Finding true satisfaction in the righteousness of God
Sin often deceives by promising fulfilment. It presents itself as attractive and pleasurable and as something that can take us beyond our mundane life to a place of ecstasy and never-ending joy. And as we indulge our fleshly appetites, we may indeed sense the excitement that comes from that which is forbidden, and gain a sense of satisfaction in the fulfilment of our lusts. But then something happens that always seems to surprise us; our gruntled state wanes, leaving us feeling hollowed and less than we once were. Yearning for the enjoyment once experienced in the throes of our sinful activities, we look for additional ways to fill the now growing void within us. Again and again, we repeat the cycle of enslavement: wanting fulfilment, giving in to the promises of sin, finding temporal satisfaction that eventually fades, leaving us discontent and empty all over again.
But for those who find the courage to face the truth of who they are before God (Blessed are the poor in spirit), who grieve the damage caused by sin and their diminished sense of humanity (Blessed are those who mourn), and are ready to bow their knees in submission to the Heavenly Father (Blessed are the meek), discover a genuine need that screams from the core of their being and begs to be fulfilled. A hungering and thirsting that will never be satisfied with temporal and momentary physical delights but instead with the abiding and eternal sustenance that only God can provide: righteousness.
And how does God provide that righteousness? Through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ, whose body bore the punishment for the world’s sins, enabling forgiveness while making it possible for believers to share in His righteousness.
As Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”.
