Having a Kingdom Attitude 4

Having a Kingdom Attitude means having a less stressed life than those who walk by their own set of rules. Matthew 5:6 gives us another principle for how a Christian is to live in this world - "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled." When we look at both words "hunger" and "thirst" in the Greek, they describe the extreme of both situations. Hunger means starving to the point of death, and thirst means to be dry or completely parched. Those who have the Kingdom mindset realize that without God's righteousness and obedience to His way, the end result is death. So, a true believer will do all they can to feast and live on God's righteousness alone.

We find an example to this verse in John 6:22-71. Jesus has just finished feeding at least five thousand people. The next day a large crowd makes their way to Jesus, they want to follow Him. As we look closely we see that following Jesus does not mean that you truly hunger and thirst for His righteousness. The people are clearly coming for a magic show not to be true followers of Christ. So, what does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? First, we need to put aside our physical desires (6:22-40). Physical desire by their own definition seek to satisfy self or the flesh. Physical desires try to bring Jesus down to our level. Second, we need to recognize and submit to God's work in our life (6:41-51). God alone calls people to Himself and that work is only accomplished through Jesus Christ. Lastly, we must come to the point in our lives in which we recognize and confess that Christ is all we need. Even when you don't understand the cost, just follow Christ's way. Submit the the Holy Spirit's control even when you can't see the next move. John Piper's famous quote sums this up: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied with Him." When we are completely satisfied with Christ Jesus, then our life will be less stressful. Until next time, keep walking close to Christ.