Daily Devotional

Thursday, July 12, 2010

“Blessed are those who hunger

  and thirst for righteousness,

  for they shall be satisfied.

When we think of “hungering” and “thirsting” for righteousness, we must recognize that both are appetites that return frequently throughout the day.  These are not desires that should be fulfilled every once in a while, but several times a day. Just as food and water sustains us throughout the day, righteousness sustains the Christian who seeks to be in right relationship with God.

All humans experience this hunger and thirst for something more, but unfortunately we often try to satisfy it with what the world has to offer.

God has put eternity in our hearts and we have an inconsolable longing. We try to satisfy it with scenic vacations, accomplishments of creativity, stunning cinematic productions, sexual exploits, national sports extravaganzas, hallucinogenic drugs, ascetic rigors, managerial excellence, etc., etc. But the longing remains.

Do you plan to eat tomorrow? Then why not plan to eat righteousness? Do you plan to drink tomorrow? Then why not plan to drink righteousness? Could it be that one of the reasons the grass is greener everywhere you look is that your life is not devoted to the central pursuit of righteousness, but to the pursuit of other things? Let us consider with what regularity and perseverance and strong urges we pursue food and drink day after day. And let us make it our prayer that we will hunger and thirst in that same way to establish righteousness—in our own souls and in all our relationships and in our land and in the world.

Prayer:

Lord, once again, thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit to help me seek more earnestly your face. Pour out an extra measure, Lord, that I may seek to be righteous every day. Give me an unquenchable hunger and thirst for righteousness.