Hungers Change

“Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Mt 5:6 AV)

What a promise!  For those who know the LORD and hate sin, this is for what we pray.  We are tired of the old man having his time with us.  We are tired of losing battles.  The flesh is beyond a mere annoyance.  The heart is our worst enemy.  The devil and the world pale in comparison to the wickedness that dwells within.  The Holy Spirit attempts to convict and empower.  But more times that we care to admit, our choice falls on the wrong side.  Paul knew of this battle intimately.  Even toward the end of his life and ministry, he sorrowed after his failures.  His flesh gave him more problems that he cared to recount.  He called this battle the body of death.  It was a daily and constant struggle between righteousness and selfishness.  So, the saint lays his head down each and every night begging God to radically change him into the perfectly righteous child He deserves.  He dreams of heaven wherein righteousness dwells.  He speaks of his glorification wherein the LORD will permanently transform him into the image of His holy Son.  All the battles seem easier to bear when seen through the promise of eternity!

But there must be a hunger for it.  A hunger is not a natural craving.  That is what sin is.  Rather, the hunger for righteousness must be developed.  Remember those days of childhood when we wanted nothing but the sweet?  Cookies, ice cream, candy, etc.  We lived on it.  If it wasn’t sweet, we were not interested.  As we grew older, we developed a taste for healthier alternatives.  An excellent salad sounds a lot better than a sugar-infused main dish.  A good batch of roasted cauliflower sounds much better than brown sugar and green beans.  The savory is more appealing than the sweet.  I was not a fan of seafood.  Frozen fish sticks and tuna were as far as I went.  Any other fish reminded me of my father’s obsession with canned salmon.  But a funny thing happened.  I grew up!  I had stuffed orange roughy, shrimp with cocktail sauce, and some fried clams.  No pun intended, but I was hooked.  Soon I was trying lobster, crawdads, and clams.  I developed a taste for them.  I grew a hunger for them.

Righteousness is contrary to our nature.  If we are to have any hunger for it at all, it has to be developed.  The more we reject sin and strive after righteousness, the more we should hunger for it.  Circumstances from sin are a good way to have a distaste for it.  The key is to grow a hunger for righteousness by continually striving after it.  There is a promise of righteousness for those who hunger for it.  So never stop wanting to do right!