The word blessed is kind of awesome. In the original Greek it means happy. Jesus starts out his message on the hill by telling the people how to be happy! I love being happy and I'm sure you do to so I think it is worth taking a closer look at what He has to say.
In Matthew 5:6 Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled." This is such a cool concept because it is impossible for us to be righteous because we are human. When I have a fit of road rage while I am driving or I do something out of selfish ambition I am being unrighteous. You see, it is impossible for us to be righteous on our own and I think Jesus knew that and that's why he said we should hunger and thirst for righteousness.
When I hunger and thirst for righteousness I am looking for ways and situations to act in a correct and Godly manner. It changes my perspective on my day. It is overwhelming to wake up and say, "I am going to do everything with integrity and purity today" but it is doable to say, "I am going to search out situations where I can act with honesty and integrity".
I tried this concept this week and I was surprised how many situations I could find where I had the opportunity to act righteously when I was seeking it. The best part was the happy, content, fulfilled feeling I had at the end of the day knowing I did what was right!
