The Real Meaning of Life

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” – Matthew 5:6

This is one of the beatitudes Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount. A beatitude, as defined by Merriam-Webster is a “state of bliss”, synonymous with joy and happiness. It is obvious to me, that if we follow these teachings of Christ, our lives will be full of joy and happiness. Everything taught by Jesus and instructed by God is for our own peace of mind and body.

As Jesus went through the land with His disciples teaching, a great number of people who were amazed at his wisdom began to follow Him. And on this particular day, He went to stand on a hill and give His blessings, the event becoming known as the Sermon on the Mount.

“Blessed are those who hunger and third for righteousness”. We live in a sinful world, sin that was introduced to God’s perfect world by Satan, and ever since then, we are born into a sinful world as sinners.  Anyone who has had a toddler knows they are naturally selfish and easily throw temper tantrums until they are taught differently by their parents. But as we learn to love our Creator, God, we begin to want to obey Him out of a love for Him, not fear, but love.

Just like those who remain faithful to their spouse because they love them and do not want to hurt them, we need to follow God’s Fatherly rules because we love Him and don’t want to hurt Him. And as Jesus says, if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we will be blessed. It doesn’t mean we will reach perfection because we are still sinners, but we should live our lives in pursuit of it.

And not only will we be blessed for our efforts, but we will also be filled. The closer we get to God and to sincerely love Him, the more we will be filled with Him. It’s like falling in love with your spouse, it doesn’t happen overnight, it is a slow process that is full of struggle and doubt, but eventually before you know it, you have fallen in love with God so much that you don’t want to disappoint or sadden Him, and when we do, we’re full of remorse.

We are given this blessing freely. Won’t you accept this free gift from God?