Hungry for What Is Right
Month 4: The Teacher (Part 1) · Memory Verse
Today's Scripture
Read together: Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Memory Verse
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”— Matthew 5:6 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Kings 7-9
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 92 of 365 — the temple is finished and God's glory fills it.)The Heart of It
Everybody knows what it feels like to be really, really hungry. It's that gnawing, can't-think-about-anything-else hunger when a meal is late. And everyone knows raw thirst, when your mouth is dry and a cold drink is all you can imagine. Jesus reaches for two of the strongest feelings we have. He says this is how much His people long to be right with God and to do what is right. It's not a polite wish. It's a deep, daily craving. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
Here is the wonderful part, and it's worth tasting slowly. Jesus does not bless those who are perfectly righteous. He blesses those who hunger for it. The kingdom isn't for people who have arrived. It's for people who are still hungry. And He makes a promise to every hungry heart: "they will be filled." God never tells someone to long for goodness and then leaves them empty. When we come to Him hungry, He feeds us. He forgives us. He grows His own righteousness in us by His Spirit. And one day He satisfies us completely. So this week's verse isn't a command to feel guilty about. It's an invitation. Come to the table empty-handed and hungry, and you'll find that God always has enough.
Around the Table
When your tummy is hungry, you really want food! Jesus says we should want to do what's right just that much. And He will fill us up.
Let's do it: Rub your tummy and say, "I'm hungry to do what's right!" Then take a happy bite of a snack.
Jesus blesses people who want to be right with God, even before they get it perfect. Hungry hearts get filled.
Let's talk: What's something right you've been hungry to do lately? How could you ask God to help you do it?
Notice that Jesus blesses the hungry, not the already-good. The kingdom is for people still pressing in, who will be filled by grace and not by their own effort.
Let's go deeper: What's the difference between trying to earn righteousness and hungering for it? Which does Jesus bless?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the hungriest you've ever been? Now imagine wanting to do the right thing that much. What would you do differently this week?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Jesus promises the hungry "will be filled." That's a future certainty, not a maybe. Christianity isn't wishful thinking. It rests on the trustworthy word of the One who rose from the dead and keeps every promise. Hope grounded in His resurrection is hope you can defend ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
You can model spiritual hunger in your kids, but you cannot manufacture it. And yet a father's own appetite for God is wildly contagious. Children rarely catch a craving for righteousness from a parent who treats Bible time as a box to check. So ask yourself honestly tonight. Do I actually hunger and thirst for God? Or have I let lesser things fill me up? Augustine wrote that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. The cure for a dull heart isn't trying harder. It's feeding on Christ until the appetite returns. Lead your family to the table by getting hungry first.
Draws on: John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, make us hungry. Make us hungry to know You and to do what is right. We come to You empty. And we trust Your promise that You will fill us up. In Jesus' name, amen."
Blessed are the hungry, because God promises to fill them.