As I reflect on the recent pastors conference in Kenya, I am reminded of one of the eight beatitudes, which I taught, “Blessed are those who hunger thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled”. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the great and glorious news that, ‘In those three hours of the blackness of darkness on the cross, God the Father made God the Son, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; so that sinners might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in union with Christ Jesus the Lord’! If a sinner will come to the Lord Jesus Christ and place all of the weight of their personal confidence in the Person and work of One whom Jeremiah called, “The LORD our righteousness”, a beautiful spiritual miracle of imputation will occur. For this sinner will be given the gift of “legal imputed righteousness”. For all the eternal wrath that he deserved to receive has been placed on Jesus’ account; and Jesus’ perfect righteousness, that He wrought through His sinless life, will be imputed to the sinner’s account! God’s justice will be completely satisfied; God’s wrath will be fully appeased; the sinner’s sins will be completely jettisoned; and he will be clothed with robe of a “perfect righteousness”, that was not his own. For he has been clothed with the garments of salvation. He has been covered with the robe of the stainless righteousness of the Lord Christ Jesus! This hungry sinner has eaten of the “Bread of Life”! This thirsty sinner has drunk from the “Living Water”! He is filled! He is satisfied! For he is justified!

Oh, but once a person has experienced this gift of “imputed righteousness” in justification, he now begins to yearn to experience “imparted righteousness” in his practical daily living, as a follower of Jesus! He has been given a spiritual heart transplant. This new heart is manifesting an insatiable appetite to live a “righteous life”, as a surrendered subject of the King of kings! This pursuit of “practical righteousness” is a powerful evidence that this person has been satisfied with “positional righteousness”! For this justified man has been called to be a follower of the Good Shepherd, as He leads him in the paths of righteousness. I am saying that the position of a justified believer should picture a posture of both “resting and running”. A believer should be ‘resting in the perfect robe of Jesus righteousness; and yet simultaneously; running after a life of practical righteousness’.

 This beatitude should produce a deep “soul searching” of the desires of your heart. Please consider with me, What is it that you are hungering and thirsting after? What is it that is motivating your heart and driving your life? What is it that is consuming your thoughts and directing your impulses? Are you hungering to be more like the “Bread of Life”, in your inner character? Can you truly testify that you are thirsting to more like the “Living Water”, in your external conduct? Is your heart beating in oneness with the psalmist, when he proclaimed, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God”. Friend, when we taste of the sweetness and goodness of our Lord it satisfies us; but also, it simultaneously makes us thirsty for more of Him!

Are you hungering and thirsting after personal and practical righteousness? Or would you be presently ashamed of the lack of your spiritual appetite for Him? Have you allowed sin to contaminate your intimacy with Jesus? Have you become distracted by the things of this world? Have you fallen away from the fire and freshness of your “first love” intimacy with Jesus? Is your hunger and thirst for Jesus as passionate as it once was; Or has apathy and indifference crept into your heart of hearts? Is your pursuit of Jesus as fervent as it used to be; Or are you in need of personal revival? Oh dear friend, may we become hungry “to be made more hungry for Him”! May we become thirsty “to be made more thirsty for Him”!