The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 2:9-12, “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

I have a long-time preacher-friend who lives in a distant state. (I won’t say which state because he thinks his state is the finest and he needs no encouragement in that area.) In his late-in-life encounters, one of his doctors is Jewish. When he witnessed to this doctor, the discussion of creation came to the point that my friend asked his doctor, “Then, who made God?” And the doctor answered, “Man made God.”

Peter and Paul were both Jewish, too; but they were believers in Jesus Christ. You will remember from previous Letters, however, that Paul was called to minister to both Jews and Gentiles, while Peter ministered exclusively to the Jews. Peter was right when he told the Jewish Christians that they were “a chosen Race…a people for God’s Own possession.”

Long before the existence of the church, Jews who had accepted Jesus as the Father’s Son, and Savior of the world, were known as “the people of God.” Prior to their belief, however, they were “not a people,” as they had not received the mercy of God’s forgiveness.

Then the group of believers in Christ came together and formed a church. Peter became their spiritual leader and urged them to “abstain from fleshly lusts” because these sins waged “war against the soul” of the believers. They still do! Peter warns them and us against being like the Gentiles. It doesn’t matter what they say about us, Peter exclaimed; just keep on glorifying the LORD Jesus Christ.

There will come a day, Peter taught, that the LORD Jesus will come again. We have no idea of when that day will come. Yet, each day brings us closer to that day; and we don’t want to be caught doing sinful things when He comes. So just keep spiritually clean. Read the Bible every day. Pray about everything! See that you’re ready when He comes. After all, you are His possession! You belong to Him. So, act like it! Be ready for His Coming!

And “being ready” means living righteously, so that neither He nor you, nor your friends will be embarrassed when He Comes. Are you ready for His Return? If not, Get ready! Every day brings us one day closer to His Coming!

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