Righteousness

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul thirst for you, oh God.

Psalm 42:1

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

It is 95 degrees outside and in the middle of the day. You have to finish the yard work before another important obligation. You are thirsty, but you hold off on quenching your thirst. The more you work, the hotter it gets and the more you want that drink of cool water. But you hold off. Finally, the thirst becomes so great that getting that drink of water is more important than the work in the yard.  

There is a difference between wanting a drink of water and thirsting for it. Wanting a drink means we can really do without it, and as such, we continue on never really satisfied or filled. But to thirst means we give up some things and aggressively seek, go anywhere, do anything, to quench our thirst. The water becomes the source that fills our desire so we take action.

Jesus says we are to hunger and thirst for righteousness. How much do we want what is good? Do we pant for those things that bring God into our lives and the marketplace? Righteousness can be defined as what is holy, right, and just. In the marketplace this can include integrity, fairness, excellence in product quality and service, and using the principles of God in all situations. 

We have seen in recent years how the growing desire for success, money, fame, and possessions have corrupted our marketplace. These have always been a temptation or distraction, but  have now come into our hearts like a cancer. We have taken the idea that anything is okay as long as it gets us to the river of materialism.

A friend was a very successful commercial contractor. Over time he began to seek more and more opportunities to grow in his business. He would seek investors for developments but would never disclose all the details. Some of his clients began to question what he was doing. It was later discovered that he had been falsifying information and actually stealing from some of his partners. In only a few years, his world collapsed. Partners and financial institutions brought law suits and my friend ended up losing his business, family, and spent time in prison. When he was asked why he took this road, his answer was that the chase and desire for success and riches took control of his life. It became a deep hunger and thirst.  

To hunger for righteousness is to first seek the Kingdom of God.( Matthew 6:33)

The only way we can consistently be fair in our business dealings and to be willing to settle the dispute in the other parties favor is to place what is right, just, and Holy before ourselves. This is not easy. Satan not only makes things of the world look good, he also teases our hearts with temptations to go the way of the world. God promises that if we do seek the path of righteousness, we will be satisfied. "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;" Psalm 63:5a

Isaiah 11:1-5 describes what God  has promised through his Son, Jesus.

He will have a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of council and power, and a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Verse 10 states,"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples."  With these promises placed on Jesus, we too have this same Spirit placed on us. Jesus and His word will be our banner as we live each day hungering for the right things. It requires first that we are poor in spirit, that we mourn over the conditions, and that our behavior is one of humility and God controlled.