When Hunger Is A Great Thing.

09 Feb When Hunger Is A Great Thing.

Have you ever been so full that no matter how a table is beautifully set with your all favourite foods displayed, you shake your head and tell your host that you cannot eat a thing? Okay, perhaps you could pick at something, just to make your host or whoever set the table happy. But generally speaking, when you are so full of food, you are hardly enticed by anything set before you.
Conversely, when you are famished, any and everything edible seem to appeal to and entice you. I can tell from personal experience. For example, if I am that hungry and on the road, I look out the car at everything edible being advertised and swallow, wishing I could take a bite, even somethings I would rather not eat on a normal day, I might begin to desire.
If I am not very hungry, I tend not to eat well, I might even waste food, especially if I was served by someone.

One of The Beatitudes taught by Jesus is:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 AMP

Our Lord here admonishes that we stay continually hungry and thirsty for righteousness. That we never get satisfied or complacent with our level, volume, state in the spirit.
Righteousness here according to Joseph H. Thayer is, “the state of him who is as he ought to be, in the condition acceptable to God.”
It denotes a constant and earnest pursuit of God, a constant and earnest pursuit of entire conformity to His word.

The Amplified Translation throws a bit more light to that verse:
Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.

A Person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness is one:
– Who constantly desires to be found in the righteousness of Christ, in uprightness and right standing with God.
– Who deeply desires, craves and pursues after spiritual blessings above other physical or material blessings.
– Who puts God’s kingdom’s pleasures above his/hers.

The great news here is that God does not expect us to conjure up a hunger and thirst for righteousness all by ourselves. He puts that hunger and thirst in us…
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Every believer has an innate desire for more of God, the only problem is; some do not recognize it for what it is because their flesh overrides their spirit (Remember the story I told about how I feel when I am famished). So they begin to seek to fill that hunger with everything or everyone but God. God is our righteousness – Jehovah Tsidkenu. He is The Only One who can satisfy our spirit.

The emptiness we fill when we neglect the pursuit of God and His word cannot be filled with any other thing or any other person.
We only need to trust God to always recognize that prompt to run to God, to run to His word for a filling. We must get ourselves out of every distraction no matter how good they look, as long as they keep us from going for the spiritual filling we need, they do not matter.

And He promises that when we come to Him with our hunger and thirst He will satisfy us.

• I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10 NKJV
• Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money, come, buy and eat… Isaiah 55:1 NKJV
• And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35 NKJV
• …Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. John 7:37 NKJV

Isn’t it amazing that we do not have to starve spiritually?

God is waiting to fill us up, to satisfy us if only we come to Him with open hearts and open mouths.

Let me add something here; He always does more than what we ask, think or imagine. Ephesians 3:20

So He says to us to; …Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NKJV
If we seek His righteousness, He will not only satisfy us spiritually, He will satisfy us in all those other areas of life that we need or want satisfaction. Hallelujah!
Lets us stay hungry, let us make conscious efforts to always go to God and tell Him we hunger for Him, His righteousness, His pleasure. And he will satisfy us like no one and nothing else ever can.

Let us continually tell The Holy Spirit to keep us hungry unto Christ’s return; He will. Click To Tweet

I am hungry, I am thirsty; Are you?

Copyright© Ugochi Oritsejolomisan 2017