The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 3:1-8, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them
on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.”

There’s a verse in this passage that reminds me of my youth. It’s verse one.
I cannot recall a time when my mother sent me to the store without repeating
the phrase, “…don’t forget…” Why would she use a negative phrase instead
of saying, “Now, remember what you’re going to get”? Perhaps little boys are
prone to remember the negatives and forget the positives!

Solomon’s wisdom is not to be taken lightly, either. “Keep my commandments”
equals out to “obey His law.” If man’s law is fair, just and beneficial, it is because
it derives from God’s law. When we live in obedience, we have no fear of things
harming us because we are living under the ultimate protection of the LORD.

When we live as the LORD directs, we have no reason to fear what anyone
thinks or says. Our speech, too, lies under the blanket of His protection. And
when we believe that, we soon discover that true life comes from His peace.

Sometimes the bodily ills that we experience come from our failure to follow
His teachings in Scripture. I hope you know Him! If you do, you will understand
your need to trust Him. If you do not know Him, you can know Him by confessing
your sin and asking His forgiveness.

The kippot (skull cap) that Jewish men (and some women) wear is their means of reverencing the LORD. Born-again believers in Jesus should always live reverently
before the LORD. He is our life, and we are to live reverently (“in fear”) before Him.
If our trust is firmly fixed in Him, our lives will demonstrate that trust. We will always
be living with the awareness that He is beholding all that we are and do.

Are you a true, born-again believer in Jesus? Have you confessed your sins
to Him and asked His forgiveness? When you trust the LORD as your Savior, He manifests Himself in everything you do and say. He then becomes your Spiritual Parent, leading and teaching you throughout all you life. There is no other way!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom