Matthew 5:6 (NIV): Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness, who desire it with their hearts as much as their bodies crave food and water, they will be filled with God’s own righteousness. And this is actual righteousness. God never promises a mere POSITIONAL righteousness, a lie where He allows sinful people to live in relationship with Him and declares them “righteous” while they are still engaging in sinful actions and have sinful attitudes. God does not lie to anyone, not even Himself!
The righteousness that God promises and delivers is genuine righteousness; real holiness that is like His own. It actually changes the very heart of a person, removing from them their sinful, carnal, depraved heart, and replacing it with a pure, spotless, soft, obedient heart. Only that kind of heart change can lead to real righteousness (which means truly right actions and attitudes). Only a transformation will change both heart and body, so that a person accurately reflects God’s image to the world around him or her. Only a complete re-creation can make someone holy as God is holy (Matthew 5:48), and loving as God is loving (John 13:34).
There are two reasons why so many do not have this genuine righteousness. First, too many have been taught that such righteousness is not possible in this world; that only positional righteousness is possible, which leaves a person doomed to remain trapped in daily sin. And so these people do not seek true righteousness. After all, why hunger for that which is impossible? Secondly, the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth so distract people that they lose their focus on God’s righteousness, and begin to hunger and thirst for other things – things of this world – things that will ultimately leave them just as hungry and thirsty after they have attained them as they were before.
In order for God to bestow His righteousness on someone, to fill their hunger and thirst, they must wholeheartedly believe that it is possible, and must pursue God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) above everything else. Only then will He satisfy our hunger and thirst by making us truly righteous.
Father, thank You for this promise, and for its fulfillment in my own life. Help me to ALWAYS seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness above anything this world has to offer. Help me to continue to walk in Your ways and live in true righteousness and faithfulness every day, all the rest of my life. Amen.