Today is International Atheist Day. Why so and why do I record it here? Firstly, today is commonly known as April Fools’ Day. The reason I call it International Atheist Day lies in a passage of scripture, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” And there you have it… the world celebrates a day in pranks and jest only to be pointed out by the Bible that one type of fool is the one who says, “There is no God.”
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I find it interesting, and somewhat disconcerting, that the only way you can tell a true prophet (i.e., one who is transmitting God’s messages) is if what he says comes to pass (!). I guess on the other hand, if just once that prophet’s prophecy did not come to pass, he would be eliminated forthwith. Talk about job insecurity.
Can you imagine living on the line so much so that if you messed up just once, your entire future as a prophet was gone?! One mistake, one misinterpretation, one case of not hearing God correctly and your ministry, career, reputation, and everything else about you would be completely destroyed… not to mention the chance that you might be stoned outside the city borders.
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Proverbs 12:10 says, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” I have given thought to this passage on and off over the years and I find it interesting that the Bible talks about righteous and wicked men with respect to how they relate to seemingly unimportant details.
A righteous man thinks about the comfort and care of everyone, going as low as his animal; his beast of burden. He cares for it and makes sure it has everything it needs to exist in life: food, shelter, rest… very basic. Not only the care of his beast is provided, but he regards the very life of his beast… This man considers that his beast is a living creature and should be regarded as such.
On the other hand, a wicked man, no matter how nice he is being and no matter what act of kindness or consideration he performs, it is still cruel. I find this interesting because it shows me that if the heart, and thereby the man, is wicked, every action, no matter how noble or just or rightly delivered will be tainted by who he is. Something to think about, that is.
