Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed, for they shall be filled. (Mt 5:6)
Shall indicates inevitability, certainty. Longing for holiness precedes holiness; it’s God transforming us, preparing us to see Him. (He 12:14)
Oh! To be entirely free of pride, self-righteousness, conceit, disdain, deceit, malice, posturing, lust, fear, compromise, uncleanness, anxiety, worry!
Oh! To be pure! Rejoicing in God, clothed with humility, loving Jesus Christ and His Word, to the paling of all worldly interest! To love my neighbor as myself, honoring all, in deed and in truth!
Oh! to feel the ache, the sorrow, the dismay at the remnants of the old man, this body of death lurking within. To be giving him no place, no quarter, no sympathy, sheltering no lie (Ps 119:29), harboring no falsehood. (Ps 119:104)
To cry out with my whole heart for this, to be heard, and to be healed! (Ps 119:145)
To be playing with the trinkets of this world, pursuing, continually occupied with, consumed in the temporal, is to be God’s enemy. (Php 3:18-19)
Longing for righteousness. Relentless craving, undying pursuit, unwilling to take No for an answer. I must have holiness, perfection, knowledge and understanding.
When I cry after knowledge, lift up my voice for understanding, seeking her out as my treasure, my delight, then shall I understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Pr 2:3-5) He will pour water on my thirsty soul, and floods upon the dry ground. (Is 44:3)