Blessed are...

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

hunger and thirst for righteousness. This is the
opposite of the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. It speaks of those who seek
God's righteousness rather than attempting to establish a righteousness of their
own (Ro 10:3; Php 3:9). What they seek will fill them, i.e., it will satisfy
their hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God.

When someone is hungering and thirsting for righteousness, they are not seeking their own. Everyone must see their need for righteousness. "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6). Our righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Standing before God, they amount to nothing.

God is a just judge and His judgments are right. He cannot acquit the wicked. "The Lord ... will not acquit the wicked" (Nahum 1:3). His perfect holiness cannot put any sin in compromise.

How is our righteous deeds as filthy rags? Well, first off, prier to salvation, everything we ever did was sin. Everything. We never did anything but sin. The reason for this is that, without a proper understanding of the Cross and Christ, we can't possibly, at any time be keeping the First Commandment, which is "You shall have no other gods before Me." In other words, Christ is to be first. If a person has not come to salvation, then even their so called "righteous deeds" are unrighteous because they are not done to the glory and honor of Christ. In most cases, they are done for their own merit.

But, yet I would like to present an earthly scenario that will help you understand the just judgments of God. For example: An angry man ran into a bank and stole $250,000. He was running from the Law for years. After 3 years, they finally found the man and brought him before the Court. The Judge has all the evidence and he is without a doubt guilty of this crime. The Judge then asks, "Do you have anything to say?"
The man replies, "Yes. Judge I know I stole that money, but I've been a good person ever since then. I've participated in helping the homeless. I've helped older ladies get across the road. I even gave some of that money to the poor and to little children without a home. Can you not just forgive me and let me go?"

You see? What is right in this situation? The man has stolen and all the evidence is their, he's guilty. What do you think the judge will say? If he's a good and just judge he will say, "You may have done those things but that still doesn't give you the freedom to be let go. You have a fine to pay. You committed a crime and now there is a penalty to your crime, regardless of what good things you have done.

As the situation above illustrates, a good judge cannot pass over a crime. There is a punishment for the crime regardless of anything else that person has done. Good deeds cannot help a guilty man standing before a court of law. And just like this situation, God cannot and will not let someone go based on a so called "good work." There is still a crime that was committed and therefore there is still a fine to be payed. He is much more just and much more holy than any mere man judge on this earth. He will not only see that thieves and murders get punished, but liars as well.

It's clear our sentence will be "guilty" on judgment day, when we stand before the Just Judge of the universe. That is, unless we see Christ's sacrifice on the Cross as a payment for our crimes (sins) and see that He paid our fine for us. If we see this and it causes us to grieve and mourn (Matt 5:4), which produces repentance unto salvation, then we can be legally dismissed on judgment day. Not because God will look over our sin and not based on any thing "good" we have done, but based on the payment of another, Christ Jesus. Based on Christ's death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the grave, we will be forgiven of our debts. Christ paid them!

We must seek after His righteousness and we will be satisfied only in His! It's only His righteousness that can save. We haven't any. Fling yourself upon the mercies of God! Turn from your sins and put your trust in Him!

In Christ,
Kirsten