Posted on 04/12/2023 5:01:14 AM PDT by metmom
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6).
Your relationship with God is the measure of your righteousness.
Righteousness means "to be right with God." When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you passionately desire an ongoing and ever-maturing relationship with God Himself.
Righteousness begins with salvation and continues in sanctification. Only after you abandon all self- righteousness and hunger for salvation, will you be cleansed from sin and made righteous in Christ. Then you embark on a lifelong process of becoming as righteous as Christ—a process that will culminate when you are in His presence fully glorified (Rom. 8:29-30; 1 John 3:2). There's always need for improvement in this life (Phil. 3:12-14), but satisfaction comes in communing with Christ and growing in His grace.
You can know if you're hungering and thirsting for righteousness by asking yourself some simple questions. First, are you dissatisfied with your sin? Self- satisfaction is impossible if you are aware of your sin and grieve when you fall short of God's holy standard.
Second, do external things satisfy your longings? A hungry man isn't satisfied until he eats. A thirsty man isn't satisfied until he drinks. When you hunger and thirst after righteousness, only God's righteousness can satisfy you.
Third, do you have an appetite for God's Word? Hungry people don't need to be told to eat. It's instinctive! Spiritual hunger will drive you to feed on the Word to learn what God says about increasing in righteousness.
Fourth, are you content amid difficulties? A hungry soul is content despite the pain it goes through because it sees every trial as a means by which God is teaching greater righteousness. If you react with anger or resentment when things go wrong, you're seeking superficial happiness.
Finally, are your hunger and thirst unconditional? The rich young ruler in Matthew 19 knew there was a void in his life but was unwilling to give up his possessions. His hunger was conditional.
Christ will fully satisfy every longing of your heart, yet you will also constantly desire more of His righteousness. That's the blessed paradox of hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
Suggestions for Prayer
Read Psalm 112 as a hymn of praise to God.
For Further Study
Read the following verses, noting how God satisfies those who trust in Him: Psalm 34:10; 107:9; Isaiah 55:1-3; John 4:14; 6:35.
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
The scripture that states, "there is none righteous, no not one", is not true. There is one who was and is righteousness.
Our righteousness is in Christ - and no other place. The moment we believe some ritual or sacrament, or work or confession makes us righteous, we diminish the work of Christ and elevate something other than Christ.
A transfer took place on Calvary. The righteous One took our sin and gave us His righteousness and salvation. If we are in Christ, we have let go of any claim to our own righteousness; our reception of His righteousness for our sin is the only righteousness our heavenly Father accepts.
1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!”
AMEN!
Even the works we do are tainted and corrupted by sin. Our motivations can never be pure.
That’s why, while law keeping is a good thing and makes for a well ordered life and society and testifies to what the Lord has done for us, it can NEVER give us the kind of purity and sinlessness required by God.
‘Our Righteousness Is
As Filthy Rags!’
.
Look to Jesus!
Which could not be better said, as one would expect from Scripture.
Adding that recognizing our pitiful state,
We put on the New man of Christ and we
Are empowered by Thankfulness and The Power of a Risen Lord to Proclaim His
Love for Us sinners donning the
Helmet of Salvation and His Sword!
Smithereens great teaching article with finer points on righteousness I never thought of. Thanks again metmom! I see some areas I need to pray about and work out.
Smithereens???? That was supposed to be ANOTHER! Spell check, arthritis and cataracts don’t mix on a smart phone... LOL
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