Beatitudes
21
them: for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the
springs of water shall He guide them.”
Isaiah 49:10
.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled.”—Matthew 5:6.
Righteousness is holiness, likeness to God, and “God is love.”
1
John 4:16
. It is conformity to the law of God, for “all Thy command-
ments are righteousness” (
Psalm 119:172
), and “love is the fulfilling
of the law” (
Romans 13:10
). Righteousness is love, and love is the
light and the life of God. The righteousness of God is embodied in
Christ. We receive righteousness by receiving Him.
Not by painful struggles or wearisome toil, not by gift or sacrifice,
is righteousness obtained; but it is freely given to every soul who
hungers and thirsts to receive it. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come
ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat,
... without money and without price.” “Their righteousness is of Me,
saith the Lord,” and, “This is His name whereby He shall be called,
The Lord Our Righteousness.”
Isaiah 55:1
;
54:17
;
Jeremiah 23:6
.
No human agent can supply that which will satisfy the hunger and
thirst of the soul. But Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to
him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” “I am the bread of life:
he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me
[19]
shall never thirst.”
Revelation 3:20
;
John 6:35
.
As we need food to sustain our physical strength, so do we need
Christ, the Bread from heaven, to sustain spiritual life and impart
strength to work the works of God. As the body is continually receiv-
ing the nourishment that sustains life and vigor, so the soul must be
constantly communing with Christ, submitting to Him and depending
wholly upon Him.
As the weary traveler seeks the spring in the desert and, finding it,
quenches his burning thirst, so will the Christian thirst for and obtain
the pure water of life, of which Christ is the fountain.
As we discern the perfection of our Saviour’s character we shall
desire to become wholly transformed and renewed in the image of
His purity. The more we know of God, the higher will be our ideal of
character and the more earnest our longing to reflect His likeness. A