Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed and that they will be filled. The Greek word translated "filled" is
chortazo, which literally means to fatten, as you would an animal. It means to be absolutely satisfied. It makes perfect sense that the God who created us and imputed His righteousness to us is the God who knows how to satisfy us, fulfill us, fatten us with manifold spiritual blessings.
One writer put it this way, "Jesus satisfies, and yet there is a blessed dissatisfaction that wants even more and will be satisfied only when we see Jesus Christ. A kingdom person has a consuming ambition, not for power or pleasure, not for possessions or praise, but for righteousness." This same author made a statement that convicted me: "I can recognize somebody who is seeking righteousness, because when God brings devastation into his life, he is filled and satisfied." (MacArthur,
The Beatitudes, p. 123-24)
Psalm 1:3 describes the truly blessed, satisfied person this way:
"He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper."
One more question related to this fourth beatitude of Jesus: How does one become and stay hungry and thirsty for God?
To have a hunger and thirst for God, you must first come to know God. When a person receives Christ as his Lord and Savior, then God declares him or her righteous. When we are sick and tired of being spiritually sick and tired, we will turn to God. J.N. Darby said, "When the prodigal son was hungry he went to feed upon husks, but when he was starving, he turned to his father." (Lloyd-Jones,
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, p. 68)
One of the things I enjoyed the most while reading John Baker's book,
Life's Healing Choices, is the testimonies at the end of each chapter. Charles was in a hotel in Bakersfield, CA, in August 1997, and he was at the bottom. He said, "After years of making poor choices, I had no material possessions, three failed marriages, four estranged children, no job, no friends, no food, and no money. All I had was a lifetime of trying to fill the hole in my heart with sex, alcohol, drugs, pornographic videos and magazines, countless affairs, fast money, fast times, high-risk jobs, and living on the edge. All the things I sought to ease the pain, I came to realize, only made things worse. I could no longer go on living this way." But the good news is, Charles became hungry for God and committed His life to Him. "I had tried it all and came up empty. I cannot begin to explain the freedom and the peace I experienced when I was finally able to let go and let God have control and care of my life." (Baker, p. 96-98)
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Are you ready to leave a life of momentary pleasures for real living? Jesus offers you an abundant life that makes the pleasures of this world pale in comparison. Or, as C.S. Lewis stated it, do not trade a vacation by the sea for a life in the slums.
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