Wisdom That Is Not Our Own

Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me.”  John 7:16Over the years, I have experimented with different kinds of diets. The most recent one was Keto. The idea is that you cut out all sugar and carbs, making your body burn fat instead of storing it.This diet (and others like it) has been endorsed by a number of celebrities, bloggers, and social media influencers who have found success losing weight or improving their athletic performance. And initially, when I tried the diet, I also found success. However, I developed a known side-effect - an irregular heartbeat.Now, since I already have an occasionally irregular heartbeat, I thought it might just be that, so I stopped the diet. What happened? The irregular heartbeat stopped. In fact, a few months later, I tried the diet again just to be sure, and the same thing happened. Lesson learned? As much as it was working, it wasn’t for me.Sometimes, we are tempted to treat Jesus’ voice like just another voice in the world advising us about options for our diet, finances, or productivity. But in this passage in John 7, we are reminded that Jesus actually speaks for God because his teaching is from God. That means that Jesus’ instructions are not something we can pick and choose from. Every instruction He gave aligns with how you and I were created to live. If we want to experience life as it was meant to be lived, we will find it by listening to Jesus and doing what He asks us to do.I hope we will see both why we need a wisdom that is not our own and where that wisdom comes from. So, if you have been (or are) stuck in the decision-making process, I look forward to exploring this with you.