I was reading, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus,” about the journey of a devout American Muslim who came to faith in Jesus, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The author writes, “I am imperfect. I do not perform to His standard, why should God bless me? (Ever felt that way?) I both hunger and thirst for righteousness, I do, but I can never attain it. (Experienced that feeling?) God will bless me anyway? Who is this God who loves me so much, even in my failures? (Wow, is he expressing something we all feel?) Tears flowed from my eyes once more, but now they were tears of joy. I knew that what I held in my hands was life itself. This was truly God’s word, and it was as if I was meeting Him for the first time.”
It wasn’t the Quran he was reading, but the Bible – the Word of God. It wasn’t Allah he was hearing, but Jesus – the Word of God. Jesus is life and His words bring life. In this case, the author was reading Matthew when he came across 5:6 which states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Jesus doesn’t say one has to be righteous to be filled or satisfied (though believers are given His righteousness at the moment of salvation). It’s not your good works or trying to be righteous (i.e. do the right thing in every situation, which is difficult at best, right?) that brings fulfillment. It’s about knowing where to go for righteousness.
Think about it, what do you do when you’re thirsty? You drink. And when you’re hungry you eat. The question is, “Where are you going to eat and drink?” Going anywhere, including religion, other than to Jesus will not satisfy your hunger and thirst. Life is and will always be about Jesus.
Where will you go to be satisfied – your religious efforts or a tighter relationship with Jesus through listening to and following Him throughout your day?
S“E”t Free Nowww