The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 25:10, “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came,

and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.”

Have you ever gone somewhere for something important and found that it was too late?

I have had that to happen. It is a sad, maybe even a disastrous experience, depending

upon the value of the venture.

As I was reading Matthew 25 today, I could not seem to get past the importance of the

words, “the door was shut.” Have you ever had someone shut the door on you? “To shut”

often means “to lock,” so as to prohibit entry. On the other hand, if you are on the inside

when the door is shut (or locked), it may mean that you are a prisoner of the situation

and cannot escape. That is even more serious. But that’s the purpose of doors: they

keep us out and they keep us in.

Interestingly, the word “shut” is used 80 times in the Bible. The word “open” is used 317

times. The word open is used almost four times more frequently than the word shut.

Notwithstanding the context in which these words appear in the Bible, would I be pushing

a point to say that the LORD is far more interested in our “coming in” than He is in our

being “shut out”? By my count, “come to me” occurs some 22 times in the New Testament

alone, while “depart from me” occurs only five times. That’s a little more than four percent.

Let me conclude by saying that the LORD is far more loving of us than anyone.else could be.

It is His desire that we be with Him on the inside rather than shut away from Him. Of course,

being with Him means being born-again, converted; but it also means living according to

His standards.

Oh I’d rather be on the inside looking out

Than to be on the outside looking in

When the rain began to fall,

Sinners on the Lord did call

But the door was shut and night was settin’ in.

Then old Noah lookin’ out

Gazed beyond the water spout.

And he said “I thank the Lord

That I took Him at His Word;
I’d rather be on the inside lookin’ out.”

Are you on the INSIDE? And if you are, are you living for the LORD?

Our prayers of love and hope cover you every day,

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.”