Be Prepared

Today is my birthday.  Driving home from my daughter’s house, where we had the birthday celebration, there were fireworks going off all around us, not for me of course.  We are celebrating here, 239 years of declaring our independence.  Problem is we are losing it as we shoot off the fireworks

The people who came here on the Mayflower were coming to escape religious persecution.  Much of the thought that went into the founding documents was intended to preserve the freedom to practice Christianity as one pleased.  Many today will deny that and in so doing ignore great volumes of evidence both in the texts of the Declaration, the Constitution, and the writing of those involved at the time.

Those who wrote those documents had experienced enough of tyrannical despots.  They set up this system of government in an attempt to insure that that could not happen here.  It has lasted for 232 years.  In the last seven years the erosion of our liberties has increased exponentially.  In his book, The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Exposition of John 14-17, D. A. Carson says, “Empire-building is so common a temptation for idealists that today’s revolutionaries commonly become tomorrow’s tyrants.”  In this country we are witnessing that play out on a daily basis.

So why in this blog about fathers teaching their children the Word do I bring this up?  It seems to me inevitable that with the recent activity of our courts, Christianity is under attack, while different than that which drove the Mayflower here in 1620, we will come under attack nonetheless.  It is my conviction that persecution of Christians who do not toe the politically correct line will begin, and soon.  Franklin Graham, among others, has warned of this.  I was not in the scouts long but I did learn the maxim, “Be Prepared.”

1 Peter is a book I would begin to study.  One of the themes is suffering, specifically suffering for being a believer.  It would be good to get that one under your belt.  I would also invest time in Psalm 119.  One of the themes in that Psalm is the solace of the Word of God in the face of persecution.

Not trying to rain on anyone’s fireworks display.  But we are facing times when decisions are being made that will have consequences that will almost certainly began a time of trial for believers.  It is best to be prepared and to prepare our children.