Hungering and Thirsting for Righteousness

Jesus was a revolutionary teacher, not just for his day, but for all time. 2,000 years ago in Israel, Jesus preached the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Matt 5), this sermon, along with many other teachings, enraged the religious leaders of his day. Even today this message is still relevant , the words in this sermon are in direct contrast to the various ways of life our world promotes. Further to that, this message is totally opposite to the selfish, prideful, sinful heart of man that has been present since the Fall. I could spend much time writing and talking about how the various beatitudes individually stand in stark contrast to the way of the world, however, I will share the one that is particularly on my heart.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    For they shall be filled.”

My previous post laid out the idea that we are hungry and thirsty people, and here in Matthew 5:6 we see the very thing we ought to be hungering and thirsting for. I thought it would be helpful to understand what it means to ‘hunger and thirst after righteousness’, and also, why this is so relevant and important for us today.

What is righteousness?

When I really thought about it, I wasn't sure what ‘righteousness’ exactly was. I knew in essence what it was, but it wasn’t something I could precisely sum up in a few words. So I spoke to some wonderful people about what they thought righteousness was. “Righteousness is right standing with God, Always.” “It’s something given by Him.” “It’s being in the right relationship with God.”  These are certainly helpful pointers in the right direction. The Bible makes it clear righteousness is something we can never obtain on our own, why? Because it was something Christ gave us when he died as a sacrifice for our sins, 2 Corinthians 5:21 - “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” And also, righteousness is also something to do with having a living relationship with God, Romans 1:17 - “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed--a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ ” See, on the cross, Jesus took on every wrong thing we have done and will do, and by taking on our human nature he gave us the opportunity to be clothed in his perfect righteousness, so that when we come before God on this earth and on Judgement Day, he sees us as he would see Jesus - ready and able to partake in a living, breathing, tangible relationship. Jesus has paid the debt, He is our ‘righteousness’.

How do I pursue something I have been given?

There are two ways to look at righteousness, one is the part of righteousness that justifies us before the throne of God, this can’t be pursued, because it is a gift. However, while I live on earth, among sin and temptation, I find myself not living as I should - the fact I am eternally justified through Christ’s righteousness doesn't mean that I live a perfect life. So still, we have to strive to be made more like Jesus, we have to chase after righteousness. In reality, this is really just chasing after the ways of Jesus, i.e. living like him. Our lives are not our own, but rather opportunities to reflect and show the glory and ways of God as realities to those around us, so we will find no greater joy or satisfaction than in walking with God and pursuing His righteousness.

In this festive season, when the fact that the living God came to restore our broken relationship with Himself is covered over with tinsel, presents and christmas turkeys, I’m taking a moment to remember where true satisfaction is from. For me, hungering and thirsting after righteousness strikes a chord, and so with all the gifts around me, I will seek God to fill me up with true joy and satisfaction rather than counting on the ‘Christmas Spirit’ to bring me a sense of fulfilment. 

This holiday, lets do as Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” If we want to see the reality of God in our lives, changing us and motivating us towards Godliness, let us seek his heart and his righteousness, let him work through us and fill us daily with his grace and mercy, bringing us closer to his heart. Seeking God will bring far more satisfaction to our hunger and thirst than any gift this Christmas, I know this, yet so often I don’t act like I do. Today, let us fall at the foot of the cross, looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who is the only one who can bring us fullness of joy both in this Christmas and forever in our walk with God. Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Matthew 5

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

    For they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

    For they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    For they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

    For they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

    For they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

    For they shall be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Why am I complacent towards God?

I've been thinking about adding to these poems and scribblings for a while, and I have been writing a really nerdy theology essay on the early Church realising its identity, however my dad suggested that I write the things that were on my heart rather than on my mind, so below are some thoughts on something that been a real challenge for me - Why am I complacent towards my great God? Why are we complacent towards my great God? I'd like to know your thoughts too.

Getting our priorities right.

