| Tonight we were reminded of how we should hunger and thirst for righteousness. (And now i'm pondering over it.) (Matthew 5:6)
Not self-righteousness. But the righteousness of God.
First, what is the righteousness of God?
"The righteousness of God is virtually synonymous with His justice... When we say that God is just, we are saying that He always does what is right, what should be done, and that He does it consistently, without partiality or prejudice." - Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible.org
The righteousness of God is certainly a core attribute of God. It's one of His most palpable attributes. Evidenced from God's word itself.
"God’s righteousness (or justice) is the natural expression of His holiness. If He is infinitely pure, then He must be opposed to all sin, and that opposition to sin must be demonstrated in His treatment of His creatures. When we read that God is righteous or just, we are being assured that His actions toward us are in perfect agreement with His holy nature." - Richard L. Strauss, The Joy of Knowing God
Even though sometimes it may be difficult to see the righteousness of God at work in our lives, and in the lives of others, we know that God IS righteous because God's word tells us so. And we have faith that God's word is truth.
Next, what does it mean to hunger and thirst?
Aha, this is the part that we can identify with. As opposed to the technical-ish definition of the righteousness of God. I'm just giving my interpretation here. Hmm. It's actually useful for the individual himself or herself to think of what it means to hunger and thirst for himself or herself. And then strive to hunger and thirst in his or her own personal way for the righteousness of God.
When we hunger and thirst in the ordinary sense, the subject matter of our hunger and thirst is food and water respectively. Hungering and thirsting for them usually signifies that we lack them at that point in time. Even if they are within reach, we do not yet consume them. You may be trapped in a prison, having gone without food and water for a couple of days, and there's this bowl of food and glass of water 5m outside your prison cell. You see them, you are aware of their presence, but you don't (in this scenario because you are unable to) consume them.
The effect of this lack of food and water is that we become physically drained. We feel weak and sometimes can't carry out our daily functions. Even if we can, our efficiency is at sub-optimum level. The lack also causes us to be mentally emptied of virtually all other thoughts except the sole thought of consuming food and water. Naturally, the lack has a detrimental effect on our emotional wellbeing as well. We get sulky and testy. That's usually the case. Of course there are exceptions where a hungry and thirsty person still smiles and is happy (: But that's the exception and not the norm.
Essentially, to hunger and thirst in the context of food and water means to yearn and desire for them so badly that it affects you entirely. Your body, your mind, your soul.
Combining the two -
Therefore, to hunger and thirst for God's righteousness means to seek God's righteousness veryveryveryveryvery fervently. So fervently that you can't operate at your optimum without seeking it. Not only do you not operate at your optimum, you operate far below it. And it is even possible for you to be stripped of the capacity to operate at all. Operate meaning to just carry on with life, with your day, with your tasks and events for that day.
Wow. It's so difficult to hunger and thirst for God's righteousness. Reaaaalllyy difficult. But that doesn't mean we should quit trying.
I need discipline to first take my baby step in hungering and thirsting for God's righteousness. Hungering and thirsting for God's righteousness won't come naturally to us. But as we take the first step in STRIVING to do so, and persevere, the steps will become easier and easier to climb as we go into a deeper understanding and love for God and His righteousness. Gradually, we will probably not even be aware that the steps exist at all. It'll no longer become a duty or obligation or that much of a conscious effort to hunger and thirst for God's righteousness, but it'll come naturally, just as hungering and thirsting for food and water occurs beyond our control and intentions. We just can't help but hunger and thirst.
Of course, in all this, we need to remember that without God, we who are wretched are incapable of doing anything at all. So we need to pray for discipline and for all the rest to follow suit.
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after thee
-- 5th March, 12:45 A.M. |
