Spiritual Contemplations for those who serve the Lord |
The term ‘irrational’ or ‘foolish’ describes someone who does not conduct his life in wisdom, nor does he understand things as they should be understood. In the Holy Bible these terms describe someone who lives a fallen, evil life without concern about his own salvation. Any society is full of such foolish, ignorant individuals. Although many people return to their senses and change to a better state, yet, the fallen nature of humanity is still alive and well, in many, pulling them down to remain in their foolishness and ignorance. The Holy Book of Proverbs teaches us, “O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart” (Proverbs 8:5). Examples of Irrational Individuals Atheists The ignorant people who deny the existence of God in their hearts and manifest it in their thoughts and actions are described by David, the psalmist, “The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good” (Psalm 14:1). Such denial of God's existence encourages the spread of corruption and evil-doing. “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4). However, during the course of history so many theories such as Existentialism and Transcendence rose up only to fall down and be crushed under the rock of the Truth. As our Lord has condemned the disbelief of the Jews saying, “Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?'” (Matthew 21:42). Isaiah eloquently shouts, “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; not one is missing” (Isaiah 40:26); and David proclaims, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2). The existence of God can be understood with a little bit of common sense. If the existence of any manufactured object cannot logically be explained without referring to the manufacturer, how could the existence of the cosmos, nature and all that therein be looked at as having come into existence by chance without acknowledging the existence of the One Who has created them? Also, certainly the letters of a word have not come close to each other by chance, nor the words in an article have been haphazardly arranged to form a logical opinion or an argument. To explain further, any house built according to certain safety measures with all the commodities and comfort therein, certainly did not come into existence by chance. If while looking at a beautiful building we admire and praise the architect who have built it, how dare we regard the beautiful sky lit by the moon and stars at night and bright with sunshine during the day and not glorify the One Who had created them all with such dexterity, power and grandeur? Sin Mockers Sin mockers are those who take sin lightly. The Holy Book of Proverbs describe them saying, “Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor” (Proverbs 14:9). Such people belittle the lethal effect of sin not taking into consideration the deceitful approach of Satan. That is exactly what happened with Eve in the Garden of Eden when she had bought into the lie offered by Satan which dictated that they would become like God thus belittling disobedience and breaking God's commandment to them. Such has been Satan's approach to cause people to fall into sin by promising them false happiness and fake peace presented in a glass of alcohol, or sinful, lustful immoral relationship. The media show people in various ungodly performances, dancing crazily seemingly happy or fighting madly over trivial things or shooting to death innocent people. These are a few of the immoral atrocities unashamedly offered on TV or the many other social media. Behind all these shows, there resides Satan convincing people that all is well until there comes a time when all is not at all well and when it is too late to turn back for repentance and restitution. The Foolish Rich People St. Luke vividly pictures the foolish rich man who got so excited about the great amount of his riches which threw him into oblivion of how untrustworthy earthly belongings are; until he was awakened by the irreversible verdict “But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'” (Luke 12:20). In the world of finance, this stunned rich man might be ranked as successful economist possessing great intelligence in managing his finance and multiplying his monetary resources. However, God rated him as foolish for the following reasons:
His foolishness resided in thinking that man can live by bread alone; while true life is through every word that comes out from the mouth of God. Satan, when tempting our Lord Jesus Christ with the same lie, received firm biblically-based replies from our Lord, “But He answered and said, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'' ” (Matthew 4:4). The rich man is not the only inconsiderate one with such earthly mindset. Nowadays, many people hoard money and various belongings, not thinking or considering becoming rich for the Lord. Such people have dropped the judgment day from their accounts without remembering that one day they will have to give an account of their deeds. The Doubtful People The doubtful people are those who question the authenticity of the word of God and the truths that exist in the Holy Bible. Lord Jesus was surprised at how the disciples from Emmaus did not show understanding calling them foolish. “Then He said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!'” (Luke 24:25). Ignoring the word of God is detrimental. “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). Nothing will benefit man except his true relationship with Jesus Christ and adherence to the effective, fruitful word of God. Without true faith, money, health, wealth, earthly status, service or the number of church attendances will be of any value on the Judgment day The Foolish People in the Holy Bible
God's call for us, this new year, is not to be irrational; but to walk circumspectly knowing that Satan is just waiting to trap mankind in his deceitful, deluding promises. “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live, and go in the way of understanding” (Proverbs 9:5-6). * Adapted from HGBY's monthly clergical letters - February 2019
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