The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 1:3-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

Buying something can sometimes be a surprise. “If you purchase this fine table with six matching chairs,” the
salesman says, “you will also be given this gorgeous set of dishes and cutlery –all free with the table and chairs.”

Also, there is nothing more exciting than having someone do for you what you are not able to do for yourself. That is precisely what occurred with Simon Peter. He had been born again; now his old life was replaced with a “living hope” through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. By accepting Jesus as his LORD and Savior, Peter had received the Holy Spirit, who would guide and bless him throughout the remainder of his life.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior of your life, you possess the Holy Spirit, too. If you have
not accepted Jesus, you are on your own with Satan and his forces leaning on you to believe and do his will instead of the will of Jesus. Satan doesn’t speak of the “inheritance” you will receive from him because what he has in store is not a pleasant place to reside.

Living by faith is living with trust –trust that the LORD is always with us, enabling us to side-step those things
that are contrary to His will. How precious is that? Our passage above tells us that it is “more precious than gold…” It is tested by the fires of temptation, but always shows itself to be superior because it is of the LORD.

It is beyond the scope of this Letter to reveal the blessings that attended Simon Peter’s Christian life; however,
He speaks beyond the words of his Letter, as we view his life through the Scriptures. Our lives are different from
Peter’s life. Yet, we face the same trials and temptations Peter experienced; thus, the promise the LORD gave
to him, He gives to us. We can know the LORD’s precious promises to us, just as Peter knew His promises to him.

Turn your life over to the LORD. Yield yourself fully and completely to Him. You will learn what Peter learned.
Jesus is real! Yield your life to Him today and see! You are in my prayers.

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