Thursday, September 7, 2017

Verse of the Day 9/7

 
Verse of  the  Day 9/7
 
Matthew 5:6    "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  English Standard Version (ESV)
 
When we hear the word "righteous" in today's language it is  quite  often  used in describing someone  as "self-righteous", one who thinks very highly of  themselves and  their own  actions.  In the Bible, righteous means  to be  in right standing before God.  It  is  not  thinking highly of oneself but of  the  God we  serve.  In fact the person  who  truly is righteous before God will have the  attitude of the tax collector  in Luke 18:13 said "God have mercy on me, a sinner."
 
When we hunger for something, we desire it, long for it and go after it.  If we want to be "right with God" it is  not  from  ourselves,  it  is  not something that just happens or occurred  at some  moment  in time  and  remains  with us  for life.  But if you desire God and a closer relationship with him you will move in that direction. As A.W. Tozer writes,  "A dead body feels no hunger and the dead soul knows not the pangs of holy desire. "If you want God," said the old saint, "you have already found Him." Our desire for fuller life is proof that some life must be there already....
 
In nature everything moves in the direction of its hungers. In the spiritual world it is not otherwise. We gravitate toward our inward longing, provided of course that those longings are strong enough to move us. Impotent dreaming will not do. The religious urge that is not followed by a corresponding act of the will in the direction of that urge is a waste of emotion. "  The Size of the Soul, 17-18. 
 
In what direction are you headed, what  are you hungry for what  do you long  for?  May we hunger and thirst through life's ebb and flow.
 
There's within my heart a melody 
Jesus whispers sweet and low: 
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still, 
in all of life's ebb and flow. 
 
All my life was wrecked by sin and strife, 
discord filled my heart with pain; 
Jesus swept across the broken strings, 
stirred the slumbering chords again. 

Refrain: 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, 
sweetest name I know, 
fills my every longing, 
keeps me singing as I go. 
 
Blessings,
 
Mike
 

Matthew 5:2-10Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Then[a] He began to teach them, saying:

The Beatitudes

"The poor in spirit are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Those who mourn are blessed,
for they will be comforted.
The gentle are blessed,
for they will inherit the earth.
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed,
for they will be filled.
The merciful are blessed,
for they will be shown mercy.
The pure in heart are blessed,
for they will see God.
The peacemakers are blessed,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
 
 
 

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