Hungry for Holiness

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied."

- Matthew 5:6

What a timely verse for this holiday season, right on the heels of Thanksgiving! I sadly admit that far too often I do not hunger and thirst for righteousness with the same passion that I lavish on food. Why? Simply put, my mind is so easily set on earthly things, on experiences that my physical senses can enjoy, rather than heavenly things – those which will never fade...nor leave us with heartburn and a guilty conscience afterward. When I live to please my flesh – whether it's eating too much, not restraining my frustration, gossiping - God's warnings come true in my life, and I reap destruction (damage done to my body and relationships). However when, by His grace, I choose to live to please the Spirit, hungering after Christlikeness, then I will reap true satisfaction, peace and eternal life (Gal. 6: 7-9).

The rewards of hungering after righteousness benefit us both this life and the next. Oh, to stand at the end of my days and look back with a sense of thanksgiving that, although I was nowhere near perfect, I sought hard after holiness, not my own pleasure. To be able to do that, I must expect pain along the road – living like Christ is not comfortable; in fact, it means death to many things that my futile mind treasures. I have to stop trying to fill myself with things that do not truly satisfy so that I can finally feel the deep hunger that will only be quenched by Christ and His righteousness made manifest in my life.

This holiday season, let's make it our prayer that God would give us the grace to make an insatiable hunger for righteousness the focus of our hearts and minds. We are always looking for the “perfect gift” for our loved ones. If we profess Christ as our Lord, then He is to be our most Beloved – what more of a gift could we give Him than a heart that is hungry for purity, that desires to live as He did, all for His glory, not our own sense of satisfaction.