“How enriched you are when you crave righteousness! For you will be satisfied.”  Matthew 5:6 TPT

What does it mean to crave righteousness?  

Righteousness has been defined as right thinking, feeling, speaking, and behavior on the part of disciples of the kingdom, those who do what God approves and commands.   So simply to crave righteousness is to seek that right standing with God.  Such a pursuit is the focus of all religion.  Every zealot is seeking to please his particular deity in every requirement commanded by that god.   But in seeking to please their god the religious ones tend to be after some benefit to satisfy a need.  Abundant crops, favor in business, fruitful livestock, fame, fortune, power…..    in religion all these things are to be the real motivation.

This pursuit is actually a never ending task driven by the quality of one’s performance for the god in question.   Even the righteousness of the law of Moses was obtained only by fulfilling the whole of the law which was humanly impossible.  In fact the whole purpose of the law was to show us our utter helplessness in following it completely.  

In reality Jesus fullfilled all the righteous requirements of the law for us and has supplied us with the grace to walk in His victory.   So satisfaction comes to believers not because of our hard work but as a result of our seeking Papa’s presence. 

Ever since the cross, righteousness comes as a free gift thus enabling us to seek after Papa’s very heart with all our heart, all our passion, all our energy, and our every thought.   That grace for righteousness energizes us to where we, mere humans empowered by the very Spirit of God himself.   It is in the seeking that we prove the grace given us to accomplish the goal of satisfaction.