Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Most Americans cannot fully grasp the depth of what is being stated in this verse because most Americans have never really faced true hunger and thirst. Hunger and thirst are basic human needs. In fact, they are two of the main driving forces for all life on our planet. Everything that has life on earth spends a good portion of its existence seeking out nourishment and hydration.
These are needs that will not go away until they are filled. When our bodies truly need food or water we will continue to feel the need in increasing measure until the need is satisfied or we die. Even when hunger and thirst are sated, they are not far from us. In a relatively short period of time we will begin to feel the need again and need to repeatedly feed ourselves.
That is the kind of urgency God is looking for in us when it comes to righteousness. God desires for us to have an aching, never fully quenched need for righteousness. The blessed part is that when we have such a consuming need, God Himself will satisfy it.
There are two aspects to this craving for righteousness: personal and general. Both are important to the Christian life. We should yearn to be personally righteous. Of course, the Bible tells us that our own righteousness is pathetic (Isaiah 64:6) and that true righteousness comes from God (Romans 3:22). But the Bible also tells us to get rid of anything that hinders our relationship to God (2 Corinthians 7:1) and to pursue righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22). So we should have a strong desire to be personally righteous.
The desire for personal righteousness should be like a hunger or thirst. It should be something that we cannot tolerate being without. When we lack righteousness we should be constantly seeking it with an ever increasing intensity. When we do this, God will be very pleased and He Himself will provide the righteousness we want/need.
General righteousness is wanting goodness and justice in the world around us. As Christians, we should always be looking for ways to not only be righteous but to restore righteousness to the world. One way to do this is to share the gospel.
Evangelism is something we should be doing every waking moment … using words when necessary. Our lives should be a testimony to the goodness and graciousness of God. The more the world around us sees the true nature of God in and through us the more they will want to be a part of His Kingdom. The more Christians there are the more righteousness there will be.
Another way to bring righteousness to the world is to not tolerate injustice. When we see injustice we should seek to make it right. Whether that is through prayer, legal action, political activism, or just standing up for the weak and oppressed, Christians should not be silent regarding the injustice in the world.
When we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness God will give it to us. Then if we hunger and thirst even more, God will give us more righteousness. The more we genuinely seek after the more God will give … both in this age and in the age to come.
Sadly though, many American Christians are satisfied with a very miniscule amount of righteousness. We see injustice and take little or no action. We tolerate sin in our own lives. Then we wonder why the church in America has such a small impact on the world around us.
Almighty God, You are perfectly righteous. You have created us in Your image. Give us the desire to be righteous. Give us the courage to seek righteousness around us. Cause us to hunger and thirst for righteousness so that we will be satisfied.