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

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

Matthew 5:6, “Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

MATTHEW 5:1-9

In the natural world, people eat even when they aren’t hungry. Many of us can prove that by turning sideways and looking at ourselves in the mirror. But in the spiritual realm, only those who are hungry can get fed. One of the worst things that can happen to us is spiritual complacency.

Being hungry for the things of God is one of the best things that can happen to us. Most people don’t feel that way. They would rather have the feeling of being full. But Jesus promised us that fullness would follow hunger. No hunger, no fullness.

Therefore, what many people hate is actually a sign of spiritual health. Longing for more of God is a healthy sign. No one hungers for God on their own. That is not the nature of man. No man hungers for God unless the Spirit of God is drawing him (Jn. 6:44).

Hungering for God doesn’t cause God to move in our lives, but it is a sign that God is already at work in us. We should praise God for spiritual hunger and be encouraged. He doesn’t make us hungry and then let us starve. He does so in order to fill us with His blessings and love. We need a hunger that will never be satisfied until the marriage supper of the Lamb.

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They’re ordinary people Who love God from the heart

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They’re ordinary people Who love God from the heart

Steve was just an ordinary guy. He quietly served in a church I attended years ago. He helped prepare communion, shoveled the church sidewalks in the winter, and mowed the lawn in the summer. He spent time with teenage boys who had no fathers in the home. I often heard him telling people at church in his quiet way how good the Lord was to him. During prayer meeting he didn’t talk much about himself but would ask us to pray for those he was telling about Jesus’ forgiveness and love.

A verse in John 10 about John the Baptist makes me think of Steve. People said of him: “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man [Jesus] were true” (v.41). John didn’t perform miracles as Jesus did. He didn’t talk about himself but came to “bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe” (1:7). He said of Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (1:29). My friend Steve bore witness of that Light as well.

Our aim, as followers of Jesus, is to do the same—to “bear witness of the Light.” We’re just ordinary people, serving God in our little corner of the world. With our quiet deeds and words, let’s point others to the Light! —Anne Cetas

Just what do Christians look like?

What sets their lives apart?

They’re ordinary people

Who love God from the heart. —D. De Haan

Christians are ordinary people who are committed to the extraordinary person of Christ.

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Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit

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Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-9

We cannot separate actions from consequences. Why, then, do we allow our culture to tell us that we can plant seeds of one kind and bear fruits of another? The world tells us that we can plant seeds of promiscuity and carelessness and bear fruits of beauty, happiness and even love. But the results are disease, unwanted pregnancy and unhappiness.

Root and fruit are inevitably intertwined.

Isaiah 32:17 says, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.”

One of the surest ways to change your life for the better is to stop sowing seeds that bear bad fruit! Plant seeds of righteousness and put those roots in your life. Unlike the culture around us, the Bible takes a very clear position on right and wrong.

Ask Him to guide your actions so you will produce good fruit that is pleasing to God.

Further Reading

•Jeremiah 6:19

•John 15:4

•Galatians 5:22-23

God Bless

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Investing in People

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Investing in People

The day of the Lord will come like a thief . . . and the   earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be   destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct   and godliness (2 Peter3:10-12).In our economy today it is very important to start saving   for retirement early. Those who are present-day oriented will just spend   money, but those who are future-oriented will invest. That’s the difference   between immaturity and maturity: the immature spend, and the mature save for   tomorrow.Jesus’ parable in Luke 16 demonstrates that the sons of   darkness are often wiser than the children of light because they are   future-oriented. If men are willing to do that in finite time, how much more   should Christians “make friends for yourselves . . . [who] will receive   you into the eternal dwellings” (v. 9)? God tells us to wisely use our   stewardship in something that has eternal value: people. When we stand before Christ, He is going to play a cosmic   video, reviewing our life from salvation to death. We will see how   responsibly we used the time, talents, and treasures God gave us, and how   good or bad our stewardship was for Him. We will see the impact we had on   other people and how much we invested in others for eternity. In verse 9, Jesus told us to make friends. How do we do   this? We make friends by sharing the Gospel so that those we know have an   opportunity to hear it. We must see that people are important in God’s   economy. God measures our effect on people not by how many dollars we have in   the bank, but by how we have used our time, talents, and treasures to invest   in the eternal destiny of people. Either God will reign over your time, talents, and   treasures, or you will make them your god. May God Almighty prosper Nigeria   and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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