Hungry for Righteousness

One of the surest signs of being “born again” is a genuine hunger for righteousness and holiness. Nothing in our lives is more natural to man’s original nature, before sin, than a pure and unadulterated heart. It is the way we were created and it’s the nature of marvelous peace and contentment to be holy. Apostle Paul said, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17) These three characteristics go together: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. You cannot have one without the other. The blended nature of saintliness is manifest in the equal part of these three actions by the Spirit of God. You cannot have lasting peace or lasting joy without righteousness, nor can you have lasting righteousness without God’s peace and joy.

If righteousness were up to us to produce, it would be impossible. David, a man after GodÂ’s own heart, tried and failed miserably. The Bible never covers the sins of the Biblical characters, not to condone sin but to reveal menÂ’s helplessness before Jesus came. Obeying the laws was meant to be a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. Grace is not an excuse for sin, but the power of God at work to defeat sin. If man cannot be righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then His death was in vain. He is fully ready and fully sufficient to save us from the guttermost to the uttermost. Saints are happy and full of joy because they have been made pure.

The Antichrist will be loved by the world because he will offer a religion without the expectation of righteousness, while the Christ of God was hated and rejected because He made no compromise with sin. His disciples proclaimed, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” (2 Corinthians 6:17) The most prominent thing about the Antichrist will be the total absence of the clarion call to a godly lifestyle. Even presently, the spirit of Antichrist is robbing a multitude of hunger for righteousness. Jesus said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Sin is as a fire of iniquity that renders the soul of man broken, depleted, and worn out. Righteousness is the life of God implanted in us by the Divine work of the Holy Spirit, and it is so full of the nature of God that our joy erupts with praise and adoration back to Him. The first taste of true righteousness in a new convert is like heaven in the soul. That’s the first love that Jesus called the church of Ephesus to reclaim by doing their first works over. “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5) Notice that they did not lose their first love, they left it.

When you leave your first love, you lose your hunger for righteousness. Many Christians have left that love, and now they are wandering in the wilderness of disobedience looking for an imitation. Many get satisfied with a religious concoction by one of the latest religious fads, but the joy of the Lord is missing. They may console themselves with a little religious emotion or some intellectual idea of religion, but these do not satisfy way down on the inside. Few of the books being printed by the majority of religious publishers carry the theme of consecration, cross bearing, sacrificing the human will, Biblical sanctification, or a strong call to holiness. Visit every conference, go to as many Meccas where something strange is happening, but then check your spiritual pulse and ask, “Am I more hungry for righteousness?” Does your heart “…panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)

The search today is for more religion or another religious event, but the saint of God is hungry after His righteousness. The godly saint is actually happier in the prayer closet, at the church altar, or having quiet time in a great book of the Bible. The religious want another book, but the saint of God wants another prayer meeting, or another night to wait on God. Great religious events have replaced the local church having a harvest of revival. Most books are being written by many of us trying to correct all of us. Our greatest need is to become hungry for God and His active working in our hearts. The Psalmist said, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalm 37:4) Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)