03-17-24-ENG.

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will behold a far-distant land.

Isaiah 33:15–17
There exists one common trait that shows up among the great people of Scripture and that is their hunger and thirst after God. In some form or fashion, they have a passionate pursuit of God. They are on fire to find Him and to experience Him at a deeper level. Like Moses, the longing cry of their hearts echoes his “show me Your glory!” (Exodus 33:18). One of the reasons so many of us experience so little of God is that so many of us are not hungry. Hungry people are going to do everything in their power to locate some food. Hungry people are going to think of little else than finding food. Hungry and thirsty people are going to remove distractions and cut short diversions so that they can find something to eat or drink.

This is because they are desperate for something that will satisfy. They crave it. They need it. They long for it. One of the ways I often travel when I’m on the East Coast is by train, particularly if I am traveling between major cities. I’ll just get on a train, and in a few hours, or even less, I’ll be at my destination. If you’ve ever gotten on a train anywhere, you have probably noticed, like I have, that the cost of food does not reflect the cost of food elsewhere. You have probably noticed that on a train, they will charge you an unconscionable amount just to sell you something to eat. You can literally pay ten dollars for a hot dog, or eight dollars for a soda. You might even pay five dollars just for a small bag of chips. 

Now, the reason they have chosen to charge you so much on a train is that they know you can’t go anywhere else. They know you have no other options. No one is going to hop off the train in order to grab a meal and then hop back on. Theirs is the only gig in town, so they price themselves like the only gig in town. Sure, passengers may say that they simply won’t pay that much on a train, and they won’t support such an extortion-based business model. But that really depends on how hungry they are, or how hungry they get as the train keeps moving on. Because if they get hungry enough, in time, neither the price tag nor their principles will prohibit them from pursuing the food they want. My mom used to tell me and my siblings if we complained about something she was cooking, and we didn’t want to eat it, that we just weren’t hungry enough. We would excuse ourselves from the table and head elsewhere in the house only to hear her say, “You’ll be back. When you get hungry enough, it’ll be here.” This is because my mom knew, like many moms know, that hungry people who are truly hungry aren’t that picky. They just need food. And they won’t let their own preferences keep them from pursuing the nutrition and sustenance that will satisfy their bodies’ needs. Most Christians just want appetizers. 

They only want to nibble on spiritual food. It used to be that Sunday sermons might be an entire meal that a lot of Christians would try and survive on for the rest of the week. But these days with so much of Sunday worship centered more on Sunday celebrities preaching or singing, you don’t even get a meal. You might get a few bites here or there, but it’s an appetizer at best. A Sunday meal would never get anyone through the rest of an entire week anyhow, let alone a Sunday appetizer. If someone tried to live like that in the physical realm, they would be dead by the next Sunday. Nourishment requires consistency. When Jesus speaks of our kingdom values involving a passionate pursuit of righteousness, He is speaking of an ongoing prioritization of the pursuit of righteousness. 

Reaction:
In what ways do you tend to put off the pursuit of righteousness, thinking you’ll just return to God when you’re really “hungry”? In what ways can you become more consistent and persistent in your pursuit of righteousness? What are some hopeful benefits you would like to see show up in your life as a result of pursuing righteousness? 

Prayer:
Jesus, slow down my activities to a more manageable pace that will enable me to recognize room for pursuing righteousness. Increase my hunger for holiness and modeling my life after You. Reveal to me what is true righteousness and what is merely a charade. I want to live in the fullness of Your blessings and favor. In Your name I pray, amen.