When People are BIG and God is small

I have a confession to make: I struggle with being a people-pleaser.

Yes, you read that right. Yes, this comes from a pastor. Yes, I'm aware of Galatians 1:10 where Paul says, "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." Yes, I'm aware of Psalm 29:25, which says, "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."

And yet, I still struggle with this sin. When I preach, I wish I could say that my motives were 100% pure. Unfortunately, many times there's a part of me that craves compliments and praises from people after proclaiming God's Word. Sometimes, I don't confront people with their sin because I want them to like me and accept me. Most of the time, I don't share my faith because I fear rejection from others. These confessions may come as a shock to you, but I am just being barebones honest here. And until today, I thought I was the only person that struggled with this sin.

However, I have begun to read Ed Welch's When People are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man. And I found out that this is a sin that nearly everyone deals with on some level or another. Here's some diagnostic questions that Welch submits for consideration. If you answer yes to any of these, you may also struggle with the sin of people-pleasing:

• Have you ever struggled with peer pressure?


• Are you over-committed? Do you find that it is hard to say no even when wisdom indicates that you should?


• Do you "need" something from your spouse? Do you "need" your spouse to listen to you? Respect you?


• Is self-esteem a critical concern for you?


• Do you ever feel as if you might be exposed as an impostor?


• Are you always second-guessing decisions because of what other people might think?


• Do you feel empty or meaningless? Do you experience "love hunger"?


• Do you get easily embarrassed?


• Do you ever lie, especially the little white lies?


• Are you jealous of other people?


• Do other people often make you angry or depressed? Are they making you crazy?


• Do you avoid people?


• Aren't most diets, even when they are ostensibly under the heading of "health," dedicated to impressing others?


• Have you ever been too timid to share your faith in Christ because others might think you are an irrational fool?

(pp. 15-17)

Welch then concludes, "Fear of man is such a part of our human fabric that we should check for a pulse if someone denies it." (17)

Do any of these observations describe you? If so, you may benefit from joining me on this journey. I will include my thoughts and observations as well as some great quotes from Welch as I carefully read through the book, as I examine my heart, and as I pray for God to help me to experience victory over this sin.

My prayer is not only for myself, but for you as well. If you struggle with this sin (as I suspect that Welch is on target regarding the nearly universal nature of this sin), I pray that you will benefit from my observations and thoughts. However, I will pray even more that you will spend some time examining your own heart in regards to these matters.

Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best Life Now, Pt 6

This is the sixth (and final) post of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.

To read part 1, click here.
To read part 2, click here.
To read part 3, click here.
To read part 4, click here.
To read part 5, click here.

Much of what I have discussed in these first 4 beatitudes has the immediate application for our salvation. The progression should accurately describe the experience of salvation. Yet, we need to remember that Jesus is primarily addressing his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. Therefore, the progression shown here should characterize the lives of Christ’s disciples throughout our entire lives. This progression is not simply a one time event at salvation, but a continuous cycle of sanctification from the moment we’re saved until the moment when we enter the presence of God.

I was reminded of that fact as I studied & prepared for this message. I don’t know about you, but there are many times in my life when I forget about my spiritual bankruptcy, apart from the grace of God. There are many times when I exalt myself, draw attention to myself, and think that I have some spiritual merit. As a result, I don’t mourn over my sin very often. I tend to rationalize it, make excuses for it, or even deny it, so I am often the opposite of meek. I am weak, but I am not meek. Since I don’t frequently admit the ongoing sins in my life, there are many times when I don’t hunger and thirst for righteousness. I am content to snack on righteousness, but that’s about it.

Yet God has shown me that if I am to truly be his disciple, I will continually remind myself of my spiritual poverty. I will mourn my sins against my Savior and mourn the sins of others. I will submit to God’s authority and not seek to explain away or defend myself. And by God’s grace, may my life be consumed with the hunger and thirst for Christ’s righteousness. May I see evidence of His grace in my daily life!

But, maybe I’m not alone. Maybe there are others reading this series of posts who have had the same experiences. Maybe you have forgotten about your spiritual poverty. Maybe it’s been a long time since you mourned over your sins and the sins of others. Maybe you are quick to defend yourself and your actions. Maybe you have forgotten the taste of Christ’s righteousness. Maybe today you will take the necessary steps to change that. Maybe today you will spend some time before the Father, and thank Him again for His amazing grace!

Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best Life Now, Pt 5

This is the fifth of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.

To read part 1, click here.
To read part 2, click here.
To read part 3, click here.
To read part 4, click here.

