The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1Peter 5:6-7, “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.”

We might suppose that Simon Peter would be the last person to suggest that believers “humble” themselves. Even a brief sketch of Peter’s life requires that we note his abrupt outspokenness. He even dared to challenge the validity of Jesus’ predictions! But Peter is older now. He’s learned some hard lessons and speaks much more meekly than in his earlier life.

Therefore, we might expect him to now say, “Humble yourselves…”

Two verses earlier (v. 4), Peter is thinking and writing of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Himself, who could appear at any time.

(Remember the cock crowing?) We would all do well to remember that; but none quite so vividly as Peter. In any event, in the light of the Coming of the LORD –whenever that may be—we surely don’t want Him to find us wrangling among ourselves as to who is the greatest. He will decide that when He comes! For now, we must humble ourselves and think of ourselves less –much less—than we normally do. The LORD will hand out awards in His own time; and they will be given to those who think more of others than they do of themselves.

Anxiety falls upon all of us at some time. Some are anxious to achieve more and have more. Others, who already have much, suffer from anxiety over whether someone else will steal what they themselves have already aquired. Thus, anxiety cuts both ways. But the surest way of eliminating anxiety is to cast it all on the LORD. “Be anxious for nothing,” Paul says.

I rarely loan my car to anyone. When I do, however, I loan it to someone I trust as a good-to-excellent driver, and I don’t

worry about the safety of either one. If you have a lot, don’t worry about its safety, just give it into the Hand of the LORD.

If you don’t have much, don’t worry about that, either; you are the LORD’s child, and it is His responsibility to care for you and all your needs. Either way, “He cares for you.”

What a wonderful Savior and LORD we have! Everything we do should be done for His glory! He is the One who gave us life. So, life and the LORD should be our only concerns. Live your life for Him; He gave His Life for you!

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.”