jerry daley surprise blessing righteousness discipleship

 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).

Jesus seems to have the habit of surprising us. We crave one thing, and He comes along and says, “No, no; don’t crave that. Let Me show you what to crave because this will bring the satisfaction you are looking for.” This idea catches us off guard: we are more accustomed to spiritual darkness than light.

So, here is the surprise Jesus offers in this passage: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). When I hear the words hunger and thirst, I think of a passion, something that is gut-level controlling my desires.
 
I suspect we are talking deep revelation needed to come to the point where we might insert our name into this blessing. Who in the world would teach me that my desire for God’s character would lead me into my destiny as a man?

 

So, here is the surprise Jesus offers in this passage: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6) Click To Tweet
 

I think of blind Bartimaeus who came to Jesus only to have Him ignore the obvious and ask, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark10:51). Suppose He asked you the same question. What would you say?
 
We tasted this satisfaction when we were justified. His appetizers of peace and joy. Now He invites us to follow Him into living in His satisfaction full time.
 

The quest that is guaranteed to satisfy your deepest longings is the desire to be like Jesus in your character. In effect He is saying, “If your goal is to become like Me in character (righteousness) you will be (1) blessed and (2) satisfied, regardless of your education or vocation.”
 
Jesus flew this banner, yet it seems like a well-guarded secret: Your destiny has far more to do with who you are becoming as a person than your occupation. Did you catch that?
 

Your destiny has far more to do with who you are becoming as a person than your occupation. Did you catch that? Click To Tweet
 

No doubt you have had dreams, desires, hopes, and probably some goals along the way. But may I ask, “What is your overarching goal in life?” We might pitch the childhood question to you once again as an adult: What do you want to be when you grow up?
 
Jesus is saying, “There is something you can hunger and thirst for that will satisfy what I put in you.” Okay, I put words in His mouth… but I think He approves!
 

What if Jesus were our Hero, and we wanted to be just like Him? His values. His passion. His joys. Jesus’ promise to us describes another entire world: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (His character), for they shall be satisfied.” A whole other way of measuring, thinking, and valuing.
 
What if Jesus were our Hero, and we wanted to be just like Him? His values. His passion. His joys. Click To Tweet
 
We don’t drift into what Jesus values; they only come by choice. Put these things first, Jesus says: My Kingdom, My character. This doesn’t mean your job is unimportant or your house or your children; but these don’t define who you are. In every culture, in every economy, in every circumstance — it’s really about your character.
 
If you’ve been following this series, I want to congratulate you for making it to this fourth step on the Eight Fold Path Series.. This is a special milestone on the path out of darkness. We’re halfway through the series, and this is a great time to stop and take stock of our progress.

 

Let’s go back to step one — ‘being poor in spirit’. In this step, we addressed performance-based habits and thinking. Step two was finding comfort in our mourning & pain. Step three is a special product of the first two — a humbling that leads us right to the heart of this step.
 
We begin to want what God wants. We begin to shed our instinct to meet our needs from ourselves, which of course never works anyway. Recognizing this is a big shift in all of us, and if you’re not tracking with me yet, I invite you just to spend more time with the past three exercises.
 
What I can tell you is this… your true character flows out of God’s righteousness. When we recognize our need, accept comfort, and allow ourselves to be led by Father, satisfaction rises. The God who created galaxies…has a purpose for us and the stories we will create on the path forward. This process has the power to transform the entire world.
 
It’s hard to convey the sacredness of this moment — this tipping point into real hunger for the character of God. I invite you to spend the next week exploring the first three steps and how they lead to this one. I’m looking forward to hearing from you about what you find.
 
I’m with you.
 
Jerry

 

This blog series begins with 8-Fold Path: The Way Out of Darkness, and is excerpted from Jerry Daley’s book on the Beatitudes, entitled Following Jesus Into the Blessing.

 

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