The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 39:22, “And the chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it.”

In our early teenage years, we began to get jobs. It was exciting to be responsible, to know that adults trusted us. Responsibility is always based upon trust. The Hebrew word for responsible is asah. It means industrious performance that results in accomplishment.

One of my high school friends got a job cleaning a barbershop. He was compensated for what he did, but he had to be there at an appointed time and he had to do a good job.

In our verse above, Joseph had been imprisoned unjustly. Potiphar’s wife had lied about Joseph, leading to his imprisonment. But the chief jailer saw that Joseph was responsible, and put him in charge of all the other prisoners. It’s important that we be and act responsibly in every situation. Think of this: when we pray, we are trusting the LORD to act responsibly on our behalf. But that cuts both ways. He assigns us duties, trusting that we will perform them honestly and dependably.

When the LORD called me to preach, He opened for me a small church. I was then responsible to study the Scriptures, produce two sermons a week, drive to the church, and deliver the sermons to the people on Sunday, and give guidance to the church that was in keeping with the Bible. I prayed for the LORD’s guidance, but I was responsible for carrying out my duties, as well.

We all trusted Him when we confessed our sins and asked His forgiveness. Now, it is for Him to trust us to share with others what He has done in our lives when He forgave us. The blessings of the LORD are not without responsibility. The big question is: Are we being responsible in sharing Him with others? Sharing Christ Jesus means living the new life – His Life– that indwells us. Honesty, truthfulness, kindness, love –all this speaks of Him as living within us. Then, sharing Him verbally with others is another responsibility. This is accomplished in multiple ways –ways in which the Holy Spirit guides us. Keep alert! Be ready to be responsible! He has put us in charge of the prisoners.

Our prayers for you are a part of our responsibility. We love being responsible!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”