Jesus says in verse 6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

As we have already discussed, the Beatitudes build upon one another in a progressive fashion. The first 3 Beatitudes have been building momentum toward this verse, and so this fourth Beatitude is the result of the hopelessness of the first three. Those who recognize and mourn over their spiritual poverty, and stop trying to justify themselves will realize that there is no righteousness in themselves, and so they will seek to be filled with it from an outside source. They will hunger and thirst and will do anything to find righteous satisfaction.

This is difficult for us to truly comprehend because none of us have been close to starvation before. We may miss a meal here or there and feel hunger pangs for a while, but most likely, none of us truly know what it is like to really be hungry or thirsty. But, that wasn’t true for Jesus’ audience and it’s not true for many people today.

Just last week, 18 people were killed in a stampede in Pakistan as people rushed into a compound to get flour as part of a charitable giveaway. Don't just quickly read over that. Let that sink in. 18 people were killed just trying to get some flour. The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 1 out of every 4 people in Pakistan are undernourished, and 2 out of every 5 children under age 5 are underweight. They describe the state of hunger in Pakistan as “alarming”. These people know what it’s like to hunger and thirst. The longer that a person goes without food and water, the more they think about it. It doesn’t take long until it consumes them. They can’t think about anything else except satisfying their hunger. And they seek it out.

And that’s how Jesus describes someone who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. A person who realizes that they are about to experience spiritual starvation will do anything in order to satisfy that hunger. And this hunger for righteousness will only be satisfied by the righteousness of Christ. Psalm 107:9 says: “For (the Lord) satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.”

Jesus says in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Don’t miss the power of this verse. We, who are about to experience spiritual starvation apart from Christ, will now never spiritually hunger or thirst again once we are in Christ!

Paul says in 2 Cor 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In Christ, we inherit His perfect righteousness!

But, please notice that righteousness must be our motive to come to God. Not mere temporary happiness. Not your best life now. True and eternal happiness will only be granted to the one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness!

Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best Life Now, Pt 4

This is the fourth of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.

To read part 1, click here.
To read part 2, click here.
To read part 3, click here.

Jesus says in verse 5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” When it comes to the term meekness, there is much confusion in our day. Many people believe that meekness describes a personality trait, and a weak one at that. They confuse meekness with weakness, cowardice, and being a people-pleaser. In today’s culture of “looking out for #1”, meekness is not viewed as a highly valued attribute. Yet, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.” So, what is He talking about?

The word used for meekness in Matthew 5:5 can also be translated as "gentleness" or "one who is submissive". John MacArthur says, “Meekness means power put under control.” A meek person is not a weak person; a meek person is a submissive person. A meek person has realized and mourned the fact that they are spiritual bankrupt, and therefore they have no right to exalt themselves before God or other people. Thus, a meek person is a humble person, who instead of exalting themselves, willingly submits themselves to God and others. And the greatest example of meekness is none other than Jesus Christ.

Jesus never sought to defend himself or vindicate himself. In 1 Peter 2:21-23, the Bible says, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Here, we see that Jesus did not fight back whenever he was beaten, reviled, and falsely accused. Why? Because He was meek and did not seek to exalt Himself.

However, we see a very different picture of Jesus when we come to John 2:14-15. In this passage, Jesus found that the temple had basically become a sacrificial flea market. So, he made a whip of cords, drove everyone out of the temple, poured out the money, and overturned their tables. Yet, this is the same meek Jesus. So, what’s the difference? On this occasion, He is not seeking to exalt Himself, but He is seeking to honor God. He is not defending Himself, but He is defending God’s honor.

But, we often get this backwards. When someone makes us angry at work, or someone cuts us off in traffic, or someone spreads lies about us, or someone does just about anything to offend us, normally, we are quick to rush to defend ourselves. However, when someone blasphemes the name of our Lord or someone spreads false teachings about God, we often sit back and do nothing. Why? Because we don’t want to offend anybody. But, we’re not worried about offending someone when they have first offended us.

In the spirit of Christ, may we embrace His example of meekness! May we turn the other cheek when someone insults us or falsely accuses us. May we seek humility and submit ourselves to God's will for our lives. May we seek to become meek!

Stay tuned for Part 5 of this series later this evening!

Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best LIfe Now, Pt 3

This is the third of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.

To read part 1, click here.
To read part 2, click here.

Today, we'll talk about the second marker on the pathway to true happiness, and it will almost seem contradictory. The second marker to true happiness is mourning.

