The Beatitudes of a Christ Follower: Hunger and Thirst

Intro:

We have made it to the fourth beatitude. We have discussed what it means to be blessed in being: Poor in Spirit (Spiritually bankrupt, not able to save ourselves), Mournful (Mourning over our indwelling sin and the sin of those around us), and Meek (which is an abiding humility, or gentleness that is willing to forgo basic rights to pursue peace). To use an illustration, you can think of the beatitudes of a believer as a healthy tree. The first three beatitudes of Poor in Spirit, Mourning, and Meek are like the roots of the tree. They anchor the believer firmly and are used to bring life giving spiritual nourishment to the rest of the tree. The fourth beatitude is like the tree’s trunk which is central to everything that happens within the tree. The trunk transports the nourishment from the roots and distributes it to various branches that ultimately produce fruit, which are the remaining beatitudes.

Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness:

What does it mean to Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness? When Christ says hunger and thirst, He is referring to the inability within us to satisfy ourselves with ourselves. If you are hungry or thirsty you cannot eat or drink yourself and be satisfied. The same goes for spiritual hunger and thirst. You must go to an external source and for the follower of Christ, it is Christ Himself. He is the living water and the bread of life, our only source of righteousness before God. It is only through Him that we can stand as righteous and forgiven. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will find themselves closer to the heart of Christ and find that they have a greater passion for obedience to His commands, integrity in their walk, and a greater longing for purity in the Church (i.e. the called out ones). Please know that every person on this planet is hungry and thirsty for something. Many spend years searching and consuming things that will never satisfy them, things that destroy their lives now and will destroy their life after death in Hell. It is truly a work of God by His Holy Spirit that we would ever desire righteousness as our nourishment, let alone be fully satisfied by it.

Scriptures:

Matthew 5:6KJV
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

John 4:13-15KJV

¹³ Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: ¹⁴ But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.¹⁵ The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

John 6:35KJV

³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Be Encouraged:

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, as we realize that there is nothing within ourselves that can satisfy our hunger and thirst for righteousness, it is only then we can go to the source of lasting satisfaction, Christ. Christ Himself calls those who hunger and thirst after righteousness blessed because they will be filled. He will fill every hunger and every thirst that we have. Let us be people who are obedient to His Word in every area of our lives. Let us be people who walk in integrity and be determined to do the will of God at all costs, even self-denial. Lastly, let us long and pray for purity in Christ’s True Church. We are looking forward to Christ’s coming Kingdom where we will be abundantly satisfied. It is only there where we will truly experience zero corruption of any kind and it is only there where the highest moral standards will be lived out and displayed. Take heart and know that it is coming and let us get our house in order that we may be found in Christ when He comes.

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