The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 5:11-12, “’Blessed are you when men cast insults at you,

and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on

account of Me. 12 ‘Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is

great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”

By the grace of God, I rarely have trouble sleeping. And when I sleep,

I rarely dream. But last night I dreamed of persecution. I was attending

a “Bible” study, but it was hardly a study of God’s Holy Word. Rather, I

was berated and taunted by all in attendance for my stand in the faith.

I was physically beaten, and only when I feared for my life, was I willing

to have an ambulance take me to the hospital. When I awoke, the verses

above came to mind.

What is troubling is not my dream, but the fact that scores of believers

throughout the world are experiencing in real life what to me was merely

a dream. Mobs gather in hate toward the very ones who seek to bring

them life in Christ. We’re living in a world today where it’s “open season”

on anyone who names the name of Jesus. We are aware that demon

spirits abound throughout the world. How are we to react? Jesus said,

“Rejoice, and be glad…” Be glad for persecution? No, be glad that you

are in the spiritual lineage of the godly persons, whose unwavering stand

in the faith, because your heavenly rewards are exceeding! ~ Our problem

is not what unbelievers think of us or how they treat us; our problem is that

we live too much for the things of the world. Heaven itself is a reward; the

renewed acquaintance of loved ones who are there now will be a reward.

But there is more –so much more! Stop living in the “here and now,” and

start living in the “there and then.” That’s not a dream. It’s reality!

May His abundant blessings be yours today is our prayer,

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.”