The 235th birthday of these United States of America introduced a new level of irony as we celebrated the independence won against the king of Great Britain. Our founding fathers rallied the Colonies with the Declaration of Independence and proceeded to push back tyranny to birth a great nation. Historically, they orchestrated the only successful revolution against the British Empire.
The irony today is that “We the people, …”, that would be 76% of us here in Texas, that voted to validate the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman can be overruled by five Justices of the Supreme Court. Another point of irony is that the people, as documented in the Declaration of Independence, “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Unalienable means they cannot be deserted or denied. Yet millions of unborn children are denied life each year through abortion; numerous organizations and their donors are aggressively targeted while standing firm for liberty in their convictions; and a growing percentage of the population is losing sight of what the pursuit of happiness might mean as the welfare state expands its reach. This is irony in independence!
Irony in the Gospel: “And know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28. The reality is that in all things throughout time, from the 1st century through the 21st century, men have opportunities to live out the ironies of the Gospel – to love your enemy, to die to self, to be born again, to be a servant leader and to forgive those that sin against you 70 times seven times. These cannot be realized in one’s own strength. They can only be realized in the power of the resurrected Christ with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. His purpose is for Christians to boldly live out the Gospel through good times and challenging times where He has us.
Prayer guide: Lord, I take You at Your word, that the recent events in our nation are going to work for the good of those who love You. The ‘good’ is an increased awareness of how ineffective I have been in my circles of influence to reflect the Gospel in a compelling way. Equip me as a man, husband and father to lead the charge, boldly proclaiming the Good News and reflecting Your Light so well that darkness is dispersed in every situation, discussion and relationship You have me in. Amen.
A faithful father lives the irony that is the Gospel in a confused world.
