Scripture:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
Thought for the day:
I don’t usually get people hanging out in the kitchen waiting for me to put the last touches on the presentation of an exquisite meal so they can dive in; on the other hand, my wife is often creating a masterpiece meal the moment she wakes for a meal.
You see, I can envision the perfect meal. I can hunger and thirst for it. I can picture the meat cooked to perfection; I can imagine the most complementary side dishes; I conceive an incredible dessert to finish the meal. But I can’t make it. I’ve tried! If that perfect meal is happening in our house, it is my wife is making it. She is the master chef. My best is: “YES!”
If my wife says, “Do this,” (in preparation for the masterpiece meal) I do it; if she says, “Do that,” I do it. Oh, I may grumble, but I know that obedience to the one who is able, is the only way I am going to satisfy my hunger and thirst for that perfect meal.
That means that while she is shopping, I may be sweeping the house.
When she is cooking, I may be setting the table…
When she is exhausted after the meal, I will be doing the dishes…
Enjoying a perfect meal requires me to remember that my desires are not the lynchpin to perfection, rather I have to give in order to receive.
The same goes for our faith! It isn’t so much eternity in heaven that makes our faith journey so wonderful, it is the journey itself.
When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we acknowledge that there is a master in our life, one upon whom we are totally dependent to get us to perfection. That master, is Jesus Christ.
Our hunger and thirst along the way encourages us to make the changes necessary in our lives to allow for that image of perfection to manifest itself. Our best is “YES!” “Yes, Lord! I am here to do that which you want of me so that I can enjoy your perfect presence.”
That what this life is all about. It is about preparing ourselves for perfection. Preparing ourselves for that glorious transformation as God’s people means, embracing the yoke of obedience. Do what God needs us to do in preparation for the divine masterpiece. So, when Christ calls us to forgive others, our best is “YES!” When Savior calls us to love others, our best is “YES!” When Jesus says: “Feed my sheep,” our best is “YES!”
Prayer for the day:
Savior God, help us to prepare for perfection by embracing the yoke of obedience as we seek to say, “YES!” to all that you require of us. Amen.