The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ecclesiastes 11:7-10, “The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. 8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

10 So, remove vexation from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”

Have you ever had a dream, a truly bad dream where everything was going wrong? I remember dreaming that I was

scheduled to preach at a church, but had forgotten to bring my Bible. In addition, I had forgotten to take any clothes,

except the casual and tacky things I had on for traveling. WOW! Was I glad when that was over and I saw the reality

of daylight!

Solomon encourages us to rejoice in the days we have, but also not to forget the many days of sadness and guilt, but

to note that everything that is to come is perishable and amounts to nothing. He is saying that some things matter

and some things don’t. And most of what we think is important is not important at all. Yes, there are pleasant days

throughout the years of our lives. As we grow through childhood into adulthood, we develop impulses and desires

and we give in to those things. Just don’t forget, Solomon says, that there is a price to pay for engaging in worldly

and fleshly practices. Everything has its consequence. God will bring us to judgment for all the ungodly things we

do. So, turn aside, cease and avoid fleshly desires and wicked impulses because you don’t have much time! Your

days of life are less than you think.

The intention of these verses and their instruction is not to scare you of death. It is to encourage you to be realistic.

No one knows how much (or how little) time he has left on Earth. A friend of mine opened the front door of his

house because someone rang the doorbell. A man he had never seen charged through the doorway, attacking him

and nearly beat him to death. His skull was smashed into his brain. By God’s grace he lives, but he will never be

the same. Measure each day carefully, and trust always in the LORD.

We pray for you earnestly 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.”