“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
* Among our greatest needs as human beings are the desire to be loved and accepted even knowing that we have lots of shortcomings and are far from ever reaching perfection. There is an emptiness in our life when we do not experience love. We all have a deep yearning to experience kindness and be connected with people around us. But since our failures often cause a “short-circuit” in our relationships with other people we struggle to have loving and meaningful associations.
* But our yearning to be loved goes beyond human relationships. Deep inside we especially yearn for a connection with our Creator. The author of Ecclesiastes says, “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has PUT ETERNITY INTO MAN’S HEART, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11. The problem, though, is that humanity ignores this “God shaped hole” or attempts to fill it with things other than God. Jeremiah describes the condition of our hearts: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.
* We are all looking for a merciful God, but: “How can we have a merciful God?” That was the painful cry that came from the heart of Martin Luther before he understood who God really is - before he understood that, yes, God is loving, and not some strict judge wanting to condemn us.
* As that question troubled Luther, it was as if he was dying of thirst in the desert. That pursuit led him to a monastery. But even there he could not find rest. He did not find a merciful Father there.
* As the prodigal son was suffering he missed his father’s home and did not rest until he was able to return to the embrace and forgiveness of his loving father.
* Unfortunately in these post-modern days people cannot discern spiritual truth because they live in darkness – away from the light of Christ and that causes them to ignore God’s grace. The world takes God’s love and distorts it into permission to live outside of the boundaries He has established. Oh, I so wish that we would all return to the Lord God and to His pure and holy Word – that is the only place where true grace and righteousness is found.
* It is wonderful when our soul becomes thirsty for the love of God to the point of exclaiming: “I will set out and go back to my father…” just as the prodigal son did. Unfortunately people nowadays are saturated... filled with their own ideas and self-righteousness. They come up with weird ideas that are contrary to what God says, and make that their “gospel truth.” They are full of themselves… but the Lord can only fill EMPTY vessels/vases/jugs with His love.
* God can only come to the hearts of those who desire Him. Jesus will not enter the lives of those who are satisfied with themselves… there is no room in them for Jesus… only for their own ideas. Such people do not seek the real Jesus. They worship themselves... their own ideas, ideologies... whatever, but not the true loving God. Still... the grace and righteousness of Jesus is available now... and our Heavenly Father waits… and waits to show mercy!
* So, yes, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” – that is the righteousness of Christ – It is the only righteousness that is valid in God’s presence. Those who seek the righteousness given at the cross of Christ will be truly satisfied and will have everything they really need – even in their last hours of life they will not be thirsty. Even living in the desert of this world, God gives them the abundance of the Living Water. No hunger… no thirst!
* Those who are hungry and thirsty for GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS will be eternally blessed because the death and the resurrection of Jesus brings us back to the Father, and that proverbial “God shaped hole” referred to in Ecclesiastes 3:11 is filled! The innate longing of the human heart – which God placed in our hearts (“eternity in man’s heart”) is then satisfied by God.
* It is the Lent/Easter season – so let’s be very clear – nothing besides the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus will satisfy you – not riches, not success, not power, not even family ties, “self-esteem,” or some other “vanity” (as Solomon calls it) – only THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST GIVEN TO US ON THE CROSS! Have a blessed Lent and Easter season!
Rev. Don Sonntag
* Among our greatest needs as human beings are the desire to be loved and accepted even knowing that we have lots of shortcomings and are far from ever reaching perfection. There is an emptiness in our life when we do not experience love. We all have a deep yearning to experience kindness and be connected with people around us. But since our failures often cause a “short-circuit” in our relationships with other people we struggle to have loving and meaningful associations.
* But our yearning to be loved goes beyond human relationships. Deep inside we especially yearn for a connection with our Creator. The author of Ecclesiastes says, “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has PUT ETERNITY INTO MAN’S HEART, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11. The problem, though, is that humanity ignores this “God shaped hole” or attempts to fill it with things other than God. Jeremiah describes the condition of our hearts: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.
* We are all looking for a merciful God, but: “How can we have a merciful God?” That was the painful cry that came from the heart of Martin Luther before he understood who God really is - before he understood that, yes, God is loving, and not some strict judge wanting to condemn us.
* As that question troubled Luther, it was as if he was dying of thirst in the desert. That pursuit led him to a monastery. But even there he could not find rest. He did not find a merciful Father there.
* As the prodigal son was suffering he missed his father’s home and did not rest until he was able to return to the embrace and forgiveness of his loving father.
* Unfortunately in these post-modern days people cannot discern spiritual truth because they live in darkness – away from the light of Christ and that causes them to ignore God’s grace. The world takes God’s love and distorts it into permission to live outside of the boundaries He has established. Oh, I so wish that we would all return to the Lord God and to His pure and holy Word – that is the only place where true grace and righteousness is found.
* It is wonderful when our soul becomes thirsty for the love of God to the point of exclaiming: “I will set out and go back to my father…” just as the prodigal son did. Unfortunately people nowadays are saturated... filled with their own ideas and self-righteousness. They come up with weird ideas that are contrary to what God says, and make that their “gospel truth.” They are full of themselves… but the Lord can only fill EMPTY vessels/vases/jugs with His love.
* God can only come to the hearts of those who desire Him. Jesus will not enter the lives of those who are satisfied with themselves… there is no room in them for Jesus… only for their own ideas. Such people do not seek the real Jesus. They worship themselves... their own ideas, ideologies... whatever, but not the true loving God. Still... the grace and righteousness of Jesus is available now... and our Heavenly Father waits… and waits to show mercy!
* So, yes, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” – that is the righteousness of Christ – It is the only righteousness that is valid in God’s presence. Those who seek the righteousness given at the cross of Christ will be truly satisfied and will have everything they really need – even in their last hours of life they will not be thirsty. Even living in the desert of this world, God gives them the abundance of the Living Water. No hunger… no thirst!
* Those who are hungry and thirsty for GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS will be eternally blessed because the death and the resurrection of Jesus brings us back to the Father, and that proverbial “God shaped hole” referred to in Ecclesiastes 3:11 is filled! The innate longing of the human heart – which God placed in our hearts (“eternity in man’s heart”) is then satisfied by God.
* It is the Lent/Easter season – so let’s be very clear – nothing besides the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus will satisfy you – not riches, not success, not power, not even family ties, “self-esteem,” or some other “vanity” (as Solomon calls it) – only THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST GIVEN TO US ON THE CROSS! Have a blessed Lent and Easter season!
Rev. Don Sonntag