The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 3:8-13, “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of
the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’
10 He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was
naked; so I hid myself.’
11 And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat?’
12 The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the
tree, and I ate.’
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the
woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”

Excuses, excuses, excuses… Life is full of excuses, most of which are lame and
worthless. Such was so of Adam and Eve in the beautiful and luscious garden of
hope and peace the LORD had ordained for them.

Subsequently, there was a “passing of the buck!” It’s so easy for us to blame Eve
and Adam for their disobedience against God. They apparently ignored the fact that
God was still around. That was their second problem. The first was their having done the very opposite of what God had told them.

It’s an old, old story –a truthful account, nevertheless, and traceable to how we got
to where we are today. I well remember when Pearl Harbor was bombed and we
were launched into World War II. Everyone was fearful that a loved one would be
called into military duty. Some boasted that they could hardly wait to get into the
fight.

It’s beyond our reach to surmise what lay in the hearts of Eve and Adam on the
fateful day when they were summoned before the LORD. Everything each of
them said was true –true to a point. Yet, they were quick to pass the blame to yet
the other.

We’re still like that! I don’t pretend to know everything that lies in the minds and
hearts of warfaring people; but I will forever remember the Hamas leader who
shouted against Israel as he launched that first strike! Now, his people suffer the
loss of so much, as they drag other nations with them into the fight