By Tommy Rush
Today is April 1, better known as April Fool’s Day. I’m not sure how the day got the name or when the playing of practical jokes on others got started, but I do know from experience that it’s always good on April 1 to keep one eye open until the day is done and expect the unexpected. Some people might even say, “On April 1, Trust No One!” Most of us have had the experience of being tricked or fooled. It’s one thing to be fooled but a quiet another to be a fool.
Mark Twain once wrote, “April 1 is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” I would never call anyone a fool, but the longer I live and the more I see, the closer it gets to the tip of my tongue. There’s a lot of foolishness in our world today! Sometimes it is hard to believe just how foolish people have become. Now I admit that I’ve had my fair share of foolish experiences. I can personally testify that foolishness can show up on any given day, at any given hour.
So here are some verses to remember in a world that seems to celebrate foolishness more and more with every passing day. “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17
There is a direct correlation between being careful and wise living. We must actively watch and discern and pay attention to how we’re living. We should seize every opportunity to live our life with wisdom and do God’s will. We are not told in the verses exactly how we can know God’s will, but there’s a good clue, “Don’t be foolish.”
We guard against foolishness by living with wisdom. We live with wisdom by being careful how we live. It all starts with being careful in how we live. What does it mean to live carefully? It means living your life for God and trusting your life to His awesome grace and goodness. Careful living is choosing to live each day with the Lord and for the Lord’s glory. Why? Because Jesus is worthy and His ways are always wise.
Is there an area of your life where you need to be more careful so that you can understand God’s will? If so, commit it to the Lord and trust Him to help you to live wisely.
Father, Help me to be careful how I live today. Convict my heart and change me, Lord. I don’t want to coast through life. I want to follow You wherever You lead me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
