King Jesus in the Queen City

Matthew 5:6 reads, “Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Pastor Alex reminded us that since the fall of man, we have been hungry spiritually because of brokenness. We are lost in sin, but too often we try to fill that brokenness with things other than the righteousness of Jesus Christ. If someone is truly hungry or thirsty, they will try to eat or drink anything to satisfy that need, even if it threatens to make them sick. Relating this to our spiritual needs, we often go after both good and bad things to try to satisfy. Even when we go after good things, like spending time with our family, we can get dehydrated if we do not hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God first. We can have righteousness because Jesus came to us. He is Emmanuel.

Too often we long after things that we were never created to long for. For example, we often model the Pharisees in seeking self-righteousness. We can overcome this when we can say of ourselves, “I can never be good enough.” It is Christ in us. Jesus states in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Crave Christ first.

Questions to discuss as a family today

1. Tell a story of when you ate too much of the wrong thing. How did you feel?

2. Where do you find your deepest satisfaction in life?

3. What are your substitutes to hungering and thirsting for the righteousness of God? How will you re-calibrate your soul to hunger and thirst for Christ?

Prayer

Spend time praising God for sending Emmanuel. Thank Jesus for His teaching of the Sermon on the Mount that gives us clear guidance in how to live an abundant Life in Christ. Confess to the Lord where you have tried to satisfy your hunger and thirst with anything other than Him. Ask the Spirit to convict you where you need to change, and commit to making the changes necessary to be satisfied in your soul.