Jesus said the truly happy [blessed] people are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Notice that he didn't say, "Happy are those who hunger and thirst for happiness" or "Righteous are the people who hunger and thirst for happiness." It's the other way around. "Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." In other words, we cannot set as our greatest goal in life "to be happy," because that will only leave us frustrated. Happiness is the result of something else.
Built into every person is an innate desire for something transcendent. We all want to touch and taste something lasting, something that goes beyond the here and now, and that's what Jesus is speaking about. We long for something that doesn't erode with time, something that doesn't pale into insignificance, something that holds our lives together when tears and tragedy try to pull them apart. So, where do we turn in this longing for transcendence in our lives? Listen first to the testimony of the psalmist who said, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" [Psalm 42:1-2]
Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry." [John 6:35]
Augustine cried out in his confessions, "Thou hast made us for Thine own, and our souls are restless until they rest in Thee."
Paul stood before the Stoic and Epicureans in Athens and declared, "For in Him [Jesus], we live and move and have our being." [Acts 17:28]
And Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."
Pray with me…O God, be exalted over my possessions…be exalted over my friendships…be exalted over my comforts…be exalted over my reputation…Rise, O Lord, into your proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that You may increase. In the Name that is above every name, Jesus. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
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