Matthew 5:1-13 The Beatitudes (those who hunger)

It's been slightly over a week since I continued my saga of the Beatitudes verses withing Matthew, so tonight I continue with verse 6:

"6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled."

I am pointed to Psalm 11:7 - For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see His face.

This particular beatitude really hits home for me...because I fail it so often. So to help dissect this, a few questions come to mind. What does it mean to be righteous? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for it? And finally, How does one be filled with it?

I've found it hard to come to a good description of what righteousness actually is, so I think, who is it that would epitomize it? And the clearest answer is Christ. We was righteousness. He pleased God in every way while here on Earth and would perpetually stand up for what was right, what was just, and what was virtuous. He was in complete conformity with God's Law. So, since no one is Christ and we are all capable of sin, constantly...what does it mean for US to be righteous. It means that we are in constant thought about God's Law, the Lord's Word. That we are working towards acting as close to Christ as possible. It means that we seek a constant audience with God and that he is there to guide us through himself and the Holy Spirit. I also read something that I believe is an excellent deed. That when a righteous person sins, he finds it so hard to bear the weight of, in his heart, that he'd rather stay far from the sin, then to offend and disgrace his Lord. In addition to, should he sin (which he will, because we're all sinners), he finds himself in dire need to repent for what he did.

What does it mean to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness? Well, ya know that three meal a day thing? Yeah, this isn't exactly that, although, it does follow the same idea in a sense. Every day of your existence you're gonna get hungry and you're going to get thirsty...and these things need to be satisfied. You'll look for food, or something to drink or both to fulfill this craving. Well, your soul has the same needs...they need to be satisfied by the Lord. Now your stomach can be mislead by the type of foods you eat...if you just filled yourself with sweets and junk, your body will show it. Like your soul. Should you choose to not search for righteousness and instead indulge in the pleasures of this world, your soul will become ill. So crave it...crave righteousness...search for the good food of the Lord. It's satisfying...yum!

Finally, if you search for righteousness with your heart and your soul, you will find that God will fulfill you and guide you through the hard times. The Lord wants to fulfill you, he wants to give you his blessing and if you seek Him, you WILL find Him, just like the story says...

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Lord my God, I do crave you and I realize too, that I don't always...I ask you with ALL MY HEART to bless me and guide me and not only make me aware of when I'm not doing your work, but give me the strength to overcome sin. You are so good and deserving of so much praise and thanks! Please guide me as I walk to follow your Law and be more like Christ.

A Man of God...

My Lord, in all my failure, in all my life, I still give you praise and say to you even through all that failure what kind of man would I be were I not to try to make myself better for you.

I pray to you my Lord that I can be better man to you, my family, my friends, the people I know, the people I do not know. I ask you Lord to keep me by your side in my moments of strength and my moments of weakness. Teach me to be like you and to praise your name always...

To be saved
Rom 10:9-10 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

Psalm 32:2 - Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

To be God-fearing
Acts 10:1-2 - At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

To be a student of your word
2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

To be humble
John 3:30 - He must become greater; I must become less.

To obey Your word
Psalm 37:31 - The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.

A new wall...

Today I've got a new wall up in my life...it's not made of fear, it's not made of my life's poor experiences...this wall...this SHIELD...this my God and he's the protector of my soul! He is my sword, my shield, my rock, my wall, my house, my tower, my heart, my love, my eyes beyond sight, and when I mess up, he is my redeemer.

He protects me from skipping accidents on escalators... :) He inspires my heart...he's got the match that lights the fire in my soul...

Awesome prayer session today man...thanks for helping me to understand you so much more and guiding me. I submit myself to you...whatever your plans, wherever you take me...sometimes my own will might get in the way and sometimes my apathy might get between you and I, but when it comes down to the bottom line...it's you Lord...only you.

You save me...when I drown, you extend your hand and it's my job to grab it so that you can pull me up...I trust you, even through pain.

Your Voice and My Changes...

I have slept with your word at my chest every night for the past week as I work towards knowing you more. You have captivated my heart, you have lit a flame in an area of my soul that constantly has snuffed out other flames and every time the wind blows and the flame flickers, you're there making it brighter and bigger.

I have heard you in the past and hope to hear you more in the future and I pray that I am available to you in all that you want of me. I find myself faltering a lot in hearing you...wondering if what I am hearing is something you would say and when it happens I can distinctly tell what you're saying and I might not be obeying versus what you're not saying and whether it IS you. Please Lord, as we talk, I pray that only make yourself clear to me and that I am unobstructed from hearing you. I can feel you speaking to my heart in some many things. It's so unusual...I feel you in my chest and it's not all the time, but I know you're there.

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Two of your beautiful people have let me know something that was burning inside my heart but I was too blind to recognize and I am so appreciative...I know that our relationship is something that grows daily and I have so much to learn of you...my heart burns...

Tomorrow I will take something you have asked me to do over the past week and put it into action my lord. Spring cleaning has come a little early this year.

A vessel...

Today my Lord, I praise you with all the possible sincerity I can muster. You have given me so much in life and I seldom thank you. In fact, I complain, I ask for more, I argue with you and sometimes doubt you. Instead, today...I ask you to take me Lord...steal me from this arrogance, this sense of entitlement I have...for all the materialistic things on this earth are worthless to me...take them from me, keep me in your love and do with me what you will...

I give you praise...you are my redeemer. You take my sins and wash them from my soul and I only pray that as I go throughout this life, you only provide to me what you deign necessary to me carrying out your will. I know I will never perfectly follow you, but I will travel the rocky path barefoot and endure the cuts if it means I get to chill out with you some day and sip pina coladas on a beach with no sand... :)

You know my heart, you know it more than I do...all the good and bad that I'm capable of...my failures and my fears; my successes and my humility. The gifts you have given me, my passion, my love, my sensitivity, my love of the arts and use them to your will...have me share you through what YOU have given me...let me honor you so that others can learn to honor you and know you.

Today I put my failures behind me and let them dissolve in your mercy. Thank you my lord.