The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Haggai 2:11-13, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Ask now the priests for a ruling:

12 ‘If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold,

or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?'”

And the priests answered and said, “No.”

13 Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered and said, “It will become unclean.”

Over the past few months, the western world has been plagued with influenza! It’s not

over yet, so we need be careful around those who cough or sneeze, lest the germs

fall on us and we become infected. The flu is nothing with which to trifle. It can be deathly!

This past week, an egg-producing company recalled some 200 million eggs for fear that

they might contain salmonella poisoning. Germs and diseases –some life-threatening—

are everywhere. We must always be on our guard.

These verses in Haggai have always been intriguing to me. The Jewish priests were an

authority on the Law, so the LORD said, “Ask (them) for a ruling.” If things that are holy

touch thing that are not holy, will the latter become holy? They’re answer was “No.”

Well, one is unclean by the standards of the Law comes into physical contact with

someone who clean, will the one he touched become unclean? The priests answered,

“Yes, he will become unclean.”

The principle is: Righteousness in not contagious; but unrighteousness is! People

you know and mingle with don’t become righteous just because you fellowship with them.

BUT, you can become unrighteous if you hang with those who are unrighteous. Unsaved

people don’t become saved by mingling with saved people; but saved people can be

dragged into unsavory activities by mingling too much with ungodly people. This is what

Jesus meant when He said, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep

them from the evil one” (Jn. 17:15 NAS). We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

We love you and pray for you daily,

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.”