The Lord said: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is to desire truth so badly that it is like being hungry for food or thirsty for water. It means to want light and truth more than you want anything else. More than entertainment, more than relationships, more than food or sleep.
Note that “they shall be filled” does not mean that they will not desire more truth. Jesus also said: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
When God reveals new truth to a man, or gives a man light and truth to any degree, he:
- Is surprised, because it will expand or counter what he previously thought.
- Will have an insatiable appetite for more.
For instance, after God revealed a great deal of truth to Moses, Moses said: “I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him.” (Moses 1:18) God had answered questions Moses didn't even know he had. Yet, despite the inundation of information from God, he immediately wanted more.
Your desire is synonymous with your diligence, because if you have the one, you have the other.
Diligence in seeking truth is comprised of three components: your effort, your motivations, and your time.
Effort is the answer to the question, what do you do? Do you search for truth wherever you can find it, and on all topics? Or do you just confine it to overtly spiritual topics and/or those that do not touch your sacred cows? Do you believe you can learn something from anyone you meet and that God will use your everyday situations to teach you more about him and about yourself?
Motivation is your answer to the question, why do you do what you do? Your reason ends up informing how you do things. For example, if you want the truth above all else, you will be willing to believe others know more than you. When you read the scriptures searching for truth, you will pray to ask God to guide you, and you will stop and pursue your questions every time you read something you don’t understand. When it comes to pondering why you do what you do, it is absolutely essential to be earnest, sincere, and honest. Almost all of our deviations from truth come from dishonesty about why we are doing what we do and not doing what we don’t do.
Time is the answer to how long you do what you do. What percentage of your discretionary time do you spend searching for truth? What do you do when you have a free minute?