Barnabas Bulletin ~ 0173
HUNGERING AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV).
And Jesus said to them. “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this he spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; (John 7:37-39).
God is looking for hungry, thirsty people ~A people who will so desire to know Jesus Christ in all His fullness that we will put aside all other lesser things in order to know Him and His will for our lives! The meaning of the word “righteousness” is “the doing or being what is just and right; the character and acts of a man commanded by and approved of God, in virtue of which the man corresponds with Him and His will as His ideal and His standard; it signifies the sum total of all that God commands and approves. As such it is not only what God demands, but what He gives to man, and which is appropriated by faith; and hence it is a state called forth by God’s act of justification” (Bullinger’s). Take some time to meditate upon this meaning, for it affects every one of us and determines where we stand with God and how effective we are in His service. Christianity is not just a matter of believing in Him (in our minds) but also it very much includes the doing of His will. It involves commitment and action, a giving of ourselves to the purposes for which Jesus Christ has saved us. So many Christians seem to have lost their way when it comes to the involvement part. We need to ask ourselves:
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What has Jesus Christ saved me for?
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Why has He called me to live and walk with Him?
It is much more than a mental belief of Who He is. We have His purposes to fulfil here on earth today. Jesus told us that ”the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37-38). The harvest can only be gathered in by those who are hungry and thirsty after righteousness ~ by those who long to be right in the very centre of God’s will for their lives. We were not saved by Jesus to simply sit in church pews! Jesus Christ gives to us everything we need to fulfil His plan and calling for our lives. He enables us to do what we cannot naturally do, so we do need to learn to trust Him and take Him at His word. He never tells us lies!
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So, where is it at for you?
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How strong is your hungering and thirsting after righteousness?
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Is your relationship with Jesus so real that you know when He is speaking to you?
It is so important that we know His voice; otherwise we will not know His plans and purposes for our life.
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He speaks today!
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Are you listening?
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When He speaks we always have something to do, to commit to.
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What He speaks to us has to be translated into a practical, outworking action. We then become “doers of His word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22-25).
EXCUSES
I have learned that as long as I have an excuse (when God asks me to do something) that that excuse will cause me to disobey God. Excuses are a “cop out”! They tell God that we believe we know better than Him! Our hungering and thirsting after righteousness must become stronger than any and every excuse we may be “hiding behind”.
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There is no room for excuses when it comes to the doing of God’s will!
He knows exactly what is best for us, and the sooner we learn to simply trust and do what He asks, the sooner we will experience our life becoming so much more effective and fruitful in Him. He will take us on adventures of faith that will always have a good testimony at the other end. It is simply wonderful as to what happens when we are fully committed to doing what He asks of us. And in the process He stretches and grows our faith so that we can take on even greater adventures with Him.
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God is desiring His people to know Him today; to know Who He is, and to know what He can do in and through a fully committed life to Him.
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“The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32).
It is time to experience more of the promises of God in our own individual lives! Are you hungering and thirsting after more of His righteousness? Hungry people seek out food and thirsty people look for water! How strongly we seek is determined by how hungry and how thirsty we are. Only you can answer that question for you, and only I can answer that question for me! Be encouraged to hunger and thirst more after God‘s righteousness! You will never be fully satisfied until you do. Let us be people who demonstrate to God that He comes first in our lives; that our love for Him is strong, and we desire His will to be done in and through us! God bless you! ~ Rodney W. Francis.
Bible Reading: Psalm 63 John 4 Matthew 25:31-46
Prayer: “Dear Lord, I come to You in Jesus’ Mighty Name, and I ask You to stir my heart and life to be more hungry and thirsty after those things You have for me. Please help me to be free of all excuses so that I can be wholly dedicated and committed to the doing of Your will. I long to be a more effective and fruitful person in Your Kingdom, and to be used by You to gather in the harvest that is ripe for gathering right now. Speak to me, Lord, more clearly than I have ever known before. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name I ask these things, Amen.”
The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, , New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.