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A Closer Walk

"These are the times that try men's souls," Thomas Paine, writing under the pseudonym "Common Sense." This saying is from a pamphlet by Mr. Paine first published in the Pennsylvania Journal on December 19, 1776. Mr. Paine wrote a series of thirteen pamphlets titled "The American Crises," or simply "The Crises," published between 1776 and 1777. His purpose was to inspire the colonists to support the American Revolution. Here are the opening lines from the first pamphlet: "These are the times that try men's souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crises, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." The times and trials we have been through could be thought of the same way. "These are the times that try men's souls."

We have learned about essential and non-essential businesses; and essential and non-essential workers. Some necessities of daily life have been hard to find. Since the year 2000 we have had three recessions, accompanied by three bear markets in the U.S. Stock market. We had a recession in 2000 after the tech stock boom ended, and we were starting to come out of that when we were attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001. That sent us back into another recession and a second stock bear market. In 2008 and 2009 we had such a deep recession that it was labeled "The Great Recession," because it was second only to the Great Depression in its severity. This was also accompanied by a bear market in stocks. These events are mentioned as a reminder that we made it through all those things.
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing," James 1:2-4 NASB. We are instructed to count as joy our various trials. Even when we are going through "the times that try men's souls." Why? Because these various trials test our faith and that testing produces endurance. That endurance will have a perfect result. We will be made perfect and complete. So perfect and so complete, that we will be lacking in nothing. We might discern from this that our Heavenly Father continues to work on us and with us as His children to mold and shape us into the servants He desires us to be. Our God is always moving us toward the eventual goal of being made perfect, and complete; lacking nothing.
General Washington's troops were ready to quit during the harsh winter of 1776. So the General ordered that Mr. Paine's first pamphlet be read to them. This was three days before the Battle of Trenton. Washington was attempting to boost morale and resistance among the patriots, and to shame the neutrals and loyalists to support the cause. They heard this line from the pamphlet: "Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
That is an encouragement for us. The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. We will prevail through this. And we will come out stronger, with endurance, having had our faith tested. And we will be made more perfect and complete, so that we are lacking nothing. Hallelujah!

 

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