The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 16:16-20, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.”

Someone once asked me how I decide what verses to use in these daily Grands Letters. In one sense, it’s quite easy in that there are multiple passages in the Bible from which one can choose.

On the other hand, it is difficult in that the LORD always makes the final decision. In other words, I pray and simply trust the LORD to direct me in the process.

Looking at the text above, most of us would probably choose gold or silver over wisdom. Look what we could buy with that money! At the same time, look how hard it would be to obtain and use wisdom. Yes, wisdom might assist us in finding gold, but the gold might make us forever resistant to wisdom.

When I think of how pride destroys, I’m always reminded of an instance that stumbled a young preacher I once knew. We were in college and he had been selected to preach in a church on a given Wednesday night. Virtually, all of the students had gone to hear him. He was firey and got off to a good start. Then his humility gave way to pride and he looked at the clock on the wall and said, “Wow, only five minutes gone! We’re really movin’ now!”

At that point, everything went flat. He forgot where he was in his message. He stumbled mentally as he fought furiously to get back on track. Yet, it was all to no avail. A haughty spirit named “pride” had made its way into his message and the LORD had moved off of the stage.

How very important it is that we always give attention to the Word. “He who watches his way preserves his life.” Remember, in all that we do to trust faithfully in the LORD! He has saved us for His purpose. The Message is His and His alone! We are simply privileged to share it with others. Keep a good lookout! There are scores of people who need to know Him! What about you?

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