The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 10:21-25, “…since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience

and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you

see the day drawing near.”

Did you ever fall off of a bike when you were a kid? You looked quickly at your skinned knee, saw some blood oozing out,

and RAN screaming to your mother! Why did you run to your mother? You did it because you knew she loved you and knew what to do. She would not turn you away or be too busy to tend to your hurt. And when she cleansed the skin and spoke to you reassuringly , you felt better. Mom bandaged the hurt, it slowly diminished, and you returned to play.

We’re adults now, but hurts often come. Where do we go when they do? Paul assures us that the LORD is always present.

First, we must draw near to Him “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” Why do we have such a problem with that?

We ran to Mom; why do we not run to the LORD? We trusted Mom; surely, we can trust the LORD! The secret to fully trusting Him is living closely with Him day-by-day. Stay in His Word, the Bible. Pray to Him throughout the day. Tell Him you hurt and let Him take it from there.

Paul admonishes us “hold fast the confession of our hope,” and do it “without wavering”! Did our LORD not tell us He would deal with the issues we face? We believed Mom; why can’t we believe our LORD Jesus Christ? Don’t give up! Don’t question His ability to keep His promise! The Bible teaches us that “He cannot llie” (Titus 1:2). Once again, living closely with Him day-by-day is the secret to maintaining a strong faith.

Finally, Paul encourages us to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” One of the greatest means of growing in faith is to encourage others to love one another and to stay in church (Yes, that’s what he means by assembling). This is not the time to fall away from church. Other believers need you, just as you need them. We are social beings. God made us that way; and when we get together, we encourage each other, sometimes without even knowing it. Jesus is coming to Earth again! We want to be ready. Accepting Him as our LORD and Savior is the major step. Fellowship with others is the second step. Put them in the correct order (Christ first) and your faith will increase amazingly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom