Have you ever been hungry for something, and you keep snacking, trying to figure out what will satisfy you?  Yeah, me too.  Well, guess what?!  I found it! 

This morning I’ve been studying the Beatitudes in Matthew 5  (or as I like to call them, the Be-Attitudes, smile). God stopped me at verse 6 and challenged me to sit in this one for a while.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst 
for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

The word “hunger” in the original language describes a profound hunger that cannot be satisfied by a snack. How many of us will have a “snack-type” time in the Word and think that’s enough to be spiritually healthy and grow and mature?  Or how many people get a “meal” on Sunday at church and then not “eat” again till next Sunday?  Could your physical body thrive on the occasional snack?  Could you maintain physical health on one meal a week?  I’m thinkin’ not so much.

I came across the following from a commentary by David Guzik, and it was just too good not to share. Check it out.

“This is a longing that endures and is never completely satisfied on this side of eternity.

• • • This passion is real, just like hunger and thirst are real.
    • This passion is natural, just like hunger and thirst are natural in a healthy person.
    • This passion is intense, just like hunger and thirst can be.
    • This passion can be painful, just like real hunger and thirst can cause pain.
    • This passion is a driving force, just like hunger and thirst can drive a man.
    • This passion is a sign of health, just like hunger and thirst show health.

Hunger and thirst for righteousness.  We see Christians hungering for many things: power, authority, success, comfort, happiness – but how many hunger and thirst for righteousness? 

It is good to remember that Jesus said this in a day and to a culture that really knew what it was to be hungry and thirsty. Modern man – at least in the western world – is often so distant from the basic needs of hunger and thirst that they also find it difficult to hunger and thirst after righteousness.”

So…how are ya doin’?  Are ya hungry?  Are ya thirsty?  Or better yet, what are you hungry for?