The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 5:6-10, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

The shooting today at the Garlic Festival in California that killed three people and wounded 12 others, is

only a preview of the hatred that is overwhelming our nation and the world today. People ignore God until their need for Him is imperative! Most of the time, people behave as if they are their own god, doing only and always what they please. Such was evidently the mind of the shooter.

Laws today are largely ignored; and those who break laws are likewise largely ignored. Is that how believers are to behave? Breaking laws and acting as if they are a law unto themselves? Not according to Peter; he says, “Humble yourselves…under the mighty hand of God…” If you are anxious (worried, concerned), turn it all over to the LORD. He loves you and concerns Himself with everything that concerns you.

“Be sober (and) on the alert.” The word “spirit” is not in the Greek, making sobriety to mean “stay away from alcohol.” Don’t allow anything to cloud your mind. Satan is clever. He sneaks around in the effort to catch us off guard, then he slams us to the ground in a powerful effort to do us in! But, you’re not helpless; you can resist him. It’s a matter of faith, trust in the LORD, who is more powerful.

In the middle of verse nine, Peter talks about suffering. I wish I had space here to tell you of missionaries I know, many of whom are suffering. Christians, who are not “missionaries,” are suffering, too. Remember the Christian lady in Iran, who was imprisoned for many months? Her “crime” was that she, as a Christian, offered a drink of water to another woman, who was not; and in the process of friendliness, she would have caused the non-Christian lady to drink from a container that, possibly, she herself had used.

Yes, we all have sufferings in our countries, too; but the grace of God is working in us as believers. In His own time, the LORD “will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us.” He will keep us firmly fixed on His foundation. Still, He looks for us to work with Him by being cooperative in the issues Peter states here.

I will be praying that you will adhere to this teaching, and experience the blessing that comes from Christ.

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.”