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Christianity Today, August, 2007 |

Eat, Drink, and Be Hungry

It's emptiness, not fullness, that Jesus blesses.

John Koessler | posted 8/17/2007 08:37AM

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Above all, Jesus' promise in this beatitude shows us that true righteousness leaves us craving more. We tend to think of righteousness as a standard. Like the little boy whose progress in growth has been marked inch by inch on the kitchen wall and compared to his father's height, we hope that we, too, will measure up someday. Yet there is no limit to God's righteousness, as if we could accumulate and eventually exhaust it. God has an infinite capacity for righteousness, and so do we. This is the secret to savoring the blessed hunger Jesus describes. Natural hunger is all about emptiness. The hunger Jesus blesses is about never being filled.

Such is our lot—and our blessing. As worshipers of an infinite God, we are always longing, always filled.

John Koessler is chair of pastoral studies at Moody Bible Institute and author of A Stranger in the House of God (Zondervan).

Related Elsewhere:

Recent Reflections columns on the beatitudes include Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, Poor in Spirit, and Blessed Are the Meek.

John Koessler also wrote "Come, Lord Jesus—But Not Too Soon" and "Why I Return To The Pews" for Christianity Today.

An audio blog and information about his books and articles are available on Koessler's website.

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August 2007, Vol. 51, No. 8

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Shelly

Posted: August 20, 2007 3:53 AM

"...our tastes have been captivated by other delicacies.." I don't know about you, but when I am hungry, I eat the first thing that comes along to satisfy the pain in my gut. Even if the food is not what I prefer, or what I know to be "good for me." In my more disciplined moments, I abstain from the junk and wait to have the wholesome food that my body truly craves--and needs. In the same way, I spiritually snack on devotional readings, nibble at some Bible promises, and devour without thinking a few chapters in an epistle. But have I really satisfied my hunger? There is more to "eating right" than Bible study and routine prayers. What am I hearing from God through the Bible and prayer? And am I acting on that word? To obey that word, I think, is to truly satisfy the nagging hunger.

nancy

Posted: August 19, 2007 1:51 PM

As I sit here and read I am forever reminded of the love that Christ gave for me. A love that's pure and a love that is so simple. As humans we are complex beings; analyzing and dissecting the word of God and it's significance and meaning. Living in these last days is extremely difficult. I can't understand apostacy and everyone thinking their interpretation of the Word of God to be gospel. I for one stick to the basics. I choose to live by scripture alone. God is our father, we are His children. His divine plan is in motion. "No man lives by bread alone"...did He not say this? Being filled with the Spirit leads me inheriently to know I strive everyday to be Christ-like. Keeping our eyes on Him how can we fail?

T	Posted: August 17, 2007 1:53 PM

There are two issues not addressed:1) the hunger for righteousness in our generation is not addressed, instead in this article is the usual me-first and me-want that means that we hunger always for ourselves and for our own sake. We forget that for God we pray "Thine is the Kingdom". That hunger for our own sake will never be blessed until we hunger to be righteous for the sake of others. Then we meet the requirements of the law as Jesus said 'Love thy God and thy neighbour.' 2)the hunger for alignment with God for his name's sake and for his name to be held holy: Desiring for God's sake the righteousness that His name deserves. Instead of these things we look to our own sustenance and fortification just like the writer's father who needed drink and his mother who needed to eat on her own terms, so we in this generation want to fill our own spiritual bellies. Then we will be filled with the hidden treasure of God: He will force-feed us with humility like he humbled the Hebrews on manna

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