The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 2:13, “…we… constantly thank God that when

you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted

it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God,

which also performs its work in you who believe.”

We all know the hurt when someone says something unkind to us.

We also know the joy when someone says something nice about us.

But, have we noticed that the Word of God performs a work in us, too?

The word perform (??????? energeo) means “to be at work,” “to

accomplish.” You can see the word energy in “energeo” can’t you?

Look, I take 10 pills every morning before I have my coffee. Nana takes

more than that throughout the day. They were prescribed by our

doctor for our benefit. Failure to take them could mean some serious

breakdowns in our health. Would you believe that it is the same with

the Word of God? It’s true! I had some pretty rough times when I was

in the pastorate. I learned quickly to lean on the Word of God. His Word

soothed the anxieties and hurt –something no “pill” could do. I didn’t

know it then, but the Word was energizing me for the “battles” I had to

fight. With “people-battles” largely behind me now, I look for wisdom

to share with students, who face battles in their lives. There is NO

SUBSTITUTE for the Word of God!! That’s why you need to read it

carefully every day. Just rushing through it won’t do. You have to “savor”

it, like you would a sweet, juicy piece of steak. And, unlike the “pill,”

you have to believe everything it says, whether you can “see” its truths

or not. Oh, what a performance it is to a hurting life!

We love and pray for each of you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas