Tag: hunger and thirst after righteousness

All the Fullness

If we’re filled with all the fullness of God (Ep 3:19b), if Father God is strengthening us with might by His Spirit in our inner man (16), if we’re continually conscious of the indwelling Christ living in and through us (17a), if we’re firmly rooted and grounded in love (17b), comprehending the deep things of God (18), if Christ’s love for us energizes, motivates and overwhelms us (19a), then we’re rightly enjoying God’s salvation and redemption.

Otherwise, we’re leaving much wonder and glory on the table, not pursuing God’s kingdom and righteousness with our whole heart. (Ps 119:5)

Perhaps we’ve become lukewarm (Re 3:15-16); perhaps we don’t yet fathom what’s available to us and how to obtain it. (Ep 4:17-18)

We might start by asking God to begin deepening our hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt 5:6), that He would begin inclining our heart towards Himself (Ps 119: 36), renewing our mind and helping us put on our new nature. (Ep 4:23-24) This would start stirring up our appetite for holiness (Ps 119:32) and awakening us to our need. (Re 3:17)

We could then start asking Him to help us become more aware of ourselves (Ja 1:23-24), to help us begin noticing how we’re feeling and thinking and reacting, to perceive what’s energizing and motivating us throughout each day (Ps 19:12), especially when we’re under stress. (Pr 20:27)

Then we could start asking Him to show us any areas He would like to cleanse and renew, any consistent patterns which are misaligned with Torah: His perfect standard of righteousness. (Ps 139:23-24) As the Author and Finisher our faith (He 12:2), He knows how to take us to the next phase of our particular journey, what areas we should be working on next.

Then we could prayerfully start considering any scriptures which come to mind (Ps 119:18), which expose any part of our lives as misaligned with God’s Way. (Ps 119:105)

Then we could start memorizing these verses (Ps 119:11) and meditating on them (15), comparing our beliefs, affections and desires with what He reveals. (9)

Then we could begin visualizing ourselves walking in more obedience to God in these specific areas, setting our minds on our destiny (Re 3:18): to be more Christlike, and begin aligning our behavior moment by moment with that holy vision, asking God to order our steps in His Word, to not let any iniquity have dominion over us (Ps 119:133), and to continue making us go in the path of His commandments. (35)

We may persist, asking in faith, knowing He will be within us and continually helping us, because that’s precisely why He gave Himself for us: to redeem us from all iniquity and purify us unto Himself. (Ti 2:14)

Yet, as we’re praying and looking to Him to deliver us, God expects us to strive to cleanse ourselves (2Co 7:1), even as we’re asking Him to cleanse and strengthen us. (Jn 15:5) If we’re earnestly seeking Him and His righteousness (Mt 6:33), we’ll do whatever we can to pursue holiness as a manner of life (1Jn 3:3), as we depend on Him to deliver us. (Php 2:12) In our striving He works in us both to will and to do as He pleases (13), ordering our steps according to His perfect plan. (Ps 37:23)

And all along the way, we can be praying for ourselves and others, and asking others to be praying for us (Ja 5:16), that we might be continually filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. (Co 1:9-11)

In this way we can be adding to our faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and agape love (2Pe 1:5-7), for if these are abounding in us, we’ll not be barren nor unfruitful in our knowledge of Christ. (8) Without them we’re blind and forgetful, wandering in the twilight, wanton and dissatisfied in God. (9)

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Theirs Is the Kingdom

Who are the children of God? Who will dwell eternally with Him? Am I one of these blessed souls? Are you?

We’ve been asking this question for millennia (Ps 15:1), and God’s been answering (2), but it’s easy to miss Him if we aren’t seeking. (Ro 10:16)

As Christ begins His public ministry, He gives us a window into this precious company of eternal souls, telling us what we’re like, how to begin to identify us. He doesn’t describe those with a particular theology or doctrine; rather, Christ shows us what we believe by describing our behavior, how we live. (Mt 7:20)

He begins with the poor in spirit (Mt 5:2): we who, finding ourselves entirely insufficient to meet God’s righteous standard on our own merit (Ro 7:18), to please Him in any way in our own strength (2Co 2:16), to even think clearly without Him – find God Himself to be our sufficiency. (2Co 3:5) We enter into His rest by faith. (He 4:10)

Note this well: these blessed souls, the poor in spirit, comprise the kingdom of God: in other words, all in God’s kingdom are poor in spirit, and no one else is – the kingdom is ours. (Mt 5:2b)

He continues to describe these precious souls – God calls us saints (Ep 1:1) – as those who mourn (Mt 5:4), who grieve as God’s law is broken (Ps 119:158), especially within the church. (1Co 5:2) Saints find no ease in the midst of sin (1Co 13:6); we’re afflicted in it, we mourn and weep over sin, both within and without. (Ja 4:9) As we do, we’re comforted: Christ is our sin, and He’s making us righteous. (2Co 5:21) He’s also restraining sin in the wicked according to His perfect will and plan (Ps 76:10), so we thank Him in and for everything. (Ep 5:20)

Christ continues to describe the blessed: we’re meek (Mt 5:5), submitted to God and obedient to Him (1Pe 1:2); we hunger and thirst after righteousness (Mt 5:6), continually pursuing the living God and wanting to be more like Him (Ro 2:7); we’re merciful (Mt 5:7), rejoicing when others repent and turn from their sin. (Lk 15:10); we’re pure in heart (Mt 5:8), cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2Co 7:1); we’re peacemakers (Mt 5:9), encouraging every soul around us to align with the eternal God. Consequently, we’re also persecuted (Mt 5:10), we don’t fit in with the world because we’re no longer of it. (Jn 15:19)

When we find God at work in our souls like this, conforming us to the image of His beloved Son, we confirm we’re blessed, bound for eternity with God: ours is the kingdom – it belongs to us, and no one else. (Ep 5:5-6)

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