Jesus says in verse 4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” At face value, this verse would appear to be referring to the general topic of mourning, and there is certainly some truth to the fact that believers will be comforted when we mourn.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

However, if we rightly interpret the Beatitudes as a progressive teaching, then we can understand the context and meaning of who it is that mourns in verse 4. Jesus here shows that those who realize & acknowledge that they are spiritually bankrupt will then mourn over their hopeless state. They not only recognize their sinful state, but they also recognize the consequences of their sinful state, and that is definitely sufficient cause for mourning. We see evidence of this type of mourning in both the Old & New Testaments.

In the Old Testament, after David was confronted by Nathan regarding his sin with Bathsheba, he wrote Psalm 51. You can definitely sense the mourning and anguish that David felt over his sin as you read this psalm.

In the New Testament, James 4:8-10 tells us to “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Not exactly how I would describe a pleasant experience, yet this experience should be true in all of the lives of us who have become believers in Christ. All of us at some point in our lives before we were saved had to come face to face with the fact that we were spiritually bankrupt before God. In my own life, it happened on a hot July night while I was in college. And I began to weep. I began to mourn. I began to feel the heavy weight of my sin. I was disgusted with myself. I was appalled by my sin. I was horrified by my spiritual blindness. If you are a believer in Christ, then you should be able to recall a time when you mourned over your spiritual bankruptcy before God as well.

While the immediate context of verse 4 refers to mourning over personal sins and their consequences, there are other instances in which believers mourn over sin as well. We are to mourn when we see other brothers & sisters in Christ entangled in some sin.

When Paul writes his first letter to the Corinthians, he says in 5:1-2: “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” Paul says that our initial reaction when we find out that other believers are entangled in some type of sin is to mourn. However, most of the time, our initial reaction may be one of gossip, judgment, or even approval.

Another circumstance in which believers should mourn over sin is in regard to the society in general. In Psalm 119:136, David cries out, “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” And when we look at society and culture around us, we should have the same reaction as David. Our eyes should shed streams of tears for the evils of society. When we hear reports of racism & prejudice, our eyes should shed streams of tears. When we hear about ethical problems in politics, business, & medicine, our eyes should shed streams of tears. When we hear that over 2000 babies have been murdered in Louisville alone since January through abortion, our eyes should shed streams of tears. When soap operas, sitcoms, and shows like “Desperate Housewives” glorify the very sins that Jesus came to die for, our eyes should shed streams of tears.

But most of the time we don’t. At best, we ignore the sins of our culture. At worst, we feed, encourage, and support the sins of our culture. When was the last time that we wept and mourned over the sinfulness of our culture?

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And the reality is that only those who mourn over their own sins and the sins of others will be comforted.

But, what a comfort that will be! Revelation 21:4 says that God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

My prayer for you today is that you never forget the fact that apart from the grace of Christ, you are spiritually bankrupt. I also pray that whenever you do sin, or whenever you see others in sin, that you will mourn over the offense against God.

I realize this is a tough way to end this post. But, take heart that this is only the second marker on the way to true happiness! We're halfway there! See you tomorrow, as we will talk about Marker #3: Meekness.

Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best Life Now, Pt 2

This is the second of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.

To read part 1, click here.

Jesus says in verse 3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” If a person merely glances at this verse, it would be easy to conclude that Jesus is teaching that those who are physically & financially poor in this life will become rich in the next life because they will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, many have arrived at this conclusion. After all, Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 seems to support such a conclusion. Furthermore, there is a shorter account of the Beatitudes found in Luke’s gospel.
In Luke 6:20, Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor; for yours is the kingdom of God.” Therefore, it seems logical to conclude that Jesus is referring to the physically, financially, and materially poor.

However, before reaching that conclusion, we must understand a standard rule of biblical interpretation, which states that whenever you have two or more similar passages in the Bible, the clearer one explains the others, and Matthew 5:3 is definitely more specific than Luke 6:20. In Matthew's account Jesus qualifies his statement, “blessed are the poor in spirit.” Before we unpack what “poor in spirit” means, we need to understand another rule of biblical interpretation: whenever we try to interpret a vague passage such as Luke 6:20, our interpretation cannot contradict other clear teachings of Scripture.

And a clear teaching in the Bible is that we are to give to and support those who are poor among us. Jesus affirms giving to the needy in Matthew 6. James says in James 2:15-17, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘God in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Furthermore, Jesus told the rich ruler in Luke 18:22 to “sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

Therefore, the Bible is absolutely clear that we are to give to and provide for the poor. However, if Jesus is indeed teaching in Matthew 5:3 that the poor shall enter the kingdom of heaven, then it would make absolutely no sense to give anything to the poor. Why? Because if we gave to the poor, we would run the risk of helping them out of their poverty and thus forfeiting their share in the kingdom of heaven. The best thing for all us to do would be to burn all of our money and become penniless. Yet, that’s not what the Bible teaches, and that’s not what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 5:3.

