A Day Of Boasting

Posted by John on Oct 22nd, 2009 | no comments

(Don’t worry! It’s not what you think.)

I do not wish to forget yesterday, so I am setting aside Oct. 21 as a personal holiday for me. It shall be called “A Day of Boasting”. It is the day that my life’s goal changed.

For the past few years the main goal of my life was to obey God’s calling to inspire and encourage people through musical and literary creativity. As long as He gives me strength and ability, I will continue to do that.

However, I discovered a higher calling yesterday, a preeminent goal. It is, in fact, a calling that God places on each of us. It is a calling worth boasting about.

God told Jeremiah, a prophet from the tribe of Benjamin during King’s Josiah’s reign in Judah, these words:

This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NLT)

What is God’s single greatest desire for each of us? To know Him. What is the one thing that He doesn’t mind us boasting about? That we know Him. More than smarts. More than strength. More than wealth. Knowing Him is His goal for our lives.

Some of us get very excited when we meet our favorite athletic, political or artistic celebrity. Our first inclination is to boast about meeting them.  The more interaction we have with them, the more we feel the need to boast. But knowing them pales in comparison with knowing God, Creator of the universe, designer of all living and non-living things.

How do we get to know Him? Well, how do we get to know our friends? We ask them to inform us about themselves. As they open up to us, we learn about them, and we reciprocate the openness. The more we like about each other, the closer we feel. Eventually we draw so close that we call each other “best friends”. Our hearts are wide open because we have learned to trust each other with complete acceptance.

The same is true with God. We don’t decide who God is or what He is like. That would be idolatry–the god of our imagination. Would it not be insulting and naive to walk up to a stranger and tell them we have determined the kind of person they are? The fact is that we only truly know someone to the extent that they have revealed themselves to us. They inform us and we respond.  God informs us and we respond.

How does God reveal Himself to us? Because God wants us to know Him, He chose reliable folks like Jeremiah to write down His words and record His actions in the lives of ordinary people.  What we are left with is an extraordinary history that tells us who God is and what He is like, the Bible.  And, as we read His thoughts, words and deeds, we ask Him in prayer to reveal Himself to us.

Knowing about Him is not enough.  The more we know about Him, the more we find Him trustworthy.  The more we trust Him, the more He reveals to us in Divine Friendship.  He informs us as we prayerfully read through the Bible as humble students, ready to learn, ready to trust, ready to obey.

Why am I setting aside October 21 as A Day of Boasting?  To remind myself that there is only one thing worth boasting about.  Let me never forget that my music, my intellect, my strength, and my wealth will all pass away.  To know God now is the ultimate goal, the highest privilege, and the greatest honor that He has granted to mankind, and it is only a taste of eternal, face-to-face glory.

For more information on the subject of knowing God, I recommend this book:

Knowing God: 20th Anniversary Edition By J.I. Packer / Inter-varsity Press J. I. Packer’s Knowing God has become a classic of the Christian faith. Why? While it gives us information about God with clarity and grace, it does much more—it aids us in actually knowing him, in building our relationship with him, and helps draw us closer to him in love and worship. This 20th anniversary edition of Packer’s classic has new Americanized text, reader-friendly type, and a new preface. Study guide not included.

Music In The Morning

Posted by John on Oct 19th, 2009 | no comments

(printed with permission)

Hi, John.

My daughter and I are the BIG FANS of your BEAUTIFUL MUSIC! Every morning, my daughter, Hana (6 years old), comes downstairs when she hears your music. I’ve had a hard time to make her get ready to go to school every morning. BUT now I have your music! Her favorite is “Zuzu’s Petals”. Like your daughters, she dances with your music sometimes. She’s not taking any dance lessons and she’s not a dancer at all, but she can’t help it to dance with your beautiful music. When she listens your music, she asks me “Did Mr. John Thomas create this music, too?” Thank you for posting your concert on your website. We wish we could be there. Hana really wants to listen your music live.

I’m thinking to give this CDs to my kids’ school’s teachers and my families in Tokyo for Christmas presents. Thank you for your great idea, “Save time and money this Christmas!” And for ourselves, I’ll download your music from iTunes.

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent to us! And I pray for you and your family, and your next piano project. I admire your Godly decision.

Please take care,
Yuri Cobia