The question Jesus asks in Matthew 5:6 is….”Do we possess a craving hunger and thirst for God’s righteous life? The promise? “If we do, we will be filled.”

Main Points:

1. Because of our lack of hunger, it may be difficult for us to understand this particular beatitude. We rarely hunger and thirst after anything, so we miss the urgency of these words.

2. If you and I want righteousness, we can have it. If you want a closer relationship with God, you can have it. Jesus provides the way. If you want to do God’s will, you can. If you want to grow spiritually, you can. You have to hunger for it.

3. How do we maintain a hunger for the righteousness of God? We make knowing God our number one goal in life.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

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

James 4:8 - “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Psalm 107:9 - “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

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Here’s what I want you to think about today: Whatever you are going to do for God, you need to do it now. What is it that God has put on your heart to do? What burden are you carrying? What calling do you have on your life? Have you been saying, “Someday I want to serve God in a particular way? Someday I want to do this for God.” Hear this word. Someday is today. Someday is now.

Main Points:

1. We cannot put off until tomorrow what God is calling us to do today. The days, weeks, months, and years are going by, and they are going by quickly. We cannot go back and change the past, but we can do something about today.

2. So, let’s get to it. Let’s get started. Not tomorrow, but today. What has God put on your heart to do? What passion to serve the Lord do you carry? Let’s get started. What can you do today? What small step can you take right now?

3. I don’t know what God is speaking to your heart, but I do know the Holy Spirit is always calling us to go, to serve, and to step out into the plan of God. Fear and busyness cause us to delay and to wait. They lead us to put off until tomorrow the things God has put on our hearts.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 49:7 - “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them.”

Job 14:5 - “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Ephesians 5:16 - “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Proverbs 27:1 - “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

James 4:13-15 - “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

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Maybe today you feel alone. Perhaps due to your mistakes and failures you have isolated yourself from others. Maybe you are struggling and you wonder where God is. Possibly, you feel as if you are on the far side of the wilderness. Stand on this truth from God’s Word: He will never leave you or forsake you.

Main Points:

1. This morning as I was reading my Bible, I found myself in Exodus chapter three. It’s the story where Moses meets God at the burning bush. Six words leaped off the page as I read the familiar story. It says Moses was on “the far side of the wilderness.” Moses wasn’t just in the wilderness, he was on the far side of the wilderness. What is the wilderness? The dictionary defines it as “an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region.” In other words, Moses was as isolated as a person could get.

2. Yet, on the far side of the wilderness, with not another person in sight, Moses was not alone. It’s here Moses has a life-changing encounter with God. He is reminded he is not alone, he is not forgotten, and God’s purpose for his life has not changed.

3. Moses never forgot about the day he encountered God at the burning bush. It was a revelation of God’s continued purpose and plan for his life, but the greater lesson for Moses was the necessity of God’s presence.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Exodus 3:1 - "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness..."

Psalm 139:7-10 - “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Exodus 33:15-16 - “Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

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Did you know you have been chosen by God? There is a place for all of us on God’s team. God has a place for you. It’s the right fit, the right opportunity, and the right assignment. God has place for you where you will thrive, a place that fits your gifting, your passions, and your calling. You have been chosen.

Main Points:

1. In the sovereignty of God, he prepared us for this moment in our lives. Not only has He given us opportunity, but he has equipped us through our various kinds of training. He has given us experiences that would give us the necessary knowledge and understanding. He has place mentors in our lives that will help shape our character. He has placed within you spiritual gifts. He has given you aptitudes, talents, and skills. You are right where God wants you to be. Why? Because He has chosen and appoint you.

2. Why did God select us? We feel so unworthy. We often feel unqualified. Surely, God could have found someone else who is more capable and more proficient.

