Who is a fool?

So today is April Fool's day where it is acceptable to pray pranks on each other till midday and my memory fails to recollect childhood April fool pranks that were played  by me or on me.,This morning, although I had a definition in my mind, I decided to check the dictionary meaning of a fool. A fool is defined as" one who acts unwisely" or "a silly person or as a person who lacks judgement" and historically, it was used to refer to a jester or a clown who was retained in royal or noble households to help with jokes Considering the stress that comes with governing people,I am sure the palaces needed something to lift up their spirits and lighten the environment.

But I would be the first to admit that the need for lightening up and laughter does not belong to the palace alone.Actually everyone of us can do with laughter and enjoy the benefits of it. I am talking of belly laughter and not the one we are sometimes forced to do in order to be polite.Although the  origin of April Fool's day is somehow uncertain, there is a general consensus that jokes ought  to be played until midday after which the person who is attempting to play the joke is then referred to as the "fool".So assuming the joke time is over,what does the Bible say about who a fool is?

The Psalmist says  that a fool is one who says in his heart that there is no God. It is somebody who has refused to acknowledge the divine for who he is, Rather  than face his conscience he   refuses to acknowledge a creator and absolves himself of any responsibility.This denial of God usually leads to a full vent of rebellious and wicked behaviour.(Psalms 14:1)    ,

Apostle Paul  also referred to the Galatian Christians  as acting as foolish because  they were trying to end in the flesh what  they had  started in the spirit(Galatians 3:1-4). The sacrifice and the blood of Jesus was  no longer enough for them an they were erroneously being coxed to add the rite of circumcision to their faith.And although we may not have the same issue they had in the first century church, sometimes as Christians we act foolishly  also and take a nose dive into  legalism in the most subtle of ways.The gentle voice of the Holy Spirit or the kind of reprimand that Paul issued to the Galatians as their spiritual father  hopefully brings us  back to track, Paul was able to help the Galatian by explaining to them the truth of the realities of redemption thus giving us a pattern that knowledge drives out foolishness.

So this April fool;s day does not only give a license for pranks but rather calls for a time of sober reflection. Are there places in our lives where we are saying there is no God or refusing to see the hand of God working behind the scene or are we just not acknowledging the existence of God himself ?Perhaps it may be that we are on the other side, having started out  things by the spirit and trying to finish thm in our own strength hence the struggle and frustration we are experiencing. but concluding in the flesh ,Be sure to reflect on this but do not forget to laugh today,laugh really hard because laughter is medicine to the spirit(Proverbs 17:22).

In his service,
Grace  Tom-Lawyer