By Linda Tancs
April Fool’s Day aside, there’s no good reason to play the fool. From a biblical standpoint, it’s anything but funny. The Bible depicts fools as those who are controlled by their own mind, will and emotions; they’re confident only in themselves and resist instruction.
The Book of Proverbs, specifically, provides a host of information on the characteristics of a fool. For instance, fools only care about their own opinions (Proverbs 18:2) and eschew wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7). They lack discretion and often speak without considering the consequences (Proverbs 18:13; 29:20). They never seem to learn from their prior actions or mistakes (Proverbs 26:11). Worst of all, some don’t believe in God (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).
We all fall short from time to time. Indeed, maybe some of the examples above sound embarrassingly familiar to you. Who hasn’t said, or done, a foolish thing? The key is to resist trusting in yourself too much. Don’t be governed by your own mind, will and emotions at the expense of everything else. Instead, trust in the wisdom of the Scriptures, which help develop prudence, discernment and discretion.
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