Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. – Proverbs 3:7 (NIV)

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. – Proverbs 3:7 (KJV)

52 Proverbs in 52 Weeks – Week 36
This week’s theme:  God’s Life Hacks, simple Biblical truths to increase the fruitfulness and happiness of our lives.

God’s Life Hack:  Don’t Be Conceited

Our pastor once told a joke about scientists who had become “wise in their own eyes.”  It went something like this…
A group of scientists made some amazing discoveries.  They were so confident in their scientific knowledge that they became convinced they could create a human from dust…just like God created Adam.  Extremely proud of themselves, they decided to show the world that science was now so advanced there was no longer a need for God.  To prove this they challenged God to a “human making” contest.  God accepted the challenge, and the media hype was crazy building up to the showdown.  Talk shows, social media, news reports…everywhere you looked someone was talking about science finally proving there’s no need for God.  When the day of the challenge finally arrived, the scientists gathered smugly in their lab, smiled for the cameras, and then said:  “ok, let’s get started…give us some dust to work with.”
God’s response was simple:  “Create your own dust.”

We live in an amazing time of technological innovation.  We have GPS satellites orbiting 12,000 miles above earth that help billions of people navigate anywhere on the planet.  We have tiny phones in our hands that can process over 3 billion instructions every second…yes, over 3 billion…and those phones provide access to virtually the entire set of human knowledge at our fingertips.  Truly amazing, and the scientific knowledge behind those technologies is one of our society’s greatest strengths…and also one of our greatest weaknesses.

As we’ve said in previous posts (see Fake Wisdom & In Whom Do You Trust), the danger is that we become “wise in [our] own eyes.”  We start to think that we have it all figured out…that we’re so smart we don’t need God’s input anymore.  That’s why the second part of Proverbs 3:7 is so important.  King Solomon’s guidance to “fear the LORD” reminds us where true wisdom comes from.  It’s not found in the ability to build satellites and iPhones or any other human knowledge.  True wisdom starts with reverence and awe for the Creator the universe (see True Wisdom).

Here’s a link to more verse posts on  God’s Life Hacks.

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