A large part of this comes down to our personal relationship with God. In a way, I’m not talking about prayer or even reading the Bible (calm down brethren - there is good reason!), Im talking about our motivation to first see God glorified and made big in both our current and future lives. After all, isn’t this why we are here - to make much of God? If God meant all that he should mean to us then our life plans will revolve around him, rather than careers, potential spouses, university, etc… Our goals, attitudes and actions will be guided by the knowledge that He is Lord and all we have is rightfully His. Of course these things are important to think about, some of them are even necessary for life, however, if God isn’t the reason for them, they lack any satisfactory significance or importance - “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” If this happens, then everything will follow, whether that be personal devotion, prayer, or plans for life, you will find that they come far more easily than ever before. I was talking about this topic with a friend, and what he said to me particularly struck a chord, “From my perspective unless one has a relationship (by that I mean one whereby God is an ever present presence due to your fervency, so much so that the Holy Spirit becomes tangible in your daily living) with God, how can we be expected to prioritise Him and give credence to the things of God? But it follows naturally, that someone can only get to that place after prioritising Him.”

We are thirsty people.

How many times have our hands tapped, our eyes flicked and our knuckles cracked as we wait for the prayer time to end? When was the last time we really enjoyed praying? When was the last time we felt God speaking to us? When was the last time we felt God’s tangible presence in our prayer times? (That escalated quickly) The great thing about us humans is that we are thirsty people. We have a natural urge within ourselves to be fulfilled, to be satisfied. This thirst should make me want to chase after the living water of Jesus, but instead I try to find different things that may take the edge off my thirst, things such as social media, competitive sport, even something mundane like going to the gym. We see it all around us; advertisements promoting various products that will fill our time and bring us happiness, gadgets that will tire us out, then pills that will heal us and give us the rest needed to start the process all over again. When we compare the attitudes of our secular driven society, to that of the Word of God, we see a huge difference. Jesus says in Matthew 11, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” In our world, which loads our bodies and minds with media, solutions and temporary satisfaction, lets make the conscious choice to lay that at the foot of the cross, and give ourselves over to the freedom and satisfaction of Jesus, that will forever quench our thirst. 

We are hungry people.

I am a pendulum, I literally swing between praying intensely and praying lightly. One day I'm striving for revival, and then the next day, I'm waiting for the prayer meeting to end so I can check my whatsapp. But how, in any way, shape or form, is this consistent with the life of a spirit-filled believer? The answer is simply that its not. My lack lustre sense of devotion, my inability to close my eyes and pray alone, my ineptitude at seeking first the kingdom of God rather than checking my news feed is all part of this inconsistency. Devotion demands consistency. Now I’m sure you can just read the biography of a Christian to know that walking with Jesus isn’t an easy feat, that it is full of of distractions, but I’m also sure, that all these people would say with confidence that the joy of walking with Jesus, far outweighs the pain of not seeking him. See, week after week, we can feel justified by attending church and even a mid-week meeting, yet our hearts and minds are still on our computer screens or Facebook profiles. We might even consider personal devotions once in a while - yet still we find a distinct lack of satisfaction hangs over us. There is no better advice I can give that to get on and change it. Both a friend and my Dad recommended this idea to me: ‘The solution to hunger is to keep an energy bar with you at all times - so keep the word of God flowing through you at all times. Instead of checking your Facebook feed every ten minutes to see what friends are saying, lets check the word regularly to see what our God is saying.’

Is there a solution?

David is the prime example of a man who saw both ends of this process, and who in my mind found ‘balance’ to the pendulum, in the Psalms he provides us with a solution for when feel spiritually dry and unable to seek God.

“O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.”

Here, David lays out his desire to seek God. In a world where sin runs rampant, in a spiritually dry and empty land, he seeks for God to satisfy his thirst and saturate his heart. David’s search for God begins ASAP, early in the morning, as soon as he gets up - “Early will I seek you”. Why? Because he has thirst which he knows only God can quench. His very body longs for God, and he wants to spend every moment filling himself with God. Joshua also proclaims a process of passionate living, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!”

Just reread this verse, notice the elements mentioned: fear of the Lord, service, sincerity, truth and commitment. Look at your heart, at society, look at social media, look at sport, at romance, at anything in which we are able to participate in - even church. How many of these things are full of this list? Its up to us to ask God to let his Spirit flow through us and make the changes needed in the world. Just look at the lives of Joshua and David, they are prime examples of walking with God. They were men after God’s own heart - and I don’t see why we can’t be sons and daughter after the Father’s heart either? I want to be a man after God’s own heart, but in all honesty, I’m a disgraceful failure; however, God in his great love for us died to give us life and relationship, to give us an opportunity to ‘start again’, to give us the opportunity to chase him. Today is a great time to start.

