Daily Devotional

Friday, August 13, 2010

“Blessed are those who hunger

  and thirst for righteousness,

  for they shall be satisfied.

So, why does Jesus not simply say “hunger for God” rather than “hunger for righteousness”? According to John Piper, there are two reasons:

“One is that Jesus surely means God's righteousness—a righteousness like God's, and a righteousness that God gives. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Surely that is basically the same as saying, "Hunger and thirst for righteousness." When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we don't look to the broken cisterns of our own resources. We look to God. So it is not either-or: we hunger for righteousness in God.

But there is a deeper reason why Jesus promises satisfaction to those who hunger for God's righteousness instead of promising satisfaction to those who simply hunger for God.”

And we will look at that tomorrow.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your word. I pray that my appetite for your righteousness would continue to grow, and that I would not be like the Pharisees, who were full of religion, but not righteousness. I pray that you would fill my heart with mercy and compassion, Lord.