(Day 10)
What does it mean to “hunger and
thirst for righteousness”? To understand this we must first understand what
“righteousness” is…
The greek word translated as “righteousness” is “Dikaiosune”, which may also be translated as “integrity, justice, fairness”.
What is righteous? Legal courts, or a
Congress, or a Senate of any country, do not determine what is righteous. God does, in the Bible. God
decides what is good and what is evil, what is righteous and what is unjust.
Many people consider themselves good
and “righteous”. Maybe they are in the eyes of men, but not necessarily in the
sight of God.
The Bible says:
(Ecclesiastes 7:20) Surely there is not a righteous man
on earth who does good and never sins.
(Romans 3:9-12) What then? Are we Jews any better
off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and
Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."
This may sound sad, but it is the
truth. It is important that we recognize that we are not righteous, only then
will we be able to “hunger and thirst” for justification.
COUNTED AS RIGHTEOUSNESS
The first time the word
“righteousness” appears in the Bible is in Genesis:
(Genesis 15:6)
And Abram believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as
righteousness.
Since the beginning, the Lord has
revealed to us how we will attain justification. It is not by works, because we
all fail, but it is by faith.
(Romans 4:22-25) That is why his faith was
"counted to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted
to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be
counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who
was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
No one has been able to carry out
God’s law without failing. Therefore, there is no one that may consider himself
“righteous” (other than Jesus Christ). But God doesn’t want us to be condemned
and therefore die. His desire is to justify us.
(Romans 6:20-23) For when you were slaves of sin, you
were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that
time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things
is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves
of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 3:21-26) But now the righteousness of God has
been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear
witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all
who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood,
to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his
divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time,
so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Justification is obtained by faith,
believing in Jesus Christ. All we need is to “hunger and thirst for
righteousness”.
(Isaiah 55:1-3) "Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine
and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that
which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen
diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will
make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
The key is in recognizing the fact
that we need to be justified. That is, to “hunger and thirst for
righteousness”. On the other hand, if you think you are righteous, you will not
ask for or seek the justification that comes from faith, from repentance and
forgiveness from sin.
(Matthew 21:31-32) …Jesus said to them, "Truly, I
say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God
To “hunger and thirst for
righteousness” is to have the intense desire to be considered righteous before
God. If we come to god with that need,
He will satisfy it.
The first thing we must seek for is
God’s righteousness, and everything else will be added to us.
(Matthew 6:31-33) Therefore do not be anxious, saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the
Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them all. But seek first the kingdom
of God
PRAYER
Lord, you are my God; I will seek you
earnestly. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and
weary land where there is no water. I have looked upon you, to behold your
power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will
praise you. I am thirsty for righteousness, but I have no means to obtain it.
Lord, I recognize that I am not
righteous, and the wages for my sin is death. Yet, I believe you want to save
me. Just like Abraham, my faith will be counted as righteousness, because I
have believed that you raised Jesus from the dead, he was delivered up for my
trespasses and raised for my justification.
Lord, You saved us, not because of
works done by us in righteousness, but according to Your mercy, by the washing
of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom You poured out on us
richly through our Savior, so that being justified by Your grace we might
become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
By faith I have been saved from sin. You
have satisfied my hunger and thirst for righteousness, and by Your mercy I
receive the gift of justification and eternal life. Now I am a servant of God,
and the fruit of my life will be sanctification.
[Psalms 63:1-3; Isaiah 55:1-3; Romans
6:20-23; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 4:20-25]
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