Read: 2 Chronicles 29:1-1
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6
When I don’t hunger and thirst after righteousness, I need revival.
Many of us enjoy eating – some more
obviously than others. I think that even if we did not have to eat to stay
alive, we would do it just because we enjoy the taste of most food and the
satisfaction that comes from eating. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy a juicy
cheeseburger with fries, or a well-prepared steak and a loaded baked potato?
And don’t even get me started on dessert – banana pudding, German chocolate
cake, éclairs, ice cream sundaes with brownies! Am I making you hungry yet?
Most of us can be hungry for food even
when our stomachs are not telling us we are hungry! And yet, when it comes to
the things of God (for which we should have a much stronger appetite) we become
apathetic. We want righteousness and holiness, but only when it is convenient
and it doesn’t interfere with the other things we have going on in our lives. We
wouldn’t mind being right with God, but it is not a priority. Our desire is
toward things of a much more physical nature rather than of a spiritual nature.
Spirituality is certainly not at the forefront of our minds.
When a person comes down with an illness, he
is often left with no appetite. The desire for food ceases as the pain or
sickness creeps in. If that lack of
appetite continues, that person may suffer serious malnutrition which could
even lead to his death. It is no less serious when a spiritual appetite for
holiness and righteousness fades. When a spiritual appetite is non-existent,
then the spiritual well-being of that person suffers horribly. Answering the calls
of a soul longing for righteousness should be no less natural than answering
the calls of a growling stomach. If we are children of God, then it should come
naturally for us to want to please our Heavenly Father.
In America, where we have just about as
much food as we could ever desire, our hunger pangs can be immediately
satisfied if we so desire. Let each small pang of hunger throughout the day be
a reminder to hunger and thirst after righteousness. A serious hunger for the
Word of God and for the things of God is at the front of the mind of every
young man who is excited about living for God. If you don’t hunger and thirst
after righteousness, then you need revival. Beg God to give you that craving
and voracity for the things of God.
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