1 Apr, 2008
Watch out, it's April 1
APRIL Fool's Day has its origin in France and came about when the Gregorian calendar was adopted in the 16th century.
New Year's Day switched from being April 1 to January 1. Word of the new calendar spread slowly and those who did not know about it or who forgot the change or ignored it and attempted to celebrate New Year on the wrong date were teased as April fools.
They were ridiculed by being sent foolish gifts and invitations to non-existent parties.
French peasants would unexpectedly drop in on neighbours in an effort to confuse them into thinking they were receiving a New Year's call. Out of that one jape supposedly grew the tradition of testing the patience of family and friends.
Over a period of nearly 200 years, the custom of playing jokes spread from France to England and on to the US.
photo & story courtesy newsshopper.co.uk, 3/31/08
Are you crazy?
2 Corinthians 5:13-15 (NLT)
13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
In today's God's Story scripture, why was Paul "crazy"? Why does he challenge us to be "fools" for Christ?
The apostle Paul was a total "fool" for Christ! Paul knew that it was Christ's love that drove him to live "crazy" for God's glory! Like Paul and Christ's disciples, we should be willing to die for Christ's cause, because He died and rose from the grave for us.
Jesus Christ's disciples began the spreading of Truth all around the world because they believed in God's Kingdom cause. They believed that the death and resurrection of Christ was the Truth that would provide eternal hope to every person who would trust Jesus as Savior.
According to history, the original "April Fools" were those who forgot or ignored certain facts about a date and were as a result, teased or ridiculed.
In Paul's day and today, from the world's perspective, anyone who is a devoted follower of Christ and a messenger of the Good News is a "fool" and often teased or ridiculed.
Sadly, the truth is that anyone who ignores the truth about God's love and forgiveness will be a "fool" forever.
Are you willing to follow Jesus no matter what? His Holy Spirit will empower you to be a "fool" for His honor and glory!
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Praise God for His Holy Spirit's power to enable you to be a "fool" for His Kingdom! Ask Jesus to give you the desire to follow His instructions to serve Him with your life, even it means giving up your life some day for living out His love and sharing His Truth.
- Begin each day for the next two weeks by simply praying for the power of God's Holy Spirit to control every part of your life. Write down what you learn.
- Write down the names of five friends or family members who might think of you as sort of a "fool" because of your faith in Christ. Pray every day for each of them to see the love of Christ in you.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
Every time you hear or see an April Fool's Day joke or prank today, pray that those in your storysphere will come to see that the reason you are a "fool" for Christ is because His Truth has changed your story forever.
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