An Artists Impression.

My goodness, its been quite some time since I've used this blog. Do I feel guilty about it? No chance, I've been applying for university, give me a break! Recently though, I did go to America, specifically Missouri and New York City! So I wrote a poem about it.

An Artists Impression

I go.

Chasing you.

But, captured in my hand,

Is the spirit of this land.

It leads me through barren plains,

Leads me through chills and wanes,

It floats up high, then flickers down,

Leading me to the place of noise and sound.

You capture my gaze,

Brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin, a blur.

Like a dazzling sunset,

Settling on a dusty sky.

Something to be chased,

Something to be wanted.

Do I follow?

Yes, still I go.

The city falls into vision.

The place of wasteful thoughts and wrong decision.

A fumbling mass of nothing good,

People walking, running, talking,

Fallen angels work as they should,

Grey clouds smog, settle, stalking.

Mystery enshrouds, judgements cloud,

Fluttering footsteps fly on steep, shadowed steps,

Sneaking in-between high-rise buildings and business concepts.

These darkened alleys paint a gloomy picture,

With shattered panes filling crusting frames,

Where rust and moth destroy,

And thieves break in and steal,

Where time itself draw out,

Stretching beyond all doubt.

Who will ever understand,

Who will ever know,

But still, I go.

We touch.

Racing through streets,

Where building, towers, skyscapers meet.

Waving aside smoke from cigarettes.

Tears from streaming debts

As headlights flood the way,

Red and blue glows have their say,

We push on forward through the crowds,

Hand in mine, safe.

We glide through the mass, picking up pace.

Kicking aside waste.

We skip through the racing lights,

Pressing on, moving up,

Stirring round, sprinting down.

Where time spins, spinning, spun.

Hit and run.

Who will ever understand,

Who will ever know,

But still I go.

Do I follow her where she goes?

Do I care, do I dare?

Yes, for through foggy pollution, stars are found.

Laughter is heard through this city sound,

Down desolate streets a smile is seen.

Where have we not already been?

Up rugged tower tops diamonds glisten.

Even small children, sit and listen.

And headlights flood a busy street,

But no-one stops to talk and meet.

Surely! This is no time to be alone,

No time to be without love.

For as smog settles,

And sunlight bounces from rooftops.

We see more than we expected.

Your brown eyes so deep and pleasant,

Your hair glistens in moonlight crescent.

We hold each other tight.

Touch wood, pause for a moment’s sake,

And remember the city,

And all that it held,

Remember the towers and shrilly bells.

The empty faces, the shadowed street,

The yellow taxis and running feet.

And as we ran,

Your fingers touching mine.

Our heart strings knotted together.

We watch.

The city’s spirit bursting within.

As the lights from the centre spread through the grey,

The colours of summer, the hues of May.

And in that city scene,

The picture paintings,

A place where time itself draws out,

Stretching beyond all doubt.

For who will ever understand?

Who will ever know?

Will they still remain?

But what is sure,

That hand in hand,

And heart in heart,

Still we go.

The Dreamer’s Dance

 

Evening breezes swept us high up off our feet,

To where voices of Heaven are heard.

Up to sit on clouds, tasting evening dew.

Me with you.

To sit on stars and planets, hazed and blue.

We danced around, forgot ourselves,

Swaying in each other’s arms till twilight.

We mirrored and parried,

We laughed and we carried,

Slowly drifting down to creation’s earth,

We leapt and splashed in inch-deep puddles,

And kicked the dew back to the sky,

Causing darkened heavens a-reply.

We waltzed and twisted,

Swung and assisted,

Til sweet raindrops raced down our tender faces.

So we sat for a while- silent.

                                                            We sat for a while as moonlight held us.                         

And as the breaking sun reached its dawning mark,

As the birthing light swelled the dark,

We spoke our first, gentle words,

Of love, truth and dignity.

Yours was an angel’s voice,

Of love, truth and dignity.

Our voices rose and fell with tremor,

We spoke of treasure, Venice and Rome.

And as ‘we’ turned to ‘us’,

We looked here, this and thus.

The hands of our souls firmly clasped,

The sweet harmony of our hearts singing.

Your feet beside mine swinging.

The little things- your smile, your eyes,

All added up, all made sense.

