JAN 23

Matthew 5:1-12
Memorise Matthew 5:6
“blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.”

Hunger and thirst are the ever present physical needs of the human body. One who is hungry yearns for food; one who is thirsty yearns for water. The one who is hungering and thirsting after righteousness is a man who is yearning for God within his soul. Therefore he sets himself eagerly and avidly to seek after God. He is prepared to do what God demands of him and does it with his whole heart. 

This desire is what salvation is about. When you are awakened to your sinful state, you are drawn also to the Saviour who can save you from your sins. When you learn that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins and died for you, you come to Him for salvation. He is your righteousness. He can cleanse and He can make whole. He will save those who come to Him with a broken and contrite heart, mourning over their sins and realizing their poverty of spirit. This sinner wants to be right with God.

Such a person who hungers and thirsts after righteousness shall be filled. There is only one truly Righteous One. He is the Son of God, the Saviour of men. It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ which God gives to the soul that seeks its Saviour. This is the glorious gospel. Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. By that infinite sacrifice, He opened a way of salvation to all who are poor in spirit and who mourn over their sin.

Only God can give us true righteousness. The Pharisees of Jesus’ time appeared to be religious and righteous, but they were not. They only had an outward facade or righteousness. Jesus said that inwardly they were “ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:14). Furthermore, true righteousness is only found in Jesus, always Jesus and in none other.

Dear teen, have you experienced this hungering after God? When you see the awfulness of your sin, you will see your great need to come to God for cleansing and purity in your life. Once you are saved, you will continue to experience this, for sin is ever with us and daily you need to come to Jesus for His cleansing. 

Thought: Blessed are those who have received God’s gift of righteousness.
Prayer: Lord, give me this thirst and hunger for Thee and I shall be filled and satisfied.