The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 11:1-4, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 For by it the men of old gained approval.”
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

“If you’re good, we will see.” How often, as a small boy, I heard these words from my mother. Her words were a declaration of promise based upon my behavior. The standard by which I was judged was completely hers. My desires were conditioned on my trust in her judgment and my behavior.
And I am certain she was pleased with my acceptance of trust in her final judgment.

Paul defines the standard by which the LORD judges us. What we desire rests solely upon our trust in the LORD. It is called faith. You cannot see it, but you must nevertheless believe it. Do we see air? Yet, we believe it exists and we continue to breathe it. We do not see God, yet we trust Him.

Abel, the second son of Adam and Eve, placed his trust in God when he offered his sacrifice. Cain, his older brother, by his rebellious attitude, rejected faith and the proper sacrifice that God required.
Thus, Abel gained God’s acceptance, while Cain did not.

Twenty-five time in this 11TH chapter of Hebrews, Paul uses the word faith. He demonstrates the value of faith through citing the lives of many who followed the LORD’s instruction. It’s not always easy to exercise faith. We have hopes and desires that we honestly believe are acceptable to God; yet, we must wait for His timing. Our measure of time does not match that of the LORD. His timing is always best. In the meanwhile, we must continue to live and serve Him with such trust that it might be said of us that we are like those “of whom the world was not worthy.”

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