The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 2:11-12, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers

to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that

in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may

on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify

God in the day of visitation.”

Most of you are sufficiently trained, so as to be able to defend

yourselves against someone who would harm you. But, there

are many kinds of harm, and we are not often not only not

prepared to defend ourselves, we are oblivious to the nature

of the harm until it is too late. It is natural to be curious about

things, but they can often be dangerous. Our bodies, for

instance, are not prepared for the foods some people regularly

eat; so when we eat their food, we become sick and need

immediate medical care, sometimes even to live!

Satan is clever. He often –very often—utilizes our natural

curiosity to infect us and bring us down. I remember eating

the most delicious masala in India. It was delicious beyond

words! But, I became extremely sick! The sickness left me

wishing I’d never eaten it. But, when I got well, would you

believe it, I ate that same dish again! How stupid can one

be? Our eyes deceive us. We look at things that Peter says

“wage war against the soul” –our souls. You know better, but

everything within you begs to see more! You have no idea

what you are doing to yourself. You are ruining your future

for the sake of the present. Stop and think! Keep your

behavior excellent! You stop eating because you recognize

what overeating will do to your body. Stop watching what

you know to be wrong! You very life depends on it!!

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”