The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 4:25-28, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.”

Paul is not seeking to prove that the Ephesians –even Ephesian Christians – always spoke falsely. They were human and possessive of fallen human natures, so all things that could be categorized as untruthful, were as much a part of the Ephesians as everyone else. Still, there are many kinds of falsehoods. Paul’s instruction is that all things false must be eliminated from the Christian life.

Anger grips a lot of us. I don’t get angry the way I used to; but as a kid, I had a ferocious temper! I never cursed, never used the LORD’s name inapproiately, but I very often got steamingly mad! That tempered fell away a lot after I got married. To be sure, from time-to-time, my wife and I disagreed on things. But we sought always to forgive each other before bedtime.

Anger confuses those who employ it. They get so “steamed up” they cannot put together a good argument; besides all of that, it opens wide the door for Satan to gain control of your life. You may even believe that you have gotten everything straightened out, but Satan has rushed the door and gained an entrance. He will then cause all kinds of future trouble!

Theft follows anger quite closely. Anger confuses thinking, often causing one to believe that things not his are “absolutely” his! Paul’s mandate is that we start “performing with (our) own hands what is good.” The Smithsonian Channel aired a good series some nights back. I don’t always approve of shows they air, but this series dealt with how food was produced in early American days –food that provided good jobs as well as nourishment in the days of the Great Depression. Yes, there were conflicts among some of the early food producers, but the emphasis was that each man had ideas that he produced; and a host of people lived through the Depression with jobs and sufficient food because of it.

Do you really have cause to be angry? Are you so very much in need that you have to steal? What talents do you have? How can you share them with others so as to make their lives easier? Have you really thought about it? We’re not here for ourselves! We’re here by the grace of God, and we need to share His and other things with others! Give all of this some serious thought. It’s in the Bible, so you know it’s right!

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.”