City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

How enriched you are when you crave righteousness! For you will be surrounded with fruitfulness.

Matthew 5:6 (The Passion Translation)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verse shows us what to have an appetite for. Hungering for righteousness leads to satisfaction. Conversely, hungering for other things leaves you unsatisfied. 

This is also true with natural food. A lot of times the things we crave like hamburgers, pizza, and donuts are high caloric but have little nutritional value–which is why you overeat or keep eating those kinds of things. They don’t truly satisfy or give your body what it needs to keep everything running efficiently. 

However, with things that are not typically “crave-worthy” like carrots, apples, and greens, they are nutrient-dense and will satisfy if you simply eat it. But we tend to gravitate towards other things and deprive ourselves of the nutrients that our bodies so desperately need. 

A good example of this tendency is also seen in the wilderness when the Israelites experienced a mass Exodus from their bondage of slavery in Egypt. While God generously provided supernatural manna from heaven every day for the Israelites to sustain them in the wilderness, they craved the garlic, onions, and leeks they used to eat back in Egypt (See Numbers 11). 

I love the way The Passion Translation above phrases Matthew 5:6–you are enriched when you crave righteousness. This should teach us to pay attention to our cravings.

Application

What are you craving? This is easily gauged by the way you spend your time, the kinds of activities you engage in, conversations you have, what you spend your money on, time on, thoughts and energy on, etc. Although we’re far from perfect, and I’m hardly advocating to spend all your time in a Christian bubble, there should be a healthy hunger for things like Bible study, prayer, worship, spending time with your spiritual family, and obeying God. 

Those are the types of things that satisfy us on a soul level. When we actually enjoy what God has made available to us through faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enriched and satisfied. Let’s make it a point to work up an appetite for righteousness! 

Prayer

Father God, thank You for sparking a new hunger in me for righteousness. I want to nourish and grow strong in my desire and affection for You. You hold me together and make me whole. You satisfy me to the core. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.