Mark 16:14-16, “Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Has Jesus ever reproved you for a “hardness of heart”? Hardness follows unbelief; and unbelief hinders professed believers from going into all the world, sharing the gospel with those who have either never heard or have heard, but not believed in the saving grace of the LORD Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 13:15-21, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.
19 And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.
20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
As a small boy, I often received unexpected gifts from friends or relatives that visited our home. I cannot recall a single time that my mother did not remind me to “say thank you” for whatever I received. Thus, those two words were “grafted” into my brain. Even today, things that could hardly be said to warrant an acknowledgment receive a verbal “thank you” from me. Frankly, I say it without actually “thinking!”
Yet, am I always so quick to say “thank you” to God? I endeavor to do so; yet, I cannot assure you that I always verbalize my appreciation as I ought. For shame! Yes, the LORD reads our minds and our hearts. It could be argued that because He does, openly saying, “thank you” to Him is quite unnecessary. But is it unnecessary? Often I said, “Oh, baby!” to my wife when she gave me something special. She knew from the start that I would be thankful. Yes, there is something special in saying it aloud. Just think about it.
Heartily in Christ,
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom
1 Timothy 6:3-10, “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions,
5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.
6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
If you have watched the news recently, you have doubtlessly also seen reports on the money market. What country currently possesses the most money? What individual or corporation in that country is worth the most money? In fact, there is no commodity in the world that commands more attention than the money market!
Without question, money is an indispensable commodity! Still, the preoccupation with money has ruined many a life! It’s one thing to have money; it’s quite another for money to have you! Who truly controls your life, your thoughts, your love?
Heartily in Christ,
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom
1 Kings 8:33-36, “When Your people are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house,
34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.
35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them,
36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel; indeed teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.”
We have to be careful, for when we sin, we can expect nothing but defeat. Yes, the LORD is our Lord, but as a thoughtful, loving parent disciplines his child, so the LORD disciplines us when we have sinned. Discipline, therefore, becomes our instructor, reminding us of our wrong and reminding us to correct our ways from that day forward.
Whether discipline works always remains to be seen. If it does, the recipient will hesitate on the next similar occasion. If he does not respond well, the administrator will doubtlessly repeat the discipline with greater intensity.
Why do we require the LORD to discipline us? We have His Word as our directory. Yet, we also have an adversary who continuously counsels us away from the LORD’s retributive justice. May we learn well to obey His Word!
Heartily in Christ,
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom
1 Peter 3:1-9, “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,
2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
3 Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;
4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
5 For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;
6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”
7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;
9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”
Although my dear, loving wife has entered Heaven well ahead of me, I shall have to be careful with this passage. She lived by the principled standard we read in the words above; therefore, I have a dual responsibility: first, to the Word, then to my adorable, loving wife. At the same time, I am hardly overlooking what I shall inherit if I but abide by the Biblical standard above; namely, “that (I) might inherit a blessing.” Simultaneously, I shall avoid being selfish, noting that you, too, are enabled to receive His blessing.
I shall be honest and admit that I learned more from my wife than she learned from me. Could it not be that she was always looking upward? Which way are you looking?
Heartily in Christ,
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom
