"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Matthew 5:6

It's been a while since the last time I wrote anything.  I think part of it is that I've been writing my thoughts and revelations in a journal where I keep all my sermon notes, so my writing has been more on a personal level rather than being intended for teaching and sharing.  But God had another reason for delaying my writing on the Beatitudes.  I attended a Bible study a couple nights ago on what it means to be a man of God, and I was given a whole new perspective on this verse.

A lot of times we look at other Christians around us and feel like we're so far behind in our faith.  There are always those people who are so entirely devoted to God that their mere presence makes us want to be better Christians.  But too often, we let Satan use this view of our faith to condemn us.  He says, "Look at how full of the Holy Spirit they are!  Why aren't you like that?  You still have so much more to learn about God, and He has so many blessings He wants to give you, but you refuse to receive them.  That person over there is a good Christian.  But you?  You're still drinking spiritual milk.  When will you grow up?"  Of course, it is true that we have a lot to learn about God.  In fact, we will never be able to learn everything about His infinite glory, but that shouldn't discourage us and make us feel deficient in our faith.  It should encourage us to press in to know Him more because there is no limit to what He can reveal to us.

The devil tells us that we are lacking because we still need to learn more about God.  But Jesus calls us blessed because we desire to know Him more.  He says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness"—why?—"for they will be filled."  The fact that we are hungry is evidence that there is something that can fill us, and God will not leave us empty.  The revealing of our hunger is God's promise to us that He will fill us.

"For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." ~ Psalm 107:9
"They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your delights." ~ Psalm 36:8

So when you feel like you're missing something, like there's more that God wants to give you that you haven't received yet, don't be discouraged.  It's true, God does have more that He wants to give us.  But the fact that we desire to receive it is God's way of saying, "Soon.  My blessings will come to you soon."  Blessed are those who long to draw closer to the Lord and receive everything He has for them, who know that they have not yet been filled to capacity, because they are in agreement with God's will, and their desire is for Him to have His way.  And His will is that we would be "filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19).