3. Yet, God is not looking for the most talented, the most qualified, the most educated. He does not select on the criteria that men do. God is looking at the heart. Do you have a heart after me? Will you follow me? Will you serve for my glory? Will your ambition be the glory of God?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 15:16 - “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

John 15:4 - “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

John 15:5 - “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

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I sat and thought for a moment. How much do I love the Word of God? Having access to the Bible my entire life, has it become common place? Do I take it for granted? I began to pray and ask God for a renewed love for His Word. I prayed for a fresh hunger to know God more through the pages of Scripture.

Main Points:

1. You and I are to be people of the Word. The Bibles we possess are the very words of God. The chapters and verses are not simply the thoughts and insights of man, nor are they just historical stories of ancient peoples.

2. Because God has revealed His Word through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and because it is infallible and without error, the Bible is authoritative rule of faith and conduct. We accept the Bible as the final and unchanging authority for what we believe and how we are to live.

3. Since this is true, the Bible must become our daily spiritual food. We must become people of the Word. We must allow scripture to shape our worldview. Through the pages of the Bible we come to know God in a personal way. We discover His will for our lives and we learn how to please Him.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Peter 1:20-21 - “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.”

Psalm 119:105 - “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Psalm 119:47-48 - “…for I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees.”

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As we have journeyed through life, you and I have experienced the comfort God can give. We know what it is like to feel his presence. We know the comfort God can give to a weary soul. The Bible also teaches us that we should use the comfort God has given us, and comfort others.

Main Points:

1. As we study the scripture, we begin to realize God wants to use us as His agents of comfort to others. Since we have experience in facing life’s challenges, but have also received God’s comfort, we should be ready, willing, and available to express this comfort to others.

2. One of my convictions is that in the body of Christ, no one should struggle alone. We are to be there for one another. Sometimes comfort is not found in the words we say. Have ever thought, “I don’t even know what to say?” Comfort is often not received in our words, but more so by our presence. I call this the ministry of presence. It’s a ministry to just sit and be with those who are suffering or grieving. The simple act of holding someone’s hand, a hug, and a prayer for God’s peace can comfort a heart that is hurting.

3. We bring comfort by sharing how God has sustained us through our hard times. Remind them of God’s presence. Encourage them to know God will never leave them or forsake them. Comfort them with the comfort you have received from God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 34:18 - “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

Romans 12:15 - “…mourn with those who mourn.”

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Jesus prayed His followers would be united in heart and purpose. Unity is the oneness or harmony of believers in Jesus Christ. It is our relationship with Christ that unites us with each other. We are to be united in essential doctrine, mission and purpose, and love for one another.

Main Points:

1. Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples. He knew if they would work together in unity, a unity that comes from the love of Christ, they would be effective in their mission. But if they allow division to come into their midst, if they began to fracture their relationships, they would be ineffective.

2. Though we are different in many ways, Jesus calls us together in unity of purpose and mission. We love one another and live in harmony with each other. In a broken and divided world, this unity will be so compelling and so contagious that the world around us will see that Jesus is the source of our unity.

3. How do we maintain this kind of unity? Each of us must search our hearts and ask sincere questions. How can I support the purpose and mission of God’s church? What small differences should I let go of? Which personal preferences should I relinquish in light of God’s greater plan for His church? How can I show more love to my brothers and sisters in Christ?

Today’s Scripture Verses:

John 17:20-21 - “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)

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Why is it important to have a biblical or godly perspective? Our perspective should be the same as the God we serve. We want to see and interpret things the way God does. This will only happen as we make the Bible the lens through which we see the world. You’ll never see things the way God does until you see things through the lens of scripture.

Main Points:

1. It’s common to hear people, in a moment of disagreement say, “I don’t see it that way.” As Christ-followers, we need to ask the question, “How does God see it?” We then reframe our perspective to match how God sees things.

2. Our perspective matters because it influences our beliefs, values, our lifestyle, our mindset, and our attitude.

3. Determine that the Bible will be the lens through which you see and interpret the World. As you do, you’ll begin to see things the way God does.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 - “ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

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