post by Lisa Buffum, November 17, 2022
Begin by reading Psalm 14 on Biblegateway.com or in your own Bible.
The Psalm for this week begins with a biblical definition of a fool: A fool is someone who says in his heart, “There is no God” and whose life reflects this belief. This opening makes me think of one of my favorite passages from 1 Corinthians:
“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.” (1 Cor. 1:18)
These two passages show the juxtaposition that exists in our world today. We think those who live as if there is no God are fools. Those who do not believe in God think we are fools for believing in God, and even worse fools for having faith in a Savior who would dare to die on a cross for our sins. We each think the other to be fools!
So, we are all fools! The question is which type of fool do you choose to be?
The Psalmist says “Oh that salvation would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores His people, we will rejoice and be glad!” [Paraphrase, mine.] David did not know what we know. Salvation did come out of Zion, and the people have been restored! What the psalmist longed for has happened! Out of Israel, out of the line of Jacob through David, salvation has come through Jesus Christ the Messiah. As Christians, we believe this to be true. We have the most reason to rejoice with Jacob and be glad with Israel because we can see the whole story.
It is human nature to seek purpose in our life. In my latter years, I desire that my purpose be found in Christ alone. I choose to be a fool for Jesus, and I strive for my life to reflect the choice I’ve made to follow Him. Do I accomplish this perfectly? Without a doubt, no. But, this is still the purpose I intend to seek each and every day in this last segment of life.
We are taking a turn to head into the holiday season. Let’s be fools for the One who came as a baby out of Zion to deliver salvation and to restore His people. Let’s rejoice and be glad as we wait for His return.
In the waiting,
Photo by Marcos Paula Prado on Unsplash
PS – A few women in Jesus’ family tree might be known as fools. This Advent study will teach you about some of them: Biblical Women, Advent Waiting, and 21st Century Lives
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Lisa is the Director of Online Education for the Institute for Discipleship, overseeing the ministries of BeADisciple.com. Lisa completed a Master’s degree in Christian Ministry from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, in May of 2006.
She is the mother of three children, and currently, “Mimi” to four grandbabies. Lisa teaches the instructor training course, Lay Servants as Christian Transformational Leaders, and other courses as needed, and provides technical assistance for instructors and learners for every IFD course.