So, what is Jesus teaching in Matthew 5:3? He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Who are the poor in spirit? The poor in spirit are those who recognize and acknowledge that they are spiritually bankrupt before God. They know that there is nothing that they can do to earn spiritual credit in God’s eyes. They recognize that they are sinners, and there is absolutely nothing that they can do to fix the situation.

The term that Matthew uses for “poor” here doesn’t just indicate being poor. It is the extreme form of being poor; it is begging poor. This describes the person that has absolutely no means of self-support. It is the person that comes to God empty-handed, with nothing to offer. They are at the mercy of God Himself. And the reality is that this describes all of us. There is nothing that any of us can do to improve our standing with God.

But that doesn’t mean that many people don’t try. Many people admit that they are not perfect, but they still believe that they are better than many other people. They have done some bad things in their life, but their good deeds far outweigh their bad deeds. They feel that they have done enough good things in order to be on good terms with God. They falsely believe that they are not spiritually bankrupt. They never come to the realization that there’s nothing that they can do to inherit eternal life, and therefore, there’s no need for God’s intervention. Pride has blinded their eyes to their true standing before God. And theirs is not the kingdom of heaven.

Yet for those who do realize and acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy before God, Jesus makes a glorious promise: “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When a person takes their spiritual poverty to God, He makes them rich by giving them a glorious inheritance!

But, that’s just part of the story. That’s just the first marker on the pursuit of happiness. As we will see, the Beatitudes are to be understood in a progressive manner. Each successive Beatitude builds upon the previous one. And so tomorrow, we will turn our attention to the second marker: mourning.

But for now, spend some time thinking about the fact that all of us are spiritually bankrupt before God, and desperately need a Savior. Be thankful for that Savior, Jesus Christ. If you are a believer in Christ, spend some time praising the love, mercy, and grace of your heavenly Father who did not leave you in your spiritual poverty!

Why the Pursuit of Happiness Will Not Lead to Your Best Life Now Pt. 1

This is the first of a 6-part series of posts based upon the sermon I preached at Morningside Baptist Church on September 20, 2009 from Matthew 5:3-6. For audio of that message, please click here.


On July 4, 1776, the 56 members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. In the second paragraph of the Declaration, we find the most famous words in the document:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In one of the most defining moments in our nation’s history, our Founding Fathers established that all men have the right to pursue happiness. And to our credit, we definitely have not let the Founding Fathers down. In fact, we pursue happiness more than just about anything else:

We often pursue happiness more than holiness.
We pursue pleasure more than piety.
We pursue riches more than righteousness.
We pursue our comfort more than our Creator.

Yet the pursuit of happiness is not necessarily a bad thing. As we come to Matthew 5:3-6, we come to Jesus’ opening words of the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, which are a series of 8 blessings that Jesus proclaims to introduce His sermon. Each of the beatitudes begin with the word “Blessed”, which means “Happy” or “Fortunate”.

However, it is difficult for us to understand what Jesus means by “happiness” here, because of our misuse of the word in modern times. We often interpret happiness solely as an emotion based upon temporary circumstances. If the circumstances in our lives are going well, then we are happy. If I eat chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream from Graeter’s, then I’m happy. If I watch a funny movie, then I’m happy. If I ride a roller coaster at Cedar Point or King’s Island, then I’m happy. When I was a child and I got an A on a test, I was happy, and I got a smiley-face sticker to further display my happiness.

However, this emotional state based upon temporary circumstances cannot be what Jesus is referring to in the Beatitudes. As we will see, Jesus in essence says, “Happy are those who mourn. Happy are the meek. Happy are those who are persecuted, reviled, and falsely accused.” If we interpret happiness as simply an emotion based upon current circumstances, none of these statements make sense. So, what does Jesus mean here?

Jesus’ definition of happiness in the Beatitudes is not based upon temporary circumstances, but eternal circumstances. He is referring to the lasting state of joy & well-being that is only true of disciples of Christ. Remember that the Sermon on the Mount was primarily addressed to those who have confessed & repented of their sins, and put their faith in Christ alone for salvation. Therefore, in these opening Beatitudes, Jesus describes the pursuit to true happiness for his disciples. So, let's examine 4 markers on the path to true happiness, found in Matthew 5:3-6.

Check back tomorrow as we will begin to examine each of these markers in greater detail.

Be Like David, Not Like Mike

While a repairman serviced our air conditioner a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I watched the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. We witnessed quite a contrast between the speeches of Michael Jordan (proud and arrogant) and David Robinson (humble and grateful). Voddie Baucham has written a very helpful analysis of the two speeches here. It's definitely worth 5 minutes to check it out!

Blogging for the Glory of God

In the past, I have made a few attempts at blogging. A couple of the attempts were productive, while a couple of the other attempts were not. My most productive blogging attempt was while I served as the Sunday School Director of Highland Park First Baptist Church here in Louisville. I (sporadically) maintained a Sunday School blog, which was primarily used to keep those wonderful teachers updated and equipped for the challenging task before them. I am very thankful for that experience (both the ministry experience & the blogging experience), and I will attempt to build upon that knowledge in this new endeavor.

Since I have become the privileged pastor of Morningside Baptist Church, I have taken a break from blogging, but have been busy over at Twitter. However, I feel that the time is right to re-enter the blogosphere.

So, welcome to "Righteous Satisfaction". The name of this blog is based upon Matthew 5:6, in which Jesus states: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (ESV) In these introductory words of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus summarizes what should be the goal in the lives of his disciples: to hunger & thirst for righteousness.

However, in order to truly feel the weight of this statement, we need to back up and understand the three previous verses (Matthew 5:3-5). These three verses are the first three beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, and they build upon one another before we come to our primary verse of interest. In verse 3, Jesus says "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Here, Jesus is focusing on those who recognize that they are spiritually bankrupt, apart from the grace of God and the work of Christ. In verse 4, Jesus says "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy before God rightly mourn their helpless state. They mourn the fact that they have sinned against God. They mourn the fact that they have profaned the God who created them. In verse 5, Jesus says "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Here, Jesus is not referring to being a coward, but to one who does not attempt to justify or defend himself against the slander, mistreatment, and insults of others. Similarly, when those who recognize their spiritual poverty and rightly mourn over it, they will not then seek to justify themselves before God. Instead, they will seek One who will justify them. They seek One who will deliver them from their spiritual poverty. They will seek the One who can comfort them. They will seek for the One who can make them righteous. They will realize their desperation, and they will hunger and thirst for this righteousness. And when they find that, through the work of Christ, they have been declared righteous, then they will be satisfied.

These first four beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount rightly point out the unbeliever's need for salvation in Christ. Yet, Jesus is primarily addressing His disciples, so this teaching applies both to them, and to His disciples in 2009. I remember the brokenness & helplessness that I felt when I first realized my many offenses against God. I rightly mourned and grieved over my sin. I realized that I had absolutely no defense against a perfect and holy God. I rightly deserved my sentence of eternal punishment in hell. Yet, God began to move in my heart and reveal to me that there was hope! I could gain the righteousness that I had so desperately lacked, but only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's the good news of the gospel!

As God radically and completely saved me, my hunger & thirst for righteousness grew. I wanted to live for God. I wanted to honor God. I wanted to worship God. However, as time went on, the lines began to blur. I began to confuse the blessings of God for my talents and skills. I began to trust in my own creativity and power. I began to live for myself. I had forgotten the fact that I was spiritually bankrupt, apart from Christ. I no longer mourned over my sins. Instead, I began to make excuses for my sins, ignore my sins, or blame my sins on others. To put it simply and bluntly, I was no longer meek, but was focused on defending myself. My hunger & thirst for righteousness was more like a snack here and there. Instead, my appetite was more focused on glorifying myself rather than glorifying God.

Have you been there? Does this describe your life? If so, there's hope for you!

That's why I have begun "Righteous Satisfaction". God, in His grace, has made me realize my spiritual poverty once more. By His grace, I have come to realize many sins in my life for which I mourn. He has shown me that I have nothing to boast about, except for the fact that He has chosen to save even a sinner like me. Finally, He has shown me that to hunger & thirst for righteousness is not a one-time event at salvation, but it is a lifetime of dependence upon Jesus Christ. It is a continuous quest of being satisfied in Christ alone.

So, what's the point to all of this? This blog is written by one who does not have all of the answers about life. But, I know the One who does. And as He has revealed in His Word, the goal of His disciples is to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and only He can satisfy that need. And praise God, because He has promised to do so.!

So, over the coming days, weeks, months, and (hopefully) years, "Righteous Satisfaction" will seek to fuel your hunger and thirst for the glory of God and the righteousness that only He can provide. May God bless you in your walk with Christ!