Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts of this, that he understands and knows me. That I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things."
 

They had met only a few weeks ago. Since then, there was flurry of e-mails and phone calls and notes. They talked into the wee hours of the night, not seeming to mind the loss of sleep. Their hunger to know about each other was almost insatiable. Such is the nature of love. When two people are attracted to each other, there is a desire—even a need—to learn as much as you possibly can about the other. Love feeds on this kind of information with a ravenous hunger. The more you get to know the person, the deeper the love grows. Should it be any different in our relationship with God? God doesn’t think so. Listen to what He says: “. . . let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows me.”
It seems so obvious. God wants us to know Him and understand Him. Yet, if we are honest, this is not a high priority with us as much as it should be. When we turn to His Word, it is not necessarily to know Him better. We are in search of understanding our life better: What are we supposed to do in life? What are we not supposed to do? How do we quit worrying? How can we overcome a grudge? What do we do when we are lonely or depressed? You know the list. Where do you turn when you are ___________? (Go ahead and fill in the blank.)
There is nothing wrong with seeking that kind of help. That is why God put those truths in the Word in the first place. But why is it not a priority of our hearts to first learn about His heart: What makes Him sad? What does He delight in? God has feelings. He gets jealous. He delights in our offerings. He gets angry. He yearns for fellowship with us. The more I learn about Him Learn of Me in His Word, the more my heart is ablaze with His joy and His love.
This is what He wants us to learn. God is not one to delight in suffering or unfairness. There is much in life that causes confusion as to why God allows certain things to happen. But the more we learn of Him, the more we will see and understand Him to be a God that delights in showing us kindness and in doing what is right. He can be trusted. No where better can His desire to exercise kindness, justice and righteousness be witnessed than on the Cross. The Cross alone helps us to learn all that we need to know about Him. 

What difference would it make in your walk—in its pace and in its direction—if Jesus were to open His Word to your heart?
Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish