The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ecclesiastes 5:1-5, “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.
2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
3 For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow!
5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”

Have you ever read the above verses and considered that they could well apply to us all as we enter the LORD’s house each LORD’s Day? If we indeed “guard our steps” as we enter His house, we are acknowledging that we are there to listen, to learn, and to pray and to praise Him for the peace He affords those who truly worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Whether we admit it or not, behavior in the LORD’s House could often be mistaken for a social event instead of worship. We simply move in and out as we please, taking no notion of the disturbance of others or of the pastor and the spiritual value of his message.

I do have recollection of a book authored by a very liberal minister in which he stated that there was a segment of time in his church’s worship service that was allocated totally for personal, spiritual reflection. There was no singing, no instrumental music, no audible prayers, no reading of Scripture– simply a time for quiet, personal introspection in one’s worship and adoration of the Living God.

Ecclesiastes warns us to “guard (our) steps as (we) go to the house of God.”
We should clothe ourselves and behave ourselves as if the Governor of the state or the President himself were there to worship. Then we should listen
carefully to the Pastor, who has studied to instruct us in the way of the LORD.
We need to pray daily for our pastors. They feel the weight of their position, and often the weight of their study. Our prayerfulness and overall behavior enables them to present what we need through the preaching of the Word.

After all is said and done, the LORD holds us responsible for our behavior. May we always be pleasing in His sight just as He is in ours.

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