Surrounded by Fools

January 26

"Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools." Albert Einstein

By this definition, we are, unfortunately, surrounded by fools, for in large part we are an angry people who compound our anger with condemnation, judgmentalism and vindictiveness. Perhaps the worst of all the traits we evidence through our anger is that of the Pharisees—self-righteousness. For what else justifies us in all the above, except that we are convinced we are untainted by the stain of sin?

Until we, like the humble man who placed his sin at the altar and walked away forgiven (Luke 18:9-14), place our transgressions at His feet, none of us can receive the forgiveness Jesus spent Himself to purchase for us. That may be small consolation as we deal with people and their denunciation of our faith and our Christ, but ultimately their condemnation means nothing. In Isaiah 54 the child of God is told, "...they shall surely gather together against you, but not by Me: whoever shall gather against you shall fall for your sake...No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the Lord…your righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.”

Betrayal and condemnation are painful. When people with whom we have shared our faith, before whom we have been honorable and righteous and for whom we have prayed turn against us, we are broken in the inner core of who we are, but when we recognize that their unkindness evidences the fact that they have no understanding of the Christ, it becomes apparent to us that they don’t deserve our anger nearly as much as they need our forgiveness and our prayers.

We cannot allow them to hurt us, for if we do, the evil within them will have triumphed over the Christ in us! Remember, "Greater is HE who is in us than he who is in the world." (I John 4:4) We may not be able to see or feel our victory over their wickedness, but our victory is not a reality because we feel it but because JESUS SAYS, "Through Me you can do all things!" (Philippians 4:13) Because His Word that cannot fail and cannot lie tells us that we are, "More than conquerors through Christ who loves us!" (Romans 8:37)

Jesus said that His strength is perfected in our weakness, (II Corinthians 12:9) so we must allow Him to be our strength when we are weak and weary; when we are surrounded by anger and swallowed by frustration because of the onslaught of the minions of the evil one who endeavor to destroy us. If we allow anger to flourish in our bosom or frustration to drive our actions, we are no better than the fools who sow their seeds.