Matthew 5:6
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
When you see a sign that says, “Keep Off The Grass”, why do we so badly want to walk on the grass? Because we hunger and thirst for our own desires. We hate when people tell us what to do, or is it just me? Jesus made a point with this Beatitude about the best way to enjoy life. It involved humility and obedience, not the attributes making the news today. He’s right. The person who sees grievance at every turn is usually the one ruining Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. We should seek justice and the word for righteousness is translated as “justice” in Hebrews 11, but the vast majority of the time, righteousness in the Bible talks about obedience to God’s standards.
Especially today, people get indignant when someone tells them what is right and wrong, especially Christians. They will then tell you it is wrong to do so and tell you it is right to be tolerant of other people’s beliefs, completely missing the irony that they are doing the exact same thing they hate in us. They are telling us what to do to be righteous. We long for satisfaction and companies know it. Advertisers tell us what will satisfy us. They tell us what to do but no one is burning down advertising agencies in retaliation. That is because they sell us what we want, our own desires. God’s standards require meekness, humility, self-control, and love. They sound servile but they satisfy. Jesus died for me. I love Jesus. I love others. My right to be right disappears. My desires change. I hunger and thirst for what will please my Savior. Next thing I know, I am loving my neighbor and the world is a little more peaceful.
Satisfied?