faithrunner

Hunger and thirst are two natural desires that keep us alive. Both drive us to food and water that sustain us physically.  When Jesus looked across the crowd that had gathered to hear him introduce "the kingdom of God" that was near, he blessed those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness . ( Matthew 5:6 ) And, he promised those folks would be satisfied . In my analogy of spiritual growth in my book, A New Way of Living , this Beatitude is the summit of our spiritual climb to be like Jesus. Climbing the summit of God's mighty presence is a journey that begins by exposing our tremendous lack of personal resources. And like on a physical climb, when our resources run out, we begin to hunger and thirst. The difference is that in tackling a mountain of spiritual growth, what we hunger and thirst for is refreshment only God can give our craving souls. (130) Righteousness is a characteristic of God ( Psalm 48:10 ). It describes our standing before God in Christ J...

I want to kick off my new year on the topic of spiritual wellness. It is a primary theme in my new book , A New Way of Living: Practicing the Beatitudes Everyday .  Much has been written about physical wellness and how exercise and diet are essential elements to health and longevity, but how do you know if you are spiritually well? The Beatitudes --like physical vital signs -- can serve as a baseline for your spiritual health . How can you know where you are in your spiritual development? Just as you would take your pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and rate of breathing to measure your health physically, you can gauge your spiritual health by measuring your attitudes and behavior against what Jesus considered "blessed" in his teachings recorded in Matthew 5:3-10 . Jesus not only blessed certain spiritual conditions as he looked out over his disciples and the crowd that gathered to hear him, but I believe he also revealed characteristics of who he wanted his...