Spiritual Cravings

Read Proverbs 22

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6

What are people in our culture hungry for? If the infomercials we watch on TV are any indication, people crave rich food and buff bodies (how’s that for a contradiction?). Our culture also seems to be thirsty for wealth, personal peace, and escapist entertainment. The problem is that such pursuits provide only temporary satisfaction. Then what?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urged his followers to “hunger and thirst for justice.” Since this Greek verb is sometimes translated “righteousness,” the point seems to be that we should long for things to be made “right.” Our number one pursuit should be for a right relationship with God. Our continual prayer should be for the “rightness” of heaven to come down and fill the whole earth (Matthew 6:9-10).

When such eternal quests are our true longings, we can be assured that God will satisfy us—both now and in the life to come.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Develop a justice appetite.

Today, Lord, I want to pursue you with greater passion. Stir my heart. Create within me a deeper desire for the things of heaven than for the stuff of earth.