blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
Let's continue with our on-again, off-again series on the Beatitudes as a blueprint for Christian living. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."
Do you see how the Beatitudes offer us a step-by-step progression? If we recognize that we are indeed poor in spirit, and we mourn over the depth of our sinfulness, and we meekly put our lives in God's hands and follow His will because we are all too aware of our own impotence, we must take the next step and beg God to wash those sins away. We are commanded to hunger and thirst for the Holy Spirit to transform us (and others) just as a starving man would hunger and thirst for bread and water. We must yearn for God's goodness and righteousness, both in ourselves and in the world. We have to know that this world is so very temporary and that God has a permanent home reserved for us in heaven where righteousness will reign forever. We must strive daily and hourly and minute-by-minute to live as God has commanded with our eyes on that eternal prize. If we yearn for material wealth, worldly possessions, or earthly, vulgar excitement, we become of the world and there is no room in our hearts for righteousness.
My Life Application Study Bible by Zondervan has a wonderful chart in it showing how the book of Proverbs compares and contrasts the lifestyles of the righteous with that of the wicked. This makes a great tool as we seek to teach our children how to live a righteous life. Proverbs 10:24 shows that the righteous have a hopeful outlook on life while the wicked are fearful. 12:10 says that the righteous are concerned about God's creation. The righteous don't desire the company of godless people (24:1-2), they care for the poor (29:7), they detest the dishonest (29:27), and they persevere against evil (24:15-16). We as Christian conservatives should make the book of Proverbs standard reading in our homes.
Do you see how the Beatitudes offer us a step-by-step progression? If we recognize that we are indeed poor in spirit, and we mourn over the depth of our sinfulness, and we meekly put our lives in God's hands and follow His will because we are all too aware of our own impotence, we must take the next step and beg God to wash those sins away. We are commanded to hunger and thirst for the Holy Spirit to transform us (and others) just as a starving man would hunger and thirst for bread and water. We must yearn for God's goodness and righteousness, both in ourselves and in the world. We have to know that this world is so very temporary and that God has a permanent home reserved for us in heaven where righteousness will reign forever. We must strive daily and hourly and minute-by-minute to live as God has commanded with our eyes on that eternal prize. If we yearn for material wealth, worldly possessions, or earthly, vulgar excitement, we become of the world and there is no room in our hearts for righteousness.
My Life Application Study Bible by Zondervan has a wonderful chart in it showing how the book of Proverbs compares and contrasts the lifestyles of the righteous with that of the wicked. This makes a great tool as we seek to teach our children how to live a righteous life. Proverbs 10:24 shows that the righteous have a hopeful outlook on life while the wicked are fearful. 12:10 says that the righteous are concerned about God's creation. The righteous don't desire the company of godless people (24:1-2), they care for the poor (29:7), they detest the dishonest (29:27), and they persevere against evil (24:15-16). We as Christian conservatives should make the book of Proverbs standard reading in our homes.
posted by hondo at 11:04 PM
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