The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 6:47-52, “And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”

When will we learn? We take instruction from those who do, but never seem to grasp the fundamentals. “I’m just not a ‘math person,’” we say; or “I’ve never understood the principles of science. It’s just not my thing.”

The life of Jesus Christ overflowed with acts of mercy. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. He had just fed a multitude of people, using only five small pieces of bread and a few tiny fish. His disciples witnessed these miracles, yet when later they saw Him walking on the water, they perceived it to be a ghost, and were literally “scared to death.” They just never seemed to understand.

Aren’t we like that? If we take the time –ah, that’s part of our trouble: we live in the fast lane. We see, but quickly forget. There’s so much to interest us that we skip the “whys” in preference for the next keen item of attraction. We need to slow down and examine how the LORD is working in our lives. My guess is that the vast majority of Christian people don’t read more than a few verses from the Bible in a week. Maybe it’s less than that. How can we learn anything if we don’t devote some serious time to examining it?

What is said of those New Testament disciples can be said of us: “they had not gained any insight” from the miracles in their recent past. It’s not wrong for us to learn science or math from those who understand it. It’s not wrong to seek out doctors when we are sick. But we must always look beyond the human persons involved and view Jesus as the ultimate Author and Authority. “Slow down and smell the roses.” Remember that the “whats” in life will lead us to the “whys.” We gain true, spiritual insight when we see and understand Jesus.

We love you and hold you in our prayers,

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.”