The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Timothy 3:1-7, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,

7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Do you know what “hard times” are? No, it’s not when your cell phone has gone out and you’ve forgotten your charging equipment. I mean REAL HARD TIMES! My grandmother used to tell me what hard times were when she was a small girl. Cloth for dresses came from sacks that held the grain for the cows. Bread was only a few cents a loaf, but nobody had the few cents with which to buy it.

Paul is nearing the end of his life, and he writes the verses above to young Timothy. Difficult times are coming. He lists some 17 negative actions and attitudes that you can find online or in any newspaper today. Everything he lists is evil and they all prevail in our world today. Why would Paul list such evil things? He is warning Timothy and us against these things that will prevail in the last days on Earth.

Everyone wants to boss his own life. Everyone loves himself, thirsts for more money, causes all sorts of trouble, forsakes the teachings of his parents, hates everything that is good, has no self-control, pretends to be godly, but lacks what even indecent people would call good. These people are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Know anyone like that? Are you like that? I surely hope not, because what is described above is what the culture of our nation and world looks like. We are to be different! We are to look more like Jesus to those around us.

No, it’s not easy! Jesus spoke of the two ways: one was the upper way that leads to life and Heaven; the other is the downward way that leads to death and Hell. Everyone is going somewhere! Just be sure you’re on the UPWARD Way!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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.”