April Fools’ Day
By Dennis Love
McDowell County
Do you remember the last time someone pulled an April fools’ joke or prank on you? Or maybe you remember the last time you pulled an April fools’ joke or prank on someone else. Here are a few April fools’ jokes you may want to consider:
(1) What day do monkeys like best? The first of Ape—ril!
(2) Why is everyone exhausted on April 1st? Because they just had a 31-day March!
(3) What do you call a hammer bought on April 1st? An April tool!
(4) What did summer say to spring? “I’m going to fall!”
These are short, sweet, and pretty corny, so you may want to bypass April Fools’ Day and just let it remain a normal day. That’s usually what I do!
April fools’ jokes and pranks date back to the 1700s, and the holiday is also sometimes referred to as All Fools’ Day. But long before the 1700’s the Bible addresses a fool and says in Psalm 14:1; “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.”
I’m reminded of an atheist who was angry and debating with a believer. The atheist moaned, “It’s just not fair. You Christians have all the good holidays!” Curiously, the Christian asked, “What do you mean?” The atheist said, “Well, you’ve got Easter, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. You celebrate God and country on July 4th. After that, you’ve got Thanksgiving and Christmas. Speaking for atheists everywhere, we want a holiday on the calendar that we can call our very own.” Finally, the Christian bluntly answered, “I’ve got the perfect day on the calendar for you. How about April 1st?” “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God,” James tells us in James 2:19 that even the demons of hell believe and tremble to know that there is a God.
Many people will tell you that they don’t believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Many will tell you that they don’t believe that a virgin conceived and gave birth to the sinless Son of God, who came to this earth to dwell among us. But those of us who are Christians, not only believe it, we embrace it with every ounce of our being, and we rejoice over the fact that the God we serve is alive and well and living within us through the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit. We can say without hesitation or reservation that we know our Redeemer lives and that makes us wise, not a fool. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:6-7; “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme: therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Aren’t you thankful that you are a wise person and you have the understanding that our God is alive and lives within us! We praise the Lord this month, because of God’s glorious resurrection from the dead. However, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. How sad to be a fool in the eyes of God, when one can become wise through simple child-like faith.
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Dr. Dennis Love is the Associational Missions Strategist for the Blue Ridge Baptist Association in McDowell County. Dr. Love has been in full-time ministry work for 31 years. He and his wife Vicki have been married for almost 42 years, and they have lived in Marion for almost 8 years. They have two sons, four grandchildren and two step-grandchildren. He can be reached via email at: dlovebrba@yahoo.com
Read more of his articles here….
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