Devo for 09/15/2024 service- Message by Pastor Clint Sprague

Continuing with“The Way That Leads to Life” Series, we studied Matthew Chapter 5:6- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” 

Pastor Clint explained a way to understand the word righteousness is to consider yourself as being in right-standing with God.  He pointed out that righteousness is the condition acceptable or approved by God.  We should all understand and receive this fact:  God looks at each one of us who has accepted Jesus as our savior, as righteous!  

Pastor Clint made one statement that I think we as men should go deeper on:

Healthy believers are Hungry believers; 

Hungry believers are Healthy receivers.

As you can see, there is an order to the statement.  Before we become “Hungry Believers,” we need to be “Healthy Believers”.  When our walk with the Lord is “sick”, or not healthy and where it should be, we lose our hunger to pursue Him.  One of the more prevalent “sicknesses” we find ourselves in is busyness.  We allow ourselves to become too busy to bask in His presence and find ourselves longing for God rather than being hungry for God. This can cause us to become distant from God and fall into depravity.

So, what do you do to overcome the sickness and establish a healthy relationship with God?  Simple, run to Him!  We need Him to be a Healthy Believer; He is our doctor! Our prescription should be an eagerness to pray Psalm 139:23-24:

“Search me, God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 

Then listen to what He has to say, and let Him heal you so you can be the Healthy Believer He wants you to be!! If you do this and let Him in, I promise you will get your hunger back and become the Hungry Believer He created you to be!

Then the best part happens: you receive the blessings that come with being obedient to the Word of God. If you look at each of the eight beatitudes, they all come with a reward.  For instance, in the key verse of this message, if we hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God, we will not only be blessed, but we will be filled. (The word filled means to be filled, fulfilled , or satisfy a desire).

I'm not sure about you, but I want the blessings from God!  I want to be Blessed. I want to be fulfilled and my desires satisfied (Matthew 5:6).  I want the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3). I want to be comforted (Matthew 5:4). I want to inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).  

The Bible is full of promises from God that He will give us for pursuing him and being obedient to His Word.  Knowing that, we should be eager to pursue Him and allow Him to walk us through our “sicknesses” so we can be Healthy Believers who are Hungry in our pursuit of the Father so we are positioned to Receive all that He has for us! 

So take some time, get in His presence, and ask Him how you are doing!

Don’t forget to invite God into your day!

Psalm 34:8

Psalm 32:1-5