The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Chronicles 20:5-8, “And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the

Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

6 And again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each

hand and six toes on each foot; and he also was descended from the giants.

7 And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

8 These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. (1 Chr. 20:5-8

NAS).

Before basketball gave way to cancellation, I saw some interesting games on television. On more than one occasion, I saw teams

trail by 10 or more points in the mid-to-late minutes of the second half only to then come back to beat their opponent. Those were really

thrillers! It gives new meaning to the old saying, “It’s not over until it’s over.”

If there is humor in Heaven, I’d like to chide David just a little –not because he killed Goliath, but because he failed to kill Goliath’s brother, Lahmi. But, I’d have to be careful because Shimea, David’s brother, killed a giant of Gath, who had six toes on each foot and

six fingers on each hand. He might overhear our conversation.

The point of these verses above is this: No matter what evil comes against you, it is erasable if you trust the LORD. Further, no matter

how many evils you erase by faith in the LORD, there will always be another that is set to infiltrate your life. We never completely get rid of evil; yet, at the same time, we always have the LORD as our sword and our shield from evil.

I’ve often heard preachers tell of instances when they battled evil and won. (I should probably include myself in this group, as I’m as

susceptible to pride as anyone.) Yet, when you hear men brag about how they conquered this or that, just remember the Scripture that says, “Pride goes before destruction; and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18 KJV). Sometimes men (and women) speak

as if their sin were all in the past; when in reality, they are still caught up and entangled in it.

Jesus said, “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil” (Matt. 5:37 NAS).

It is possible for a team to win in the final seconds of the game. It is also possible for a believer (even a preacher) to overcome evil in

his own life. But it is never due to his own initiative! It is the LORD who died for our sins; and it is He who wrestles with sin in our lives

and it is He who ultimately conquers it. We just need to stop feeding the wrong and allow the LORD to do His work in our lives!

Think about this as we move toward the Crucifixion and Resurrection remembrance days.

Jesus paid it all;

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

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.”