How do we keep from being foolish?
Numbers 12:11He cried out to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed.”
Psalm 85:8I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.
Proverbs 9:6“Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.”
Proverbs 14:9Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.
Titus 3:3-5Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
Wise people walk with God while fools wander away from him. When we walk with God, his words help us to become wise rather than foolish.
Proverbs 1:7Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 14:33Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart; wisdom is not found among fools.
When we honor and respect God, we are acknowledging his ultimate power and authority over everything. Wise people understand their relationship to God.
Matthew 7:24-27“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
To keep from being foolish, we should listen and obey God’s Word, for God is the source of all wisdom.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” And again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”
To avoid being foolish, we should apply God’s standard of wisdom, not the world’s. We should make sure to use the right measuring stick for wisdom and foolishness.
Matthew 12:35-36“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.”
Matthew 23:25-28“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Luke 11:39-40Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?”
To avoid being foolish, we should be concerned with our inner spirit as opposed to our external religious appearance. Who we are inside is more important than how we appear on the outside.
Matthew 6:19“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.”
Matthew 23:16-17“Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’ Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?”
Matthew 23:23-24“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!”
Luke 12:16-21Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
To avoid being foolish, we should align our priorities with God’s, or we will miss the things of greatest value.
Proverbs 19:25If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson; if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
Proverbs 22:15A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.
Proverbs 29:15To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.
To avoid being foolish, we should discipline ourselves and accept discipline from others. Discipline keeps us from wandering off the right path.
Matthew 25:1-13“So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.”
Mark 13:35-36“You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.”
Luke 12:35-36“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks.”
To avoid being foolish, we should be alert to God’s work in our lives and opportunities to serve him. Then we will be ready when he comes for us.
