What is your heart’s desire? What is it that you long for more than anything else? What are you striving for every day? What consumes your attention? What are you working toward? What are you focusing on today? Are you progressing toward your goal?
If you are like me, there have been many things you have worked toward during your lifetime. Some of those are short-term goals, perhaps accomplished in a few days or weeks. Others are long-term and you are still working toward them. But they all are only our focus for short periods of time.
In the fourth Beatitude, Jesus uses a word that can have two meanings. They are related yet are a little different. The word often translated as righteousness can also mean justice. In the context of what Jesus is stating, righteousness appears to make the most sense. Pursuing righteousness is to attempt to do what is right in the sight of God. It means we strive to continually obey God’s commands, follow his guidance, and be a good representative of his.
Justice can also fit and may also be intended by Jesus. For God is just. Including justice with righteousness means we include treating everyone justly and seek justice for everyone. We might even say that justice is one piece of righteousness.
Whether we interpret it as righteousness or justice or include both meanings, Jesus says we will be filled. To be filled is to be completely full. In John 10:10, Jesus says He came to give us abundant life, sometimes translated as life to the full. A full life, one filled with Jesus is available to us, if we are pursuing right conduct in the eyes of God. We will be completely filled by God.
I pray we all hunger and thirst for righteousness. I pray we seek right conduct before God. I pray each one of us seek justice and righteousness and trust God will fill us completely. Hunger for righteousness. Thirst for righteousness. Seek right conduct. Seek justice. Be filled by God.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Marty Pressey 