The Cornerstone of Foolishness

Psalm 53:1

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God”.”

I have been called a lot of things over the years, but I believe being called a fool cuts deeper than most other burns. The Bible goes on to define the attributes of a fool in Proverbs. David defines the cornerstone of fools and their folly when he writes, “They say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’” It is the cornerstone of fools because it is the basis for all the actions fools seem to take. God is at the center of it all, we sing and pray many times, but do our actions back it up? Can someone look at our daily life and say that we believe there is a God?

Another attribute of a fool is that he thinks deeds done in the dark or alone will stay hidden. In Luke 8:17 Jesus says, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Foolish thinking produces foolishness, and Proverbs 26:11 states, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”

You see, fools are blind to their own foolishness. We all shrink back in disgust when we see a dog licking up its own vomit, yet we seem to give a hard pass when we see our beloved friends and family members repeat the same mistakes over and over again. As Christians, we are not called to be a passive group of ninnies that says, “Well, bless God and we can pray for them.” No, Jesus commands us to spread the good news of the Gospel.

We wrestle not against the flesh, so we need to quit attacking the wrong thing. That is like being in battle formation and the cry goes out to fight, and all the warriors start hacking at the trees and grass, hoping to win the battle.

Foolishness clouds our judgment, and the light of the Gospel exposes it. We pray like it is all up to God and work like it is all up to us. The sun and wind were having a battle one day, and the wind spotted a man on a park bench with his coat on. The wind challenged the sun, saying, “I bet I can get this man to take off his coat,” and the sun accepted the challenge. The wind blew and blew, and the man’s coat almost came off, but he held on tighter and tighter until the wind could not blow anymore. The sun was next and began to shine and shine until the man took off his coat and soaked in the sun, being warm and inviting. The sun won the challenge. Today, let the love of Jesus Christ shine all around you, and you will be amazed at how many fools seem to shed the folly they are in.

Prayer: Father, help us spread the love of the Father to everyone around us. I pray that we turn from our foolish ways and acknowledge You in all of our ways today. I pray that we have the boldness to speak the truth in love to those practicing foolishness, in Jesus’ name, amen.