The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Colossians 3:14-15, “And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

When Paul talked about forgiveness back in verse 13, he instructed that we should erase completely all thoughts of retribution toward those who had sinned against us. After all, the LORD forgave us much more than we could ever forgive others.

Now, Paul is promoting love and unity, the factors that result from forgiveness. Where “self” had previously ruled, he now insists that we allow the “peace” that Christ has given to rule in our hearts. Yet, how is that possible?

When we first trusted Christ as LORD and Savior or our lives, He forgave our sin, washed us clean within, and put the Holy Spirit within us. Christ demonstrated externally through His life how God wanted us to live. The Holy Spirit now works within us, knowing that left alone, we would reverse course and start living like we did before trusting Him as Savior. Thus, we have Jesus Christ’s example externally and the Holy Spirit’s leadership internally. This is precisely why we were saved: that we might show through our lives the power and love of the LORD: power to live; power to love.

“Self” cannot be trusted; thus, the Spirit was given to us to control us. Cars, motorcycles, and airplanes are all contain raw power in themselves; but to be effective and useful, they need someone to pilot and control them. That’s the Spirit’s responsibility. He is there to guide us. It’s our responsibility to listen to His direction and allow Him to control us. I think you will find it much to your advantage to allow the LORD to guide you over the rough spots in life.

Oh, and be thankful to the LORD for His love, forgiveness, and direction!!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Let’s keep praying for the salvation of Whitney Tilson! Remember, someone prayed for you.

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.”