Discipleship: Blessed are those that hunger and Thirst

Discipleship: blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Matt 5:6; Romans 3:9-12; 21-26

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Have you ever had that burning hunger or thirst....where your sole focus is on finding food.
most of us have not experienced this.
But this is what Jesus is talking about here.   Having this being a stressed aspect of life.   That extreme need for righteousness.

Jesus' audience knew what this meant as they struggled with the need to find food and water daily.

The first mark of a disciple is the realization of their poverty before God.    We can't make up for our sin and have a debt to him unimaginable.    Second we need to mourn over our sin.   This mourning leads us to being meek..a person trusting in God to handle things well.

From these three grows a fourth....this one speaks of our action not our attitude.    Our mourning and meekness leads us to want to be different.   It will be so intense it will be a true hunger and thirst within.

No being satisfied here....it is continual as we strive to be more righteous.
This is what marks his disciples.   That need for growth and change.
Being more righteous is what we should be living for.

Social dimension as well?
- seeing the unrighteousness in the world around us
- leading us to seek righteousness in the world around us
- helping people, caring for people,

People often seek to see how bad they should be rather than how good they can be...

Lord help me to be desperately thirsty for you.  Grow it in me Lord.
Those who hunger and thirst will be satisfied.

See this is what I think is what is wrong only Christianity...I don't feel satisfied...so now I know his to achieve satisfaction...I need to hunger after God all the more.

So how do we act this out in our lives?   Giving money, supporting through work, teaching, helping, doing....these are things we do.  Things we must do.
Changing one thing in your life the more you see other things that need
refinement in our quest for righteousness.  It is a continual process.    This is the normal Christian life.   And in the journey we will be satisfied.