WHICH DO YOU PREFER: FOOLISHNESS OR JOY?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are
corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.
(Psalm 53:1)

MEDITATION:
Education is a wonderful achievement, as long as it doesn’t alter
our beliefs. There is a danger of allowing our intelligence to distort
our thinking. We can develop a habit of analyzing everything and
as a result, Satan can enter our logical thinking and start swaying
us to believe that God doesn’t exist.

We live in a material world that has conditioned us to develop the
idea that if we cannot see it or figure it out, then it doesn’t exist.
Jesus commended us for our faith in Him, even though we have
not seen Him.
    Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me,
    you have believed; blessed are those who have not
    seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Faith is based on a complete trust and confidence in something or
someone. In the life of a Christian, it is a belief that the Word of
God is not fiction and consequently, everything within its pages
are true and can be trusted. It is an education of a different type.
That is why those who follow Him enjoy reading the Bible.

Reading the scriptures can be an exciting experience even for
those of us (including me) who are not voracious readers. If we
study a book on math, everything remains the same (two + two
always equals four). However, we can read the same scripture
more than once and get a different message each time.

Does that mean His Word is left up to man’s interpretation, that
it is not consistent, and therefore it cannot be trusted? Of course
not – that kind of thinking is foolish. It means that our Heavenly
Father gives us what we need at the time we need it. That is what
separates His Word from the compositions of man.

C.S. Lewis was an intellectual giant of the twentieth century. Even
though he was raised in a religious home, he became an atheist at
the age of 15. He became angry at God for not existing, he viewed
his religion as a chore and a duty, and he developed an interest in
the occult (something that fed his intellectual curiosity).

Having been influenced by arguments with his Oxford colleague
and Christian friend J. R. R. Tolkien, and the book Lewis read,
“The Everlasting Man” (written by G. K. Chesterton), he eventually
returned to Christianity. Lewis vigorously resisted conversion,
and noted that he was brought into Christianity like a prodigal,
“kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction
for a chance to escape”.

He described his last struggle in his book “Surprised By Joy”. Lewis
ultimately discovered the true nature and purpose of “Joy” and its
place in his own life. The last two chapters of the book covers the
end of his search as he makes the leap from atheism to theism, and
then from theism to Christianity. As a result, he discovered that the
elusive Joy is a blessing from God like a “signpost” pointing the way
for those who are lost in the woods.

Man can concoct and create many ideas of how to achieve joy, but
only God can show us how to experience real and lasting joy in our
lives. That alone is enough to prove His existence. Without God,
we live a life of foolishness that is out of control.

We manufacture nuclear weapons that could destroy the world, we
develop hate for each other, we fight and kill each other, we steal
from each other, etc. In our foolishness we are vulnerable to the
whims of the evil one, and one of his many weapons is to convince
us that God does not exist.

ACTION:
Has Satan tried to convince you that God does not exist?
Does joy seem like an elusive commodity in your life?
Spend time reading God’s Word and meditating on its content.

Rather than trying to read fast and cover many scriptures,
read slowly and think about what each verse is saying. Pray
and ask God to help you listen, as His Word speaks to you
personally.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the proofs of Your existence.
Protect me from any negative thoughts that are bent on causing
me to doubt Your existence. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so
that I can read Your Word with a new enthusiasm and curiosity,
as I listen for You to speak to me. Help me to invite Your joy into
my own life so that I can serve You, so that I can have a positive 
influence on others, and so that I can show others through my 
words and actions what true joy and faith in You looks like. Create
in me a passion to see others come to You for Your gift of salvation.”

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