Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This is the fourth installment in my series of posts about the beatitudes.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Matthew 5:6

We could talk a lot about the problems in our world. Every day, humanity seems to fall further from the purpose for which it was created—to know and glorify God. The pain and wrongdoing we see is all ultimately a result of this separation from Him. But what would happen if Christians pursued God so earnestly that the world could not help but notice the difference He has made in our lives? Too often, we lose ourselves in routine religion. We go to church every week, but forget how blessed we are to worship freely. We bow our heads in prayer, but don’t stop to listen to God’s voice. We sing the words to each song, but they come from our lips rather than our hearts. We read the Bible, but are callous to its penetrating sharpness. We settle for life as a “pew warmer”, instead of hungering and thirsting for our Creator.

In his book The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer writes, “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.” The too-easily-satisfied religionist…unfortunately, I think that phrase describes many of those who fill America’s churches today—and it has probably described all of us at some point. We give God just enough of our lives to satisfy our conscience and convince us we are good Christians, yet not enough to prompt us to change. But Jesus blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Hunger and thirst imply that we are in need; we are not satisfied until we are in God’s presence. If we are happy to stay in our comfort zone, keeping Jesus at a distance, then we are not truly hungry for righteousness. As Psalm 42:1-2 says, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?”

The hard part about possessing this desire for righteousness is it means subduing our fleshly desires. We can’t let the empty delicacies of the world spoil our appetites for the hearty feast of faith. As Paul writes in Philippians 3:8, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” Paul was willing to let go of every single thing in his life in exchange for the immeasurable gift of knowing Jesus. Yet he didn’t do it for the God-given blessings he would receive in return. He did it because it was his soul’s desire to know God. Christ is worth more than just a ticket to heaven. He deserves more than a couple hours of your time every Sunday morning. As Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’”

This isn’t just about our own salvation though. In John 7:37-39, we read, “‘Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Our hunger and thirst for righteousness lead us to the living water of Christ; as we drink, we are filled with the Spirit and He reaches from us to those around us. The world is pointed towards Jesus when we sacrifice ourselves to Him and allow Him to live through us.

Have you grown comfortable with spiritual stagnation? Have you slipped towards cultural Christianity? Have you lost your appetite for righteousness? Jesus doesn’t just want to be a part of your life. He wants you. He doesn’t promise following Him will ever be easy. But He does promise that those who thirst for Him will be fulfilled. Psalm 107:9 says, “He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.” Don’t just read God’s word out of habit. Don’t just go to church because that’s what you were raised to do. Don’t lock your faith inside a building to be dusted off every Sunday. Don’t just be a Christian to get into heaven. Do these things because only Jesus can satisfy you. The more you hunger for God, the more He will feed you. So until the day you die, pursue Him longingly, abundantly, and radically—He will never disappoint.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;

He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;

He’s all that my hungering spirit needs.

I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead

Than to be the king of a vast domain

Or be held in sin’s dread sway.

I’d rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.

Rhea F. Miller