Day Six
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
It was January 2011. It was near the end of the month. It would be a week before I got my pension check. I had a feral herd of cats to feed plus my two inside cats. I had less than a hundred dollars in my bank account. The money my mother left to me, the majority of it went to pay her for her funeral and medical bills. I received barely $1000 a month. I retired early to care for my mother and would not get Social Security for several years. It was winter and propane gas to heat my house. I knew my gas was getting low, and most of my check next month would go to heat my home. I barely had any food in my pantry except a jar of peanut butter and some crackers. I felt like a failure. I sat at my desk, and prayed… “Lord, I need help. I made a promise to feed those cats that mother left me, and I can’t feed them.”
When I finished praying, I made the decision to use a little of that hundred that I had left to buy the cats food. I drove out my driveway trying not to cry. At the end of my half-mile driveway was my mailbox. I received a letter and in that letter was $63 with only the statement, I thought you needed this. I never knew who sent it to me. Because days before I was in this desperate place, the Lord nudged someone to help me. I know what physical hunger is like. Then two women sent me money that kept me barely above water, but I was getting good at treading water.
But this verse is about spiritual hunger. Most Christians do not know it, but they are in poverty when it comes to their spirit. They do not study the Word. They do not pray except when in need or in church. They put this hunger away as I will get to one day project. It isn’t a project; it is a dedication to our Lord. Their spirit is hungry, and they do not feed it, or give it living water to drink.
We have to be hungry for righteousness. We have to thirst for righteousness. Righteousness is living in the right way with our Lord. But what does this actually mean… It means prayer, fasting, study. It also means living justly, honestly and faithfully. Basically, walking with Jesus.
It means taking care of those who are poor. It means being fair to others. It means forgiving others. It means being respectful of others. We have to trust God.
Jesus is saying that the person who hungers and thirst to become righteous is blessed. This is a blessing from God. For God will fill our hunger and our thirst. The first step is beginning to do those things that are righteous. The other promise is that our hunger and thirst will be filled. We will be satisfied. The reason is that we will change. We will seek to give to the poor. We will be honest in how we deal with others. We will be respectful of others. We will forgive more. We will change from being self-oriented to be oriented towards others.
I have changed a lot personally since that day in January 2011. I still have to change more. It takes work. It took seeking God’s guidance. I hope people that have known me for a long time see the difference in me, but understand I am a work in progress. I have far to go.
Today’s Question:
What does hungering for righteousness mean to you?
Ever in God’s love,
Mary Elizabeth Todd
November 16, 2024
Ruhamah United Methodist Church Bible Verses 