Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
How is your relationship with our Father in Heaven? Take a moment and consider it. Are you thirsty and hungry for Him? Or are you stagnant in your walk? This is a very personal but important question for you to ask and evaluate for yourself.
This question isn’t about your state of being saved, for when you came to Christ, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit into God’s family as an adopted son or daughter, but it is about your sanctification (being made holy) in your growing walk with our Father, so you can grow in your faith and strength in Him. It’s about how thirsty you are to learn more of Him and His ways and how to better yourself as a believer in the blood sacrifice of Christ to cover your sins.
Matthew 5:6 tells us that if we thirst or are hungry, we will be filled. Our walk in and towards further righteousness is a lifelong journey, not a one-time thing for us. We are not to take one drink from our Father and let it go, but we must always seek Him out to quench our thirst. We need the sustaining power of our Father to maintain and grow us in righteousness and sanctification, so we don’t stand idle in our walk with Him but increase in our own holiness each day we are alive and breathing.
To act otherwise denies our opportunity to grow in our Father and to further our holiness in our seeking of a more mature standing in our walk with Him. There is an innate yearning in our souls to want more and to learn more but do we act on this or are we just content to live our lives as babes in God, to not grow and mature so we may do our Father’s will in our lives and to touch others with the glory of God?
We lead such busy lives now that we can forget about drinking from the well of living water. We get tied up and tied down to the things of this world so much that we neglect our own increase in sanctification to such an extent that we can forget who we are in Christ and the access Christ provided us to the Father through His death and resurrection on the cross.
Each believer has the potential, and the capacity, to grow in our faith. It really doesn’t take that much effort, but it does imply that we have to work at this. We cannot learn to be woodworkers by staring or standing by a pile of wood; we must dedicate ourselves to learn the craft and practice the craft so we move from being a novice to be a master woodworker.
Therefore, you can’t just stare at the Bible or leave it in your nightstand drawer and hope that through osmosis you will gain more knowledge. Nor can you not practice a full prayer life and hope to hear from our Father. It takes conscious effort to make good habits, and the habit of seeking more of the Lord is a routine we should all desire to have.
Some may be offended at me for saying the above, and that is fine with me, but if you are miffed by me saying you must increase on your part, maybe it is a conviction from God to seek Him more diligently each day and not just on Sundays. By seeking more of our Father, we will not decrease in our holiness, but will increase, rendering us more in-tune with Him and better disciples of His to do the work He wants us to for His Kingdom.
He can’t force you to holiness; it is a choice you must make on your own. You can’t stand and expect to be dragged down the road of righteousness – you must make the effort to walk to get to the destination you are seeking.
Standing idle in our faith is not what our Father wants from us. He wants us to believe in the death of His Son, of course; but with that, He wants us to follow Christ, not watch Him. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. It doesn’t say to sit on the sidelines and watch. It says to grow, to increase, which is how we develop a closer relationship with Him.
To grow in our faith and hope, we must put forth the effort to do so. We can’t sit and do nothing; we need to delve into the Word to let the Holy Spirit work in us to gain the incorruptible knowledge that God has put into words for us to understand His ways and the wisdom He gives us through the Holy Bible.
Find the time to search the Scriptures. Set aside time to read HIs Word. Join a study group to learn from more mature believers or to mentor immature believers. Even during this time of trouble with the COVID-19 virus, seek out others who are likeminded. For example, I hold a men’s Bible study twice a week via Zoom so we can all meet virtually to spend time in the Word. Don’t let this time of tribulation stop you from seeking the knowledge and wisdom found in the Bible.
Take this opportunity of having to stay home to get to know our Father more. Turn that television off and open that Bible to increase your holiness through Christ. Mediate on the Word and spend more time praying.
Each day is a brand-new day; it has never happened before. Yesterday is behind us; and with each new day comes a renewed hope in our faith. Because it is a new day, we have the opportunity to renew our minds to focus our day on God. Tomorrow may not happen for us, so we need to live each day as if Christ will be here tomorrow to take us home with Him.