I always love when I'm teaching a lesson to my third graders and I find myself learning more than I'm teaching. Today was one such day. My students are memorizing the Beatitudes in the fifth chapter of Matthew. I was introducing the passage to them today, discussing what each verse means, and when we got to verse six, I hit a road block. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
Now, lets understand something about me... I like to eat. I am so guilty of indulging in all the wrong things for me... chips, crackers, soda, candy... I'm a bit of a junk-food junkie. However, I always justify my cravings. I've had a bad day, it's a bad case of hormones, it's a special occasion, or I'm just hungry or thirsty. I look forward to my treats with great anticipation, and I'm always thinking ahead to the next meal. It's really a sad state for a person to be in!
In this verse, taken from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount," He clearly states that if we have that same kind of hunger and thirst for righteousness, He will fill us. Whoa, hold on, I'm not supposed to be filled with junk food and caffeine? I should feel those hunger pains for righteousness? That's a hard thing to swallow. As much as I think about food, I should be thinking so much more about living a life of righteousness. When I want to fill the emotional void with junk, I should instead use my hunger to feed on the bread of life. When I feel the need to chug one more Mt. Dew to get through the day, I need to take a drink from the fount of living water.
My prayer is that I will be totally consumed with a hunger and a thirst for the things of God, and that I will constantly seek to be filled with Him.
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