Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV)

When we first hear about God, we think about good and evil, heaven and hell. Little thought went into his character because we did not have a relationship with him. This first impression was limited because the devil tells us God is a rule maker and he will punish you for breaking them. Besides, he wants to impose limits on you and have you live a dull, sterile life. What fun is there in being good? Look at all that you have to give up if you choose to live a holy life!

Only a curious person would pursue a better understanding of the Almighty. The Bible is nearly 2,000 pages long and written in a way that many people would not understand unless someone explained their meaning. Given the right resources, a man will soon develop a passion for getting to know God. In fact, some of his prayers were answered, hooking him into a stronger desire to know more about Jesus. And as he continues to seek the Lord, he becomes awestruck by his truths and magnificence. Some would say this kind of personal revelation as indescribable because Jesus made a connection with us in a way that only we can understand.

As I have shared before, God connected with me through my love of reading. I read the book of Matthew in one sitting because every sentence made sense to me. It was a page turner because I wanted to see what Jesus was going to do next. I read with my eyes looking for the next miracle, each reinforcing a hope that he would do something for me one day. Bible reading became a habit and I developed an appetite to read more books about God. The more I learned, the more of him I wanted.

It is boastful for me to think that I initiated a pursuit of God, when in fact, he was the One chasing after me. I have come to a point where I now understand that I am nothing without him, and that in him I have everything. And for that, I am proud to be called his child. I have a Dad again and I am grateful for so many reasons and much more. I pray that more people would have that same enlightening experience because our burdens become lighter when we understand who he is and how much he loves us.