The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely;

and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring

it to pass.”

Billy Graham is being “laid to rest” today. Graves abound with the bodies of faithful

servants of the LORD, yet none have more faithfully declared the simple Gospel to

so many people as he. Accolades abound as saved and lost alike express admiration

of his life and ministry. He epitomizes these verses of the Apostle Paul. Whatever was

lacking in holiness in Billy Graham’s life, the LORD made holy. No one enters Heaven

without being completely concentrated. The spirit of man –the human spirit— is that

part of man that is God-conscious and capable of communicating with the Spirit of God.

All mankind has that potential capability (Rom. 1:19), but most do not avail themselves

of it (Rom. 1:21).

The soul of man is his self-consciousness. We are aware of ourselves, just as we are

aware of others. We are aware of our potential and of our failures. It is only when we

yield ourselves to the LORD, that we come into a right and holy relationship with Him.

The body of man is his world-consciousness. Our bodies are our human aliveness.

They touch the world and all that is within it. We are either clean or unclean in our

worldly relationship. When we are clean, we are “crucified to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

When we “preserved completely,” and stand in judgment before the LORD Jesus

Christ, no one can accuse us of any wrong because He has cleansed us from “every

unrighteous” thought or deed (1 John 1:9).

With all the purity and holiness we admire in the life of Billy Graham, we learn that

we can live more for the LORD than we are! Still, the LORD had to cleanse him entirely.

And so it will have to be with us. He it is who has called us to eternal life, and He is

reliable and trustworthy to “bring it to pass.”

We thank and praise the LORD for His blessings –and for you!

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.”