Daily Devotion

The things mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount are truly blessings from God for those who have faith in Jesus. So, when we read these blessings, we shouldn’t read them as a command and reward system. We read them as blessings we have through Jesus. Today’s blessing is a hunger for righteousness that will be satisfied.

In order to understand the blessing, we need to understand the kind of righteousness Jesus is talking about.

What kind of righteousness?

This passage can work theologically in several ways, but in the end, it’s talking about a specific kind of righteousness, but which kind?

• Righteousness Before God – Are we good and right before God? In an of ourselves, we are not. We sin. We don’t do what God commands. Even when we do, often our motivation is corrupt. Thankfully, our righteousness before God comes completely from Jesus, even though we don’t deserve it. That’s the grace of God, that even though our lives don’t always show righteousness (or maybe even seldom show it), we have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Thus, when God looks at you He sees one who is perfectly righteous. Amazing!! Theologically, we can say that our hunger to be righteous before God has been satisfied in Christ, yet this is not the righteousness Jesus is talking about. 
• Righteousness Before Man – Because Jesus has made us righteous before God, we are freed up. Instead of constantly worrying about whether we are right before God, we are now free to love our neighbor. Not only that, but God creates in us a desire to seek to do that which is right according to God’s ways in the various situations God has put us in. Sadly, the world often greets our good works and kindness with ingratitude, mockery, or even contempt. Theologically, we could say that despite the world’s reaction, we will still be satisfied to know we did what was right for our neighbor, yet this, also, is not the righteousness Jesus is talking about.
• A Righteous World – This world is often upside down. The sinner rules over the righteous. The Christian is mocked and persecuted. Those who do wrong have great success while those who obey God struggle to get by. It is right for God’s people to ask, “How long, O Lord? When will You set things right?” We hunger and thirst to see the righteous rule, the Christian commended and healed, the obedient successful. This is the righteousness Jesus is talking about with the assurance that the hunger for it will be satisfied.

In Matthew 5:5, Jesus said the lowly will be blessed because they will inherit the earth. This is our clue. Those who are low in the world now because they believe and follow Jesus will see this situation corrected. God will set all things right on that final day of Judgment. The wicked will be judged and brought low, the faithful lowly will be lifted up, and the righteous act of salvation will be fully completed setting all things right.

It’s hard right now to look at the world and see so much that is wrong, but that will not always be. God has given us a hunger and thirst to see things made right and He will satisfy that hunger.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You know the state of the world today. You see the wicked thriving and unrighteous dominating. You see Your people suffering and being persecuted. Strengthen us with Your promise. We are truly blessed and know that we will see all things made right.

Amen.