By David ReayTuesday 7 Jul 2020LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 1 minute
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. (NIV)
As children, we were warned about eating too much of the wrong sort of food. It spoilt our appetite for the right sort of food. When it comes to following Jesus, a similar principle applies. If we pursue the wrong passions and interests and priorities, we lose our appetite for what Jesus thinks is important.
It is so easy to dabble in Christianity. To paddle around in the shallows and assume that is all there is when all the time a vast and deep ocean is at hand to swim in and enjoy. Fitting Jesus in as one priority among many is a prescription for misery. We neither lose ourselves in reckless abandon to sin or in passionate embrace of Jesus.
Like any appetite, spiritual appetite is ongoing. Jesus isn’t referring to a short term burst of enthusiasm, or a commitment made at a time of conversion. He invites us to have an ongoing hunger for him, constant dependence on him, a relentless desire to go his way.
And this blessing reminds us of another truth. Our faith does involve rejection of evil, but it is essentially about our passion for what is good and true. Beware of being known primarily for what we are against. We not only avoid junk food, we get stuck in to good food.
Blessings
David