Nobody's Fool

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:25

I routinely ask God for wisdom; what if I asked Him for His foolishness?  How foolish could I be for God?  What if I need to look foolish to the world to better serve Him?  What would it look like to be foolish for God?  From Ecclesiastes, I know what wisdom looks like; more wisdom and more knowledge bring more sorrow and grief.  In other words, sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Matthew 10:16

What does this seemingly contradictory statement actually mean?  Let's think about what's happening here.  Jesus is sending the disciples out to announce the kingdom of God to the people of Israel.  This is hazardous work; Jesus knew that He was headed to the cross, to die.  This was His whole mission on earth.  His disciples would suffer similarly as they worked to achieve the tasks God had given them.

Now, what about snakes; how are they shrewd?  What does it mean to be shrewd?  To be shrewd is to be crafty and observant, always on the lookout for ways to accomplish your goals.  This is a trait that Christians would do well to strive for.

Finally, we must be as innocent as doves.  Doves live with few cares.  They build sloppy nests in dangerous places.  And yet, they are a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  And why shouldn't they be?  When it comes to pouring out the Holy Spirit, God is reckless.  When God gives good gifts, He gives them like this: “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, poured into your lap.”

So what does this mean?  I think it comes around it back to where we started.  Let us live shrewdly, filled with the wisdom of God while appearing foolish to the world with our reckless generosity.

Three Lock Box

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12-13

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24

If there could be just three passages that sum up what our approach to life should be, I think that these three would be a good choice.  In just a few simple sentences, we see laid out for us these seemingly simple principles that no government on earth has ever improved upon.  No system of philosophy, code of conduct or set of regulations ever devised is likely to produce better results than this behavior model set out for us in the Bible.

Serve others.  Be content with what you have.  Work hard at whatever you do.  These statements would not be out of place in a modern self-help book.  It is curious to me that many supposedly secular ideas about morality seem to be based on biblical principles.  This similarity in the moral code between otherwise unrelated worldviews seems to indicate that there is such a thing as objective morality.  In other words, there are certain moral standards that are true for everyone, everywhere.

Abstract concepts such as morality, logic and reason do not have physical reality.  In order for abstract concepts to exist, there must also exist intelligent beings, capable of abstract thought.  To imagine it another way, think of your reflection.  If there were no mirrors or other reflective surfaces, could your reflection actually exist?  In the same manner, the thoughts in our minds could not exist if we did not have minds to think thoughts in.

If anyone is willing to concede that abstract concepts actually do exist, and very few people would claim that they do not, then the door in their thinking is open to the existence of immaterial things.  From there, the idea of a creator, existing outside of the universe is not such an impossibility.

We Belong

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.”
John 15:18-21

Just about a year ago, I wrote of how God can use people the world sees as useless to accomplish His purpose.  “The world doesn't want you”, was the central point of my discourse.

This passage goes a bit further.  Here, we see that the world does not just have a passive disdain towards the followers of Christ; there is an active hatred towards them.

This makes me immediately uncomfortable.  According to these words, straight from the mouth of Jesus, captured in an intimate moment as he was speaking to His closest followers, we should expect to be treated just as badly as Jesus was.  I'm pretty sure you've heard... Jesus was executed, brutally.  These words proved prophetic for the disciples as well, considering that all but one of them were eventually killed for their faith.  When have I faced anything worse than embarrassment or inconvenience for my faith?  If there isn't some evidence of the hatred the world should bear for you in your life, it may be wise for you to sit down and take a serious look at your relationship with God.  As usual, I am writing this as much for myself as for anyone else.  Based on this standard, my relationship with God is severely lacking.

“His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
Acts 5:40-41

This is how the apostles responded after being flogged and ordered not to speak in the name of Jesus.  They rejoiced because of their suffering.  I don't know about you, but I hate suffering.  I hate being uncomfortable or in pain for any reason.  How incredible would be to be so caught up in your relationship with God that the suffering in this life means nothing to you?

If you truly want this kind of relationship with God, you can have it.  There is no turning back once you start down this road, however.  After everything that God has done for us, and in light of His incredible sacrifice on our behalf, we truly owe Him nothing less.  The world may not want you; the world may even hate you, but we belong to God.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20