The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 4

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
                               Matthew 5:6 (KJV)
 
Hi friends,
     How are you today?  Have you ever been hungry or thirsty?  I think we all have felt the feelings to some extent at one time or another.  Thankfully, (or unthankfully) many of us have never been in dire straits enough to know the feelings of a desperate hunger or thirst.
     In the past few posts, I have been pondering the meaning and words of the Beatitudes.  Like the others, this beatitude speaks to us about how God wants us to live.  More than that, it speaks to us about how to be happy and fulfill God’s will for us.
     Let’s look at the first part of Matthew 5:6.  It says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.”  The words hunger and thirst are more than just a “normal” desire for food or drink.  It is more of a craving.  Do you get cravings? 
     I get cravings and sadly, they aren’t always for good things.  Like, I get cravings for too many sweets or salty foods.  They sure are yummy, but not necessarily good for me.  I get good cravings too.  I want to do God’s will and to live the life God has for me.  I want to help others.  I want to encourage others.  I want to share my faith and encourage others in their faith.  I want to teach and learn.  These things I crave as well.  Think of what crave means.  When I crave a certain food, I can eat this or that to try to get my mind off it.  I can feel “full” with eating these other things, but somehow, I still don’t feel satisfied.  It isn’t until I either give into the desire or stand up to it (through prayer and the desire to do the right thing under no uncertain terms), that the craving feeling goes away.
     Sometimes, we feel like we aren’t accomplishing or getting the desires of our heart.  We want this or that and they seem like good things, but we still aren’t getting them.  In those times, we have to ask ourselves if they are “normal” wants or if they are hungers and thirsts.  Like when we are truly starving for food, we will often do just about anything to get food.  We will work at jobs we wouldn’t necessarily like or consider under normal circumstances.  We will eat food that we don’t necessarily care for just so that we can have something in our stomachs.  (I am not talking about stealing or anything illegal, but humbling ourselves to do or accept less than we normally would think to do.)
     So, what does being on the brink of starvation have to do with hungering and thirsting for righteousness?  Just like when are stomachs are empty and we hunger for food or thirst for drink, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness we our hearts and minds are empty except for the desire to do God’s will for us.  Any worldly desires, manipulations, or feelings we may have had in the past are out of our mind and out of our heart.  We don’t have any self-serving thoughts or desires and no alternative motives at all.  Instead, we only desire what is right.  We desire God’s will for us and for the kingdom of God.
     Now, we can look at the second part of Matthew 5:6, “…for they shall be filled.”  If we empty ourselves from the worldly cares and only seek God’s will for us, then we will feel satisfied.  It won’t be just a worldly feeling of being satisfied, but a heavenly feeling as well.  Just as all the other Beatitudes lead to not just a “regular” feeling of happiness, but a “heavenly” feeling as well.  It goes past emotional thoughts and feelings, but spiritual as well.  A spiritual “fullness” isn’t just a feeling of being “full”, but also of being truly satisfied as well.
 
Heavenly Father,
     Thank you for the Beatitudes.  Thank you for showing us the way to true happiness, which is a closeness with you in your kingdom.  Help us to hunger and thirst for You and your ways.  Help us to pray for others to hunger and thirst for you so that your kingdom grows and others may find a closeness to You as well.  I ask you this through your Son, Jesus.  Amen. 
 
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Reflective questions for Matthew 5:6 (KJV):
*What does Matthew 5:6 mean to me?
*Have I ever hungered or thirsted?  What did it feel like? 
*Have I ever craved anything? 
*Have I ever felt “full” without feeling satisfied?
*Have I ever felt like I was hoping for good things, but they never seemed to
 come?  Did I look to see if my desires were pure or if I had any alternative
 motives?
*How can I better live the words in Matthew 5:6?

Note:  
If you haven't read the other parts of The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations, you may want to read them here:
*The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 1
*The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 2
*The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations - Part 3
 
Now, it is your turn.
     I am thankful you are here.  I hope you are enjoying The Beatitudes Series by DUO Inspirations.  What are your thoughts?  Is there anything that you have learned or thought about since reading the series?  Please, feel free to comment below so we can all learn from you or contact me.  Thank you.
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