The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace

to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

16 because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

It has been said, “Christianity has not been tried and found difficult; it has been tried and found impossible!” There

is no way that any of us are living exactly as Jesus intended; but we can and must do better than we are! Peter knew

this and wrote it for the instruction of as many believers who would endeavor to follow his teaching.

First, it’s a matter of our mental focus. There is nothing in the Christian faith that we cannot be or do if we keep

focused on the LORD and His purpose. That is true whether you hunting deer or escaping from a wild dog. You have

to keep mentally focused to accomplish the task. At the same time, Peter says we must keep sober and focus in hope on the grace of God that saved us through our LORD Jesus Christ.

Second, we must be obedient to the teachings of Christ and be done with the various lusts we left behind when we first trusted Him. Satan is very clever and calls us back again and again to our old ways of life. He then feeds us with

excuses for not being what Christ has saved us to be. Christ saved us and called us to obedience. Through love, He called us to holiness, saying, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

When my daughter was a small child, I could have set her on my lap and prompted her to say, “I love you, daddy,”

over and over again. But my compelling her to repeat words not from her heart would have been senseless and futile. So, I loved her and my love drew her to love me. God loved us and sent His Son. Now, what could be more magnetic

In drawing us to Him than the love He Himself has shown us? Fix your mind on that and you will please Him.

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.”