Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

This is one of the Beatitudes which Jesus taught to his disciples and the crowds which followed him. We often read or recite them mindlessly but they speak to a level of consecration which is not automatic but which can be produced only in an environment in which the will, the heart, mind, and spirit are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

A confrontation takes place whenever you begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Holy Spirit will make demands of you in the sense that you are forced to choose between pleasing yourself and pleasing God. An intrinsic understanding of gospel truth is that we have no righteousness of our own which pleases God. However, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imparted to those who believe in him. Your job from then on is to continually make room for his will to be done in you. Therein lies your fullness and, often your fulfillment of purpose as well.

This concept is so radical that when you have complied with the Spirit’s leading, it will seldom make sense to your natural mind. You will, however, begin to know the joy of a closer walk with God.