when I eat one, but I always want more! The satisfaction one pie provides also increases my desire for more of the same. That is a picture of what righteousness is for us as Christians - the more we are filled with the rich, sweet taste of Christ's righteousness the more we desire it.

Do possessions influence the way you feel? Do things seem to be better in your life when you buy something new?

We look for satisfaction in all the wrong things: money, possessions, fame, and pleasure. And we don’t find happiness because we look for it in the wrong places.

A hungry person will never be satisfied with flowers, music, or an encouraging speech--they will still want food. A thirsty person will not be satisfied unless they are given a drink. Too many in the church today are seeking the same kind of remedy to their problems, searching for happiness through ecstatic experiences. We want a holy high. We go to seminars or visit counsellors with the hope of experiencing spiritual ecstasy. But that isn't what Christians who are in search of happiness should look for. If I want a relationship with Christ but am not hungering and thirsting for righteousness, I need to honestly look at the relationship I have with Him.

The only real happiness of enduring value is being right with God recognising that my internal spiritual hunger can be satisfied only from God's table.

 Just as the hungry don’t need to be told to eat when they are provided with food, so we shouldn’t be told to read and study God’s word.  We should fall on it as though we are starving.   And God has promised to satisfy us.

Prayer 

Lord God, thank you that you care for me and provide for me.  Help me not to become complacent with my life but to hunger for you.  I want to feast on Your word, not just nibble on scraps to keep the hunger at bay.  I have really enjoyed looking at new verses every day and getting nutrition from them.  Please keep the hunger for your word in me.