July 9, 2022 - It's Saturday, July 9.
In early July, 1776, the Revolutionary War had been going on for over a year. General George Washington was in New York City with the bulk of his army, about 20,000 men. And in New York Harbor were hundreds of British ships carrying over 30,000 enemy soldiers, poised to lay siege to that crucial city.
But then, on July 9, Washington read the brand-new Declaration of Independence to his army. The soldiers listened intently, gave a resounding cheer, and returned to their homes and families. The British ships turned around and went back to England. The war was over.
None of that, of course, is true. The bloody Revolutionary War would go on for another five long years before the British were defeated, and American independence was won. Many lives were sacrificed in order to make the words of that legendary declaration come true.
I Corinthians 15:57 says - "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ". We claim that victory today. But, even so, we're commanded to go out into this dark world. We're commissioned to fight the good fight. The victory has been won - but the battle isn't over.
Meet you back here on Monday,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
