BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

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s a child, I was fortunate to live in a home where there was always food on the table. I never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from.

However, I do recall times that my mother would “close” the kitchen and my older brothers and I were not allowed to come back in until mealtime. I can remember pleading for even some small snack, like peanut butter and crackers. I was so hungry, or so I thought. The truth is, I wasn’t really hungry—I was bored, and eating was the easiest diversion.

The “hunger and thirst for righteousness” Jesus speaks about cannot be satisfied with some small substitute. It goes so much deeper. This hunger and thirst for righteousness, or freedom from sin, can be satisfied only by a daily personal relationship with God.

We must have this relationship in order to be sustained from day to day.

We will only be satisfied when we feed on Jesus, “the bread of life” (John 6:35).

Only a daily relationship with Him can refresh us from the pressures and stresses of life. We find this relief in the “rivers of living water” (7:38) that flow out from our innermost being when we know Jesus.

As children of God and disciples of Christ, when we experience a heaven-sent move of God, our lives will be drawn to Him in such a way that no substitute can ever satisfy. We will not be satisfied with just hearing about Him or reading about Him. rather, our hearts will have a voracious appetite for His power and presence in our lives. We will be desperate to experience more of Him.

When we “hunger and thirst for righteousness” and are “blessed” as Jesus promised (Matt. 5:6 NKJV), it is not so we can have health, wealth, or fame. It is not so we can simply have a “touch” from the lord. God blesses us so we will in turn bless other people.

We are blessed to be a blessing.

This is more than just a catch phrase. The mission of my congregation is, “We are blessed to be a blessing and to make His name known.” over the past two years, I have seen God move in mighty ways as people have begun to pass on the blessings they have received to others. Our prayer is that as we bless others, doors will open for sharing Christ.

As God’s people begin to bless others according to the blessings they have received from Him, it drives them to a deeper relationship with Him. It creates in them a “hunger and thirst for righteousness.” It gives them an insatiable appetite for the Word of God and the power of His Holy Spirit so they can be closer to Him, experience more of His blessings, and bless more people with the story and love of Christ.

As we hunger and thirst for God’s ways and freedom from sin, we will in turn bless others, making more disciples who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness.