Some people think every new idea is a good idea.

And others think that every new idea is a bad idea.

But it’s not that simple. So let me share something that I think should make us both more humble and more hopeful about how we approach new ideas.

Larry Osborne points out that virtually everyone once believed “that bloodletting could cure disease, that the sun revolved around the earth, and that doctors didn’t need to bother to wash their hands before performing surgery.”

This makes us more humble because there will come a day when people will look back on our own time and wonder what in the world we were thinking.

But this also makes us more hopeful because there must surely be so much more knowledge we’ve yet to discover!

So just because an idea is accepted by a big group of people, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good.

So how do we know?

First, know that pursuing wisdom is good. Proverbs 3:13-14 says: “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” Wisdom is valuable.

Second, we should use the incredible brains God gave us (because he made them) and look for solutions to problems (because they are many).

And third, we should ask whether our ideas are consistent with biblical teachings, and whether they bring more love, truth and light into the world.

Not every new idea is a good idea. And not every new idea is a bad idea. And sometimes, it’s hard to be sure either way!

But we are helped when we pursue wisdom, use the incredible brains God gave us, ask whether our ideas are consistent with biblical teachings, and whether they bring more love, truth and light into the world.

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”

By Matthew Ruttan

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.
–Today’s quote from Larry Osborne is found in Sticky Leaders, p. 101.