Still, I closed my eyes for a moment,

Seemingly for years…

And awoke as the sun reached it yellow heights,

As the rays of warmth found the flaming lights,

I turned, but you were gone.

Leaving no signs of arrival,

Leaving so signs of survival.

                                                         *    *    *     *    *

I’ll arise from my slumber, when the dream is truly over.

But now I rest with the after-tastes, sat in fields of clover.

My dreamish state fades away like grains of sand.

I awake to this harsh reality, hoe to hand,

Of hate, lies and ignominy.

I’ll look into the eyes of the earth,

And see hate, lies and ignominy,

Wishing my slumber would last for hours,

And think of bliss, and evening sun.

As for now, I’ll day dream my life away,

Hoping sleep will come to me.

Hoping you’ll be seen again,

When I dream once more,

Wherever evening breeze will take me,

Back where Heaven’s voice is heard.

Blind faith

-a convention short story

 

He was coming. We had heard the rumours for several days; we had listened to the excited chatter of distant travellers. This amazing, healing man was coming to Jericho – the city was brimming with suspense. The anticipation was thick and tangible. You could sense the awe, the expectation, the fear all jumbled together in a giant cauldron of feelings. It was rumoured that from miles away you could hear them coming, like a mighty army marching down to battle, and it was easy to understand why the authorities feared them and why they wanted this man. But here, sat under this fig tree, it all seemed so distant and made-up, as for me, I have no part to play in this story.

Rain pounds thick on my face, its droplets soak down my eyes and follow their path down to sit upon my broadening cheeks. The salty liquid slips from the tips of my hair, down onto bare feet, my head tilts up towards the heavens, my ears filling with the euphoria of the rain’s drumming beat. The wind sings its high-octave song, the leaves crackle and clash, the waves thunder and thrash. My body is soaked wet with freedom. The rain releases my soul. It brings me back to where I started, back to where my thinking began… Someone once told me: Seeing is believing. I only believe. To me, it’s a choice. Others will never understand. The years go by, it’s all the same for them, all so different to me. I’m an outcast. They like to call me a nobody, a figure they try to avoid. It doesn’t matter to me-because I’m always journeying, always moving on and forgetting them, like some old sojourner on an eternal pilgrimage.

We sit on these wet rocks and wait far outside the city’s mighty gates. Waiting for nothing. You can always tell it’s one of your own kind: the shuffling of clumsy feet, the heavy smell of dirty clothes, the stench of unwashed bodies, the usual scratching of long, knotted beards and the ruffle of robes shifting and fidgeting. We sit, as always, never breaking our code of silence, waiting for a miracle.

It was just as the heat was settling and the evening breeze began to drift into night, that the first touches of reality were felt. It was felt through the tremors in the voices of excited travellers, in the heavier breathing of mules and horses, and in the distant child, running and laughing. He was near. A group of travellers had set up camp, close to where we lay, they spoke almost without ceasing about this man, the prophet man, who healed the blind, cleansed lepers and even forgave sins. What man forgives sins? Only God forgives sins!

I cannot sleep. I am riveted with the thought that he might finally be here. Something that one of them said, weighs heavy on my mind,

‘This man, is so much more than we all first thought. This man, might be the Messiah, the chosen one, This man, is greater than our feelings, deeper than our thoughts, he’s more than a human prophet, more like a bridge from man to God, from heaven to earth.’

 For a moment, I lost a grip on my senses and looked reality dead in the eye. For a split second, Heaven came crashing down to earth, like some explosive cosmic supernova filling the night sky, like light bursting through darkness revealing truth in all its beauty. I didn’t sleep.

I am silent and listening. Waiting for fulfilment and waiting for my hopes to be confirmed. Then I heard it: a distant marching, a faint vibration, the rumbling of a thousand men, the chatter of a multitude of women, the laughter of child upon child. They were here! I scrambled from my rock and began to run towards the road. I couldn’t miss them, I wouldn’t miss them, but I am blind. My foot slams hard against a stone, I trip and fall headlong onto rocky ground, the unforgiving rocks bite away at my clumsy body, my knees, my feet, my hand, are open and bleeding. I keep going in a frantic frenzy not to miss them, not to miss him. I must be healed, but I know I can run no further, I cry out,

 ‘Son of David! Son of David!’

