April Fools

I've never been crazy about April Fool's Day.  Mostly because people expect to be pranked on April Fool's Day.  Why not just declare some random day each year to be "Fool's Day," like "August 28 Fool's Day," and the next year it would be "February 3 Fool's Day"?  That would throw everyone off, so it would be much easier to fool people.  Seriously, the April Fool's Day council should appoint me their official April Fool's gamemaker, don't you agree?

Anyway, on to more serious things.  I personally love the passages in the New Testament about foolishness and becoming fools for Christ.

1 Cor. 1:23-25: "but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.  (Whenever I finish that sentence, I just want to pump my fist and say, "Yes!")

Christ.  Jesus Christ crucified on a Cross by His enemies.  It certainly looks like foolishness to those who don't believe or understand.  He preached and healed and claimed to be the Son of God, but He ended up dying a horrifying death at the hand of his enemies.  I can see how the world might think, "Well, that was certainly a foolish way to waste His life."  But for us who believe, Christ IS the power of God.  All of His willingness to look like a fool, to appear insane to the Jewish leaders of the time, to say some really absurd things  - all of that was for me.  For you.  For our salvation.  It is the power of God for those who believe.

1 Cor 3:18-19:  Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become "fools" so that you may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.

I have to admit that it's hard for me not to feel a little smug about this verse.  Compared to all of the knowledge and wisdom that has been carefully crafted and cultivated over thousands of years, God's wisdom is still far superior.  Because I know Christ and have access to all His power and wisdom, I have something far more valuable than all the annals of science and journals of medicine and books of philosophy.  I have Jesus Christ and His everlasting words to me in Scripture.

Happy April Fool's Day!  May you become a fool for Christ!