The Hungry Shall Be Satisfied.

     "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."
                                    Matthew 5:6 NASB

     "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."
                                          Luke 6:21 NASB

     "Woe to you who are well- fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep."
                                        Luke 6:25 NASB

     Everyone is hungering after something. The world's ways are based upon selfishness. It is all about me and my desires. The selfish individual pursues pleasures, and material things, for selfish ends. People lie, because it is for their own advantage to do so. People steal for the same reason. Selfish pleasure is behind the sin of adultery, including divorce and remarriage (Matt 5:32). The gods we choose to serve, the way we choose to worship them, are all based upon man's desire to do things his way, in a way that benefits him. Covetousness, murder, and disobedience to one's parents, all flow from selfish desire, the desire to do whatever would benefit me, even if it hurts another, including God. It is a disregard for the rights and well being of others.
     This is the way the world operates. Everything revolves around selfish principles. Jesus pronounces a woe upon those who are filled now (Luke 6:25). People are filled with their own ways. They do not desire God, in fact they despise Him because He stands in opposition to them and their selfish ways. This is why people invent gods of their own imaginations, because they are selfish, and do not wish to change.
     It is when one is conscious of their sin and short coming, that they begin to hunger for righteousness. As they begin to understand that God has a standard that they have violated, they begin to hunger. They begin to desire to please Him, to be in right standing with Him. Jesus tells us that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied (Matt 5:6).
     These are the ones who are sick and tired of the empty life of self and sin. They are sick of living for themselves; sick of taking advantage of others, and sick of rejecting God. They desire to be rightly related to Him. They long to be accepted by Him; to have fellowship with Him, but sin stands in the way. They desire to live differently, to live a life that pleases Him, instead of incurring His displeasure. It is this hunger that drives them to the cross of Christ, where they find peace, reconciliation with God, and the change of heart that they so desperately need and long for.
     How about you? What are you hungering for? Are you craving the things of this world; too full for the things of God, or are you desperate for a change; to know Christ, and be born again?