"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
—Jesus
Those who are empty are they who hunger. Those who are parched are they who thirst.
And the empty and parched are called blessed by Jesus, which in this context literally means "happy." Happy are you—the empty and parched—if you hunger and thirst for righteousness—for you shall be filled.
How counter-intuitive this is to the world's thinking.
The world would call you "blessed" if you make a million dollars a year and would say you "have it made." If you're the author of best selling books and conduct popular seminars on the power of positive thinking the world would say you "have arrived."
But if you hunger and thirst for Jesus' righteousness, the world will say you're a joke, a miserable wretch—a deceived little "sheeple" who blindly trusts in religious fairy tales.
David wrote the following Psalm when he was in the wilderness of Judah:
David wrote the following Psalm when he was in the wilderness of Judah:
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my
soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where
there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)
As a fifty five year old man who has known Jesus as my Lord and Savior for over two decades, with each passing year, month, and week, I keep coming more and more to the painful realization that nothing of this world brings lasting satisfaction, peace, joy, or happiness.
And godly sorrow over this leads me to repentance—to turn from all the things in my life that I have made into idols. To turn from the things that I have looked to, to fill up the empty and parched places in my soul: which have only left me even more parched and empty.
And in much brokenness, with tear-stained face, looking upward, beholding the Lord Jesus in His kindness, love and mercy, I look fully to Him—the author and finisher of our faith.
Jesus said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
The "poor in spirit" Jesus refers to here, are the broken people who see their absolute, and desperate need for God.
Today I asked the Lord for forgiveness, for my looking to other things and other people to fill up the empty places in my soul. For making other things and people idols in my life. For allowing other things and people to take His rightful place in my heart.
Some of the most challenging words in the Bible is Jesus saying to the multitudes:
A wonderful truth and wisdom in Jesus' directive to His followers that they cannot be His disciples unless they forsake all, is that He knows that nothing of this world can bring us peace, joy or fulfillment. Only He can fill up our hearts and souls. Only He can quench our spiritual thirst. Only He can satisfy our spiritual hunger. And He will not take second place to anything or anyone else in our lives. Until we get off the throne of our life, and invite Him to rule and reign from His rightful place on the throne of our heart, we cannot be His disciple.
Jesus didn't command us to forsake all and follow Him to make our lives unhappy. He wants to set us free from all of the lifeless things that will ultimately only make us unhappy.
Sadly, much of modern Christianity is spiritually asleep at the wheel—living busy lives they call "blessed" because they are living the American Dream. Big house, nice family, great careers, nice cars, vacation house, lots of toys, boats, jet skis, big 401-K accounts. They think they "have it made" because they have filled up their lives with all the good things life offers. The "blessings."
But inside, so many who claim to know Jesus, are unfulfilled. They do not know lasting peace or happiness. There is no joy in their hearts. Marriages are crumbling, dying, or already gone. Relationships are superficial at best. Most people are simply going through the motions, unaware of spiritual warfare, going to church once a week, listening to Christian music, and praying at dinner time; but with no real purpose or power in their Christian walk.
Jesus said:
Our much needed spiritual awakening must include:
- Contrite brokenness, hungry and thirsty for God's righteousness.
- An honest confession that the things of this world cannot fulfill.
- Repentance to God for making other things idols in our lives.
- A sincere profession that without Jesus we can do nothing.
- Passionate commitment to draw near to Jesus Christ every day.
- Ask God daily for wisdom and anointing power of the Holy Spirit.
What is the "anointing power" of the Holy Spirit?
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Without the daily empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we will spin our wheels in the fruitlessness of trying to do things in the futility of our own strength.
True spiritual transformation will never come through just going through the motions of going to church. And what most people think is the "American Dream", in reality, is an anchor around your soul, and will only take you down.
With Holy Spirit-breathed wisdom, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church:
"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:11-12)
Those who have awakened out of their spiritual slumber, are Jesus-focused, and others-focused. We are not self-focused or self-absorbed. We realize that we are aliens in this fallen world, just passing through, but with a God-given assignment to fulfill during our temporary stay here.
We are to be like arrows pointing towards Heaven—empowered by the Holy Spirit—pointing people to our loving, merciful Savior Jesus Christ.
Getting your piece of the so-called American Dream is not God's purpose for putting you on this earth.
It is high time we awaken out of sleep...
"Holy Fire, burn away, my desire, for anything, that is not of You, but is of me, I want more of You and less of me. Empty me...empty me. Fill me... with You, with You."
(To be continued...)
"Holy Fire, burn away, my desire, for anything, that is not of You, but is of me, I want more of You and less of me. Empty me...empty me. Fill me... with You, with You."
(To be continued...)
—God is Love and Love Never Fails.
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