Text: Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (KJV)
“Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.” (The Amplified Bible).
Growing up, my father always asked this question: “How is your relationship with God”. For some reason, I didn’t used to like that question. I had already given my life to Christ so what was the point of the question? I thought. To avoid being asked further questions about this, I’ll just say “It’s good Daddy”. I didn’t really understand what “Relationship with God” meant at the time.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand that having a relationship with God goes beyond being born again or being a member of a unit in the Church. It is deeper than that. There has to be a continuous hunger to commune with Him. We ought to feed our spirit man regularly so we can keep growing in the knowledge of Him. We can only achieve this when we spend quality time with the Spirit of the Most High God.
Let Christ be our example. 1 John 2:6 says “Whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself.” From the verse, we can understand that it should be evident that we are children of God - this means our words, actions, association, everything that concerns us must reflect Christ.
We are created with potentials and abilities to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. When we are spiritually intimate with Him, we grow in the knowledge of Him and we fulfill destiny. Without continuous fellowship, we will live far below our potentials - not performing according to God’s expectation. I encourage you to grow deeper in your relationship with God. Get to that point where it is all of Him and none of you - that point where you realize that abundant life can never be found in another person. We are intimate with God when we dwell in His secret place (Psalm 91:1) - the secret place is a spiritual position that we find and occupy. We can only “find” and “occupy” when we spend time with Him regularly. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us also (James 4:8). If you abide in Him, He will also abide in you (John 15:4-7). It is God’s desire that we are drawn to Him - He desires intimacy with us.
Why is it important to be close to God? Your closeness to God humbles you. You are totally obedient to God when you’re intimate with Him. You are filled with hope, superabundant joy and peace when you have an intimate relationship with God. Your intimacy with Him will positively influence the way you speak, the way you act and the friends you keep - it will completely change the course of your life. Seek to know God by studying His Word. Make the commitment to live for Him - spend time with Him, give Him your attention. When you grow in the knowledge of Him, He reveals Himself to you more and more - the more you know of Him, the more you desire him. If you really want a deeper relationship with Him, then make your relationship with Him the most important thing in your life - no more shortcuts, no more distractions. Deeper intimacy with God should be a journey that continues forever.
May God put in us, an unwavering hunger and thirst for Him. May we grow in intimacy with Him in Jesus name, Amen.
God bless you!
#iloveJesus #Godislove #Godovereverything #gracefoundme #alivingtestimony #iamchosen #abundantgrace #Godcaresforyou #unconditionallove
Particularly enjoyed the 'extra' light from the Amplified Bible on this. It greatly boosted your write on this verse. I learned a new something from it. Your sharing heart comes through. Your tone is not passive, but moves aggressively like hunger does, attempting to reach others. I find with my writing my tone, as one coming from an educator, drives with detail that I hope will reach those who like Paul was teaching to; those who were so educated and thought they knew 'where's it at; life and the universe' but when they met Paul they learned how more complex and beautiful the sciences were with Christ in the middle displaying from firmament, Star and movements of galaxies...all created by…
Thank you for sharing this beautiful reminder. I’ve been prompted by the Holy Spirit to begin writing poems again. For this to happen, it requires quiet time with Him. Everything has to adjust for this to happen. And out of that time comes something so powerful. I’m a new member and I’m excited to grow in my writing, glorifying Him.