Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. – Matthew 5:6
You have doubtless heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Nutritionists have said that, in order to be fit and healthy, you need proper food intake. Lately, a challenge has arisen over how Americans eat, with the levels of highly processed foods and the high quantities of sugar at the forefront. Yet, despite all the advances in what constitutes appropriate nutrition, groups like the Mayo Clinic report that one in five children and adolescents in America suffer from obesity, and the rate has more than tripled since the 1970s. Diet and a lifestyle of sitting in front of video games and devices instead of playing outdoors both contribute to the problem. Since the COVID pandemic, type 2 diabetes cases among children are on the rise.
In your spiritual life, the health of your soul is every bit as important as the health of your body. Your character and your lifestyle are a direct reflection of how you feed that part of yourself. Dr. Stephen Olford stated the Christian’s hunger and thirst for righteousness should be more than a “mid-morning snack.” Theologian and author J. N. Darby wrote, “To be hungry is not enough; I must be really starving to know what is in His heart towards me. When the prodigal son was hungry he went to feed upon husks, but when he was starving he turned to his father.” Just as newborns desire their milk, Peter says Christians need to crave the spiritual milk of the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2).
How is your spiritual appetite? Do you feast regularly in the study of Scripture? Is your thirst for intimacy with God satisfied as you pray? Theologian Phil Newton writes, “There is deep soul-searching in this Beatitude. We must be honest with ourselves. Forget the fact of what you profess. Forget for the moment that you attend church regularly and that you have Christian friends. What is it that means more to you than anything else? “ The object of your hunger is the indicator of your spiritual health. Fix yourself on Jesus who said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Only He can truly satisfy. Pray for those in government who establish food pyramids and other dietary guidance. Then, earnestly pray for the health, physical and spiritual, of America’s children.
Today’s Verse: Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: John 6:29-40
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
