Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Again, as always, grace, mercy and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

On December 23rd, 1776, it is said that General George Washington gathered together his “bedraggled” troops and had them listen to an inspiring speech written by Thomas Paine. It began with these now famous words, “These are the times that try men’s souls”. As the story goes, these words, and more, hit home. And the same bedraggled troops gathered the necessary courage to go on ahead and win the then ensuing battle.

In a similar fashion, Jesus once stood before his disciples and said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

These are tough times for us, too. There is a war going on. No question about that. But it is not one being fought with either bullets or missiles. As was the case with both Jesus and David before us, our weapons of choice are faith and Spirit. With the first we fend off anything the enemy might throw against us. With the second we cut through the deep, deep veil of gloom and doom. With both we know we will eventually realize the victory. This is God’s irrevocable promise to us. And it will be so!

This promise includes any hardship we might encounter as a result of financial distress. Just a couple of weeks ago, or so, I informed you about the ways the effects of this distress had come to Abiding Savior. It was, I must again admit, not a particularly easy thing for me to do. But with God’s help, and your kind acceptance, we got it done together. And the response has already been greater than I could have ever imagined. For this I am overjoyed to give thanks to both God and you!

This is, of course, not to say that we have no more work to do. The enemy continues to attack and the challenges he brings remain difficult for us. But tough as it is, I know now, probably more than ever before, that the goodness of God is unsurpassable; and that because this is so, our victories assured!

Keep up the good work; and be blessed of God,

Pastor Shealds