Seekers of righteousness

Seekers of righteousness

Scripture:

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

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:6-8

Observation:

Continuing our study on the great Beatitudes of Jesus, we see three more honorable characteristics of the blessed. Firstly, they hunger and thirst for righteousness. It is not written that they are already righteous, but that they want to be righteous. There are some who teach that we are already 100% righteous because of Jesus and there is no point hungering and thirsting for something you already have. However, we are still in the world, and there are many temptations that call us towards unrighteous acts. In our own power, it is impossible to be absolutely righteous no matter how hard we try. Rather, Jesus tells us to hunger and thirst for His righteousness and He will fill us with the Spirit of Righteousness and in His power, we can live righteous lives.

Secondly, the Blessed are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. When the religious leaders brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, He famously declared “let he who has no sin cast the first stone”. If we only truly understood the depth of mercy that has been shown to us, we too would be likewise know how to show mercy to others.

Finally, the blessed are pure in heart. Purity of heart denotes a genuine, humble heart, open and sincere to God. The natural human heart is naturally devious, full of ulterior motives and selfish plans. The heart the Lord desires is one that will come to Him and say “Lord, you know how I am. I have nothing I can hide from you. Work in me I pray. Let me be Your humble servant. In Jesus name, Amen.

Application:-

Do we hunger and thirst for righteousness? Let us aim for His righteousness, but not by trying harder. Instead, let us endeavor to open our mouths to the Lord, that He may fill us with His Spirit of righteousness, who will work within us, and live out in us lives of righteousness. Are we merciful? Look within ourselves and thank God for His mercy to us, and let that mercy flow out to express mercy likewise to others. Are we pure in heart before God? Or are our hearts clouded with many things, many wants and ambitions? Endeavor to pray like the Psalmist “Create in me a pure heart O God.”

Prayer:

Father Lord, blessed be Your holy name. You deserve all the honor, all the glory and all the praise. Fill me O Lord I pray with more and more of Your holy righteousness! Flow out of me Holy Spirit, in helping me express a righteous life of worship to God! Let me know and experience the great depths of Your mercy to me, O Lord. Teach me to be merciful just as You have shown me such great mercy. Create in me a pure heart O God. Open my eyes that I may see You. In Jesus name, Amen