The Beautiful Attitudes – Part IV: Blessed are those that Hunger and Thirst

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6 NET)

The Greek word for blessed (i.e., makarios) used here has the meaning of being fortunate, prosperous, or successful. That is, successful are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness! Why? Because they shall be satisfied! Satisfied with what? Righteousness, of course! What is righteousness? Glad you asked!  Righteousness (1) is the spiritual condition of being found right with, acceptable to, or fully pleasing to God! Those who hunger and thirst to be found right with, acceptable to, or fully pleasing to God will find that hunger completely satisfied. The relevant question is, just how hungry are you for righteousness?

When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, (Jeremiah 29:13 NET)

Have you ever been on a water-only fast? I have been on a water-only fast a couple of times and noticed that after a few fasting days, my body would settle for eating things I usually did not like. For example, onions are not one of my favorites (oddly, chilies and peppers are!); however, I found my body craving even those during the water fast. Then, I made the regrettable mistake of eating a spicy hot pickled sausage upon coming off of a water fast. I did it because it looked so pleasing to my eyes, and my body said yes and amen!

The one whose appetite is satisfied loathes honey, but to the hungry mouth every bitter thing is sweet. (Proverbs 27:7 NET)

After not eating anything for several days, my stomach revolted with an incredible burning sensation!

Where am I going with this? If you have been fasting good spiritual food, you will often desire things that are not good (1) for your spirit (1). Furthermore, have you noticed that if you eat things full of sugar, you will lose your appetite for food that is actually good for you? For example, it is lunchtime, and instead of eating a proper meal, you grab a candy bar or two and satiate your hunger. This gives your body carbohydrates but minimal nutrients your body needs to be healthy.

Similarly, we can attempt to satisfy our spiritual hunger for God with the things of this world.

But look, there is outright celebration! You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep, eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (Isaiah 22:13 NET)

Unfortunately, we then do not hunger and thirst for the true righteousness that comes only via accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:30–31 NET)

Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18–19 NET)

God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NET)

Consequently, we live our lives feeling unacceptable and unpleasing to God (i.e., unrighteous), which is another way of saying we feel rejected by God. Realize that rejected people are quick to reject others and quickly feel rejected by others.

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. (1 John 3:18–20 NET)

Furthermore, rejected people look for something to comfort this feeling of rejection, and Satan offers sin. While this may provide false comfort via temporary pleasure, it does not remove the feelings of rejection and make us whole.

By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. (Hebrews 11:24–25 NET)

God alone brings true comfort that removes the feelings of rejection (1) and makes us whole!

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4 NET)

The solution is to have a proper spiritual diet and exercise, which is even more important than a proper physical diet and exercise.

So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. (Deuteronomy 8:3 NET)

After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:2–4 NET)

For “physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8 NET)

This consists of daily feeding on Jesus via God’s Word (i.e., the Bible) in study, meditation, prayer (1), worship, and ministry to others.

I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. (Job 23:12 NET)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. (John 1:1 NET)

Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. (John 1:14 NET)

He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. (Revelation 19:13 NET)

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:32–35 NET)

Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:49–51 NET)

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
(Matthew 26:26-28 NET)

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NET)

To eat the bread of life is to feast on all Jesus Christ accomplished for humanity on the cross through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (1).

For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3–4 NET)

We will then continue to be hungry for righteousness.

The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the Lord are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life. The commands to fear the Lord are right and endure forever. The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy and absolutely just. They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold; they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb. (Psalm 19:7–10 NET)

Your words are sweeter in my mouth than honey! (Psalm 119:103 NET)

O God, you are my God! I long for you! My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1 NET)

“Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! Pay attention and come to me! Listen, so you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David. (Isaiah 55:1–3 NET)

As a result, we will find satisfaction in God alone.

I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord, my only source of well-being.” (Psalm 16:2 NET)

He brought me into the banquet hall, and he looked at me lovingly. Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. (Song of Solomon 2:4–5 NET)

You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full. (Psalm 23:5 NET)

As your words came to me I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy and happiness because I belong to you. (Jeremiah 15:16 NET)

For he has satisfied those who thirst, and those who hunger he has filled with food. (Psalm 107:9 NET)

As if with choice meat you satisfy my soul. My mouth joyfully praises you, (Psalm 63:5 NET)

We will not desire the temporary pleasures of the world.

By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. (Hebrews 11:24–25 NET)

he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:53 NET)

For the believer, the spiritual blessing of food through the Word is as important as water to drink or air to breathe (1). Furthermore, it is only through the knowledge of God found in the Bible that a believer can have the ability to discern truth from error, thus learning to avoid sin (1).

Then, live moment by moment in a relationship with Jesus the same way you received Him.

Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, (Colossians 2:6 NET)

Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not extinguish the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt. But examine all things; hold fast to what is good. Stay away from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–22 NET)

Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5–7 NET)

Lastly, It is only through God’s revealed Word that the believer can learn the will of God and find and fight (1) for their destiny in life in the power of God (1), even as we look forward to our Heavenly destination.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12 NET)

For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NET)

They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:16–17 NET)

Again,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6 NET)

Now that is something to have a BEAUTIFUL ATTITUDE about!

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and have His righteousness freely given to you?  If not, why not trust in Him today? (1)

The Beautiful Attitudes Series:

• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part I: Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part II: Blessed are those who Mourn
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part III: Blessed are the Meek
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part IV: Blessed are those that Hunger and Thirst
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part V: Blessed are the Merciful
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part VI: Blessed are the Pure in Heart
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part VII: Blessed are the Peacemakers
• The Beautiful Attitudes – Part VIII: Blessed are those who are Persecuted 

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Shalom
(Security, Wholeness, Success)
Peace

Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. 
(3 John 1:2 NET)

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