Tuesday, April 1, 2014
1 Corinthians 4:9-10a We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ ...
FOOLS FOR CHRIST
Many years ago when my family and I lived on the edge of the prairie in South Dakota, I ran into the house and told my wife and kids there was a herd of buffalo stampeding down Highway 44! They rushed outside to see such an astonishing thing! "April Fools!" I shouted with delight. No one was all that amused by the hoax but me.
No one likes to be made a fool of. But are we willing to be fools for Christ? Sadly we often find ourselves blending in with the world around us, with our love for Christ barely noticeable. Our words and actions do not always show that Jesus means everything to us.
Certainly the sufferings and death of our Savior show that we mean everything to Him. He was willing to be publicly humiliated, enduring the mockery and scorn of His enemies as he hung on Calvary's cross. He could have come down from the cross and walked away from it all. Instead, He endured the shame, even taking the blame for every sinner and every sin. The Son of God was willing to look like a fool in the eyes of the world to save the world from a horrid and everlasting humiliation. He was willing to be cursed with our sin so that we could be cleansed of all sin.
What a true honor it is to belong to Him Who first loved us and gave His life for us. Let the world scoff! Let them call us fools for Christ! Let them say and do what they will. For wasn't St. Paul exactly right when he said: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord"? (Philippians 3:8).
Lord give me grace to be a fool for you. There is no better honor! Amen.
