Word To the Wise

Proverbs 3:7-8 “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.” Yesterday I went to have my wisdom teeth removed. As I lay in the dentist’s chair completely numb to the pain of what sounded like my jaw bone collapsing under pressure, I wondered what word God might have for me. I didn’t get any confirmation in that moment, but this morning I found myself in Proverbs 3. After taking five years of Latin in high school, I think the only thing I retained was the fact that Socrates was known as the wisest man “because he knew that he knows nothing.” This very much echoes the truth told in scripture hundreds of years prior, that you are not to “be wise in your own eyes.” Lord as I get older, I think I need to more proactively resist this idea of self-wisdom. All wisdom comes from you and you alone. Thank you for being so good to me, and providing all the wisdom and guidance that I need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

True Freedom

Genesis 2:16 “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden- except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” A couple years back, I sat next to Singapore’s Education Minister Ong Ye Kung at a dinner, and conveyed my concerns with the education system here. Me: “We do a lot of investing in edtech, and from our viewpoint, it’s clear that the world values rote learning less and less, while creativity becomes more important. Computers can’t beat us on creativity, but they sure can on memorization.” Minister: “Yes the system here is changing, but John you’re a musician. You know that you can’t improvise until you’ve memorized your scales. True creativity first requires constrained learning.” This morning as I was worshipping, our 3 year old Nate came down to the basement and climbed onto my lap. I invited him to join me on the piano, but asked that he limit his playing to two notes that fit the chord sequence. I knew that giving him free reign would lead to chaos, so I limited his options and gave him compete freedom within those two notes. As he matures, of course there is nothing I’d love more than to give him more and more notes and chords to play when we jam together. Sometimes God’s limitations feel like a constraint on our freedom, but today got me thinking. Who has more freedom? The novice who can only create chaos, or the concert pianist who can do the same, but can also earn millions of dollars and inspire millions of people if she so chooses? In the same way God’s constraints serve only to provide more ultimate freedom in creatively improvising the beautiful life He desires for us. Lord, thank you for being so good. Like Adam and Eve who ate from the tree even when you said not to, I sometimes fall into disobedience, but I know your constraints are there to provide me more freedom. I pray that you would reveal the areas in my life where I need to take these more seriously. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prepare the Way

Luke 3:4 “Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!” The concept of behavioral design increasingly fascinates me, and I’ve optimized my morning routine to have a clear head and heart when I start my quiet time with God. This morning I had an early call, so I rolled out of bed, jumped on Zoom, and afterwards found myself processing random requests for an hour before getting my day going. Needless to say, I did not feel clear headed. Thankfully I had the space to get centered, and God did eventually speak to me on a few things, but one of those was that I need to defend not just the quiet time, but the preparation for the quiet time like it’s a matter of life or death. In Luke 3, John the Baptist quotes Isaiah in saying calling all people to clear the way for Jesus’ arrival, which was a standard practice for Kings when they travelled in those days. Dear Father, the truth is that every day I have the opportunity to prepare the way for the King of Kings to enter into my heart. I thank you for that amazing gift, and for speaking to me on the need to take this seriously. I’m on it and I love you. In your son’s name, Amen.