This seemed appropriate with this being the month with April Fools’ Day. Con Campbell writes: A man walked into a convenience store in Wollongong, Australia, put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.
We all act foolishly at times—even if, unlike this thief, we’re trying to do the right thing. The key is how we learn from our foolish behavior. Without correction, our poor choices can become habits, which will negatively shape our character. Sometimes it’s hard to admit our foolishness… Perhaps we need to reflect on a particular character flaw, and that’s painful. Or maybe we need to admit that a decision was made hastily and next time we should take more care. Whatever the reason, it never pays to ignore our foolish ways.
A key to overcoming foolishness is found in the wisdom of Solomon. He wrote “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) There’s a lot to be said for being a God-fearing person with a healthy respect for God who, in turn, looks to the “wisdom and instruction” found in the Bible. But there is one way in which it’s good for us to be a bit “foolish”- at least by the world’s standards.
1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” James Banks shares this: The Bible teaches that “the foolishness of God is wiser” than the cleverest human wisdom (I Corinthians 1:25). “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness” of the message of a suffering Savior to rescue “those who believe” (v. 21). God always has ways of surprising us. Instead of the triumphant king the world would expect, the Son of God came as a suffering servant and died a humbling death by crucifixion—before He was raised in unsurpassable glory.
In God’s wisdom, humility is valued over pride and love shows its worth in undeserved mercy and kindness. Through the cross, our unconquerable Messiah became the ultimate victim—in order to “save completely” (Hebrews 7:25) all who place their faith in Him! Praise God for that! It seems that there are some aspects of our faith that may seem like foolishness to some, but that’s ok. There’s a lot to be said for being a “fool for Christ”.
In His Service, Jim