Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. KJV — Matthew 5:6
Have you ever felt hungry, like really hungry, such that the only thing you want is food? It is not the best feeling. In fact, it is said that a hungry man is an angry man. Our bodies are built up from what we eat and drink; and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual economy.
Christ while giving the sermon on the mount pronounces a blessing to all who will shift their hunger and thirst towards righteousness. The psalmist says,
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. KJV — Psalm 42:1
Within the human heart, there is an aching void the world can never fill. We may try to fill it in various ways but there is only one way, and that way is Christ. Sadly enough, many Christians are in the same deplorable condition as the worldling. They fill the void through their own works and their soul is never truly satisfied. They hunger for something greater. They want to cast off their dry formality but they know not how.
The prophet Isaiah gives us a way out. In holy rapt, he cries out,
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. KJV — Isaiah 55:1
We do not need to go through painful struggles to obtain righteousness. It is freely offered to all through grace. Christ says, “their righteousness is of me” Is 54:17.
Righteousness is being right with God. Holiness. Conformity to His will as expressed in the divine precepts, “for all thy commandments are righteousness.” Ps 119:172. Christ, the true embodiment of righteousness is willing to impute and impart this to every individual who feels the need and thirsts after righteousness on this heavenward journey. He says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” and again “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 7:37, 6:35.
The question then arises, how do I eat of this bread and drink of this water? Simple. The Word of God is the wellspring of life. Those words testify of Christ, the living bread. They are spirit and they are life. From the Word springs faith, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Rom 10:17. Through this living faith, we will have the righteousness of Christ as Paul says,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: KJV — Philippians 3:9
To be found in Him we must abide in Him. And how do we abide in Christ? He says. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you” John 15:7. His words must abide in us. It is a joyful experience. Jeremiah recounts of it when he says,
Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. KJV — Jeremiah 15:16
If studied and obeyed, the word of God will work in the heart subduing every unholy attribute. It sanctifies the heart, just as Jesus prayed,
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. KJV — John 17:17
No one can search the scriptures in the Spirit of Christ without being rewarded. It is because people have neglected the study of the scriptures that their spiritual perceptions have become blinded. The longings of the heart are not met because the pleasures of this earth can never supply the place of Christ. Why can’t we together with David say, “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.” Ps 27:8.
There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God’s word were studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose rarely seen in these times. *
A great crisis will soon open before us and none but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. It behooves every soul to search the scriptures as for hidden treasure. Look not to learned men, pastors, priests or anyone for understanding. Compare scripture with scripture. The savior promised, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” John 16:13. Through the mighty agency of the Holy Spirit, the great truths necessary for salvation will be as clear as noonday. But the truths must be brought into the daily transactions of life otherwise mere knowledge will prove worthless.
We are living in solemn times and the apostle Paul urges us to “Redeem the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Eph 5:16,17. The precious hours instead of being given to pleasure, to display or to gain-seeking should be devoted to an earnest prayerful study of the Word of truth. By beholding the perfection of our savior and the holiness of His character, our minds shall be assimilated and gradually change to be more like Him. There will be a hungering and thirsting of the soul to be like Him whom we adore.
Christ said,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. KJV — Matthew 4:4
That is how each follower of Christ should live, each thought and motive guided by the word of God. Temptations often appear irresistible for we fail to meet them as did our Saviour, with a plain “It is written” scriptural weapon. Our prayer, like the psalmist’s, should be “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Ps 119:18.
* Steps to Christ by Ellen White, pg.90 par.1
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