Happy are the Hungry

What is your favorite meal? You know, the one that’s your go to, never let you down, always hits the spot meal! No matter the time of day or night. What about your favorite drink? Always quenches your thirst! The one you can taste before you ever open the bottle or crack open the lid.

I’ve traveled out of the country multiple times to places like Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Kenya, and South Korea, and I do believe my first meal back in the States has always been Chick Fil A. There’s just something about their “A1 since Day 1” chicken sandwich that says, “welcome back home!” For me, I like my chicken sandwich meal with a lemonade. But my son, he’s a sweet tea guy! I really believe he’s trying to give uncle Si a run for sweet tea consumption!

Not too long ago, I was introduced to another fascinating and tasty cuisine–Rodizio Grill. A Brazilian steakhouse that operates much like a sit down buffet. Waiters carrying slabs of juicy, tender meat throughout the restaurant waiting on you to turn up your card like a “Stop, Forrest Stop” sign at Bubba Gump’s Seafood restaurant. The savory elegance of their flavorful portions of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and fish just waiting to be sliced and placed on your plate to be consumed.

I could go on and on about plates and platters and drinks and desserts. But I think we all understand how easily intrigued we can become with fancy meals and foods. So what is it about food that so easily gets our attention? It’s appealing to our eyes. Some foods just look good. It’s savory to our taste; there’s just some foods that hit different on the taste buds of our tongues. It’s also replenishing to our bodies. I would say for most people this doesn’t matter as much until we start getting those doctor’s reports about cholesterol levels and blood sugar readings.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” It’s not a question of whether we will become hungry or thirsty. We will. The real question is what will we choose to satisfy the hunger and quench the thirst of our souls.

It’s not uncommon for people to reach for a quick fix off the shelf to satisfy the hunger or thirst they experience in their day to day. Energy drinks with loads of caffeine to enhance their physical activity and performance during the day. Alcohol to hopefully numb their overwhelmed and racing minds at night. Sometimes we even find ourselves mindlessly eating loads of empty calories from the pantry while binge-watching shows to suppress the feelings of loneliness and depression we thought our social media activity would help us avoid.

This is the human condition; a need to satisfy the craving of the soul. And when people become disconnected from the one true eternal satisfaction of their souls, they (we) invent and consume other substitutes; drugs. It’s not just drugs like nicotine, alcohol, THC, or cocaine. According to Merriam Webster, a drug is ‘a substance that affects the function of the body; it can cause addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness.’

If a drug is any substance that affects the body or changes our consciousness, then, I would suggest that we have a greater drug problem than we might realize. We’re making attempts to satisfy the cravings of our soul by chasing all kinds of cheap and empty substitutes.

Pursuit of control is a drug; we get a high by leveraging power over others. Greed is a drug; doped up on believing that having more will truly be satisfying to our souls. Seeking others’ approval is a drug; becoming lethargic from all the mental gymnastics of comparing ourselves with others. These and so many others leaves us exhausted because the daily consumption isn’t really fueling our souls; it’s actually killing us like cancer on the inside without us even realizing that something is wrong.

So what is it that really can fuel our bodies and fill our souls? Jesus said, ‘righteousness.’ Remember, these verses in Matthew speak of a progression of transformation. While salvation is instantaneous, sanctification is an ongoing process. And to perpetually feast on the attributes and character of God produces a soul satisfaction that nothing else in this world can give. But we will never be filled with the righteousness of Christ until we starve the cravings for the righteousness of self.

As we embrace the words of Christ, surrendering our mind, heart, and will to Him, we will find Him to be both delightful and nourishing to our souls. Our souls are hungry and we must learn to feast on the truth of what God has spoken about Himself, His people, and this world so that we can continue to grow and mature into the people He has called us to be in this world.

When I was a kid I preferred candy and snacks over meat and vegetables. While carbs and sugar can sustain short term bursts of energy it cannot sustain long term health and nutrition. And my mother knew that. There were days when my stubborn refusal to eat what was on my plate was met with the persistent authority of someone who knew what was best for me. And some of those foods (not all) that I thought were terrible back then have become some of my favorite dishes because of an acquired taste for what is right and good.

Because of sin we are not naturally inclined to hunger and thirst for righteousness so we must develop an acquired taste for the plans and purposes of God. In our rebellion we made our own table and sat down to feast on sinful substitutes. But when Christ died and we believed, we were given a seat at His table to feast on the delicacies of His rich graces and righteousness toward us. And we know that at the table of God He is providing what will ultimately fill us and nourish us and sustain us for this life He’s called us to live.