Today's Word

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" Foolishness is joy to him who lacks understanding, but a man of understanding walks straight." Proverbs 15:21

Foolishness - We live in a world that is thoroughly Greek. In the Greek world, knowledge is the basis for right living. We still believe that proper education will eliminate foolish behavior and solve problems of morality. [God probably considers that idea very foolish indeed]. With a Greek orientation, words like this point in the direction of enlightenment. So, we think of "foolish" as "stupid" or "ignorant". But this is not a Greek word, nor is it a Greek thought pattern. In Hebrew, the word is ewil. It has almost nothing to do with stupidity. In the Hebrew world, relationships were the central focus of life and the primary relationship was my relationship to God. Foolishness was the mark of a man who did not understand his place before the Lord. In the Hebrew view, foolishness is about moral deficiency.

This fact can is clear from the descriptions of the foolish man in Proverbs. He is full of strife. He quarrels. He cannot restrain himself. He has no balance in his relationships. He is constantly angry. He never knows when to be silent. He does not accept discipline. And finally, he does not show respect, awe or fear before God.

This verse tells us that the man who lives without a God-centered life thinks that his ego trips are joy. He delights in his insolence. He believes he has the world by the tail. It is his way or the highway. Such a man has no true understanding of life. The saddest fact is that men like this have no future and yet they are highly resistant to change.

We can all point to someone who we think is on the wrong path. Their lives are expressions of moral failure. But God reminds us that without grace we were also fools. We cast our insults at Him. We thought life should be our way. We argued and complained at His corrections. Until we understood. Abraham, Jacob, David, Peter, Paul and you and me all of us were fools before grace amazed us. Gratitude is the basis for connection. Are you praying for that "fool" in your life the way someone prayed for you?

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