In my blind panic I feel my way to the road with my hands, crying out with all my might, scraping away rocks and thorns in vain. I sit and wait.

I hear them come. My chance is now, so I shout out in a loud voice,

’ Jesus, son of David! Have mercy upon me! Son of David! Have mercy on me!’

I hear the grumblings from the crowd, and with bitter disgust they try to keep me quiet,

 ‘Be on your way!’

’ Don’t bother the master!’

But I cry out more, desperation straining from my voice, from my very soul,

’Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy upon me! Have mercy upon me!’

With that I sink to the floor, my energy spent, my soul drained.

But then hope.

‘Get up!’

‘Cheer up!’

‘The Master calls you!’  

I hesitate, doubts and fears, worries and uncertainties, all hit me, but without uttering a word, he simply speaks my name,

’Bartimaeus’

 I cannot help but fall to my knees I cling to his coat and between the sobs I utter out,

‘Rabbi… I want to see!’

Even as the words fall out of my mouth, Heaven hits my heart. His love overwhelms me, His peace draws me to Him, and His joy fills my soul.

‘Go, your faith has healed you!’

And then it happened, colour drains in from every corner, light bursts through darkness, I am overcome, I cannot utter a single word, I cannot think. Trees leapt out at me, flowers sparkle, the sky so blue, the grass so green! All the things I heard of, all these things I had felt, I now saw! I laughed almost uncontrollably. The unbelievable- believed, the madness all made sense, the confusion cleared, my life created anew, my heart restored and my body healed! The others dance and laugh and share my joy as we go on our way.

He heals me. He restores my soul. He makes me new. He has finally come. My story is Him.

Someone once told me. Seeing is believing – I just to believe. To me, it’s a choice, others will never understand. The years go by and it’s all the same for them, all so different to me. Often I’m an outcast, they like to call me a nobody, a figure they try to avoid, it doesn’t matter to me-because I’m always journeying, always moving on- following him, an old sojourner on an eternal pilgrimage.

Passing Nightshade

 

- a poem on stars

 

Tumbling blocks of dazzling light, rumbling towers held in flight,

Holding ground, far and near, twisting flame, shining sphere.

Dotted scene, knotted shapes, distinct form, on darkened ‘scapes,

Mapped on minds, held with fear, a sense of awe, and ever clear.

As fallen gods upon their thrones, azure and silver, all deep tones,

Fiery, flaming foxes hunt, tumbling bears, big and runt.

Distinct face– white on black– dog and man above, attack,

Their arrow-marks stain the sky, a painter’s magic set to fly.

These giants simmer, seethe and blend, waning to a boundless end,

But, sunrise pinks reveal their course, euphoric darkness shows the source.

The dusty moonlight turns to morn, aching light rivets, torn,

Breathless twilight hides its figure, hauled and bruising by the bigger.

   As fading dark gives way to light, this waking land emerges bright,

Scarlet blood slips down the hills, birthing light beckons, thrills.

Dazzling colours, scarlet sky, haunted forests, trees so high,

Birds begin their morning song and fly on journey’s far and long.

The day-break sun begins its rise to heights so glorious in these skies,

Gracing every bird and flower, tipping clouds bound to tower.

We see a beauty in this art, a streaming joy from God’s own heart,

Tender souls warm to this view, but hardened minds freeze out what’s true.

This scene soaked in celestial thought, an act from heaven captured, caught,

For it is here that hearts are made; it is here in past nightshade.

 

We Lose Ourselves

 

- on our unseeing eyes and our unwilling hearts

 

Life in itself is a novelty,

Twisting, turning, never stopping,

Always jumping up, pushing on,

Never waiting, ever gliding– a novelty.

 

We used to think we knew it all,

Like colossal giants, twisting turning.

Frenzy forming in a melting pot,

Overlooking our very souls– ‘we knew it all’.

 

Distant, sitting, waiting for something.

Life in itself was unplugging,

It’s very meaning sucked out by us,

With no fixing formula, waiting for something.

 

We are fossilised, addicted to blindness,

Always waiting for a cure– satisfaction

Bleeding, burning, bruising, brimming.

Feelings form, emotion erased, addicted to blindness.

 

Where is God, and this divine design?

Created, confusion, then ransomed, restored.

Deliverance made clear through a man on a tree.

Through seamless death, righteousness restored– Divine Design.

By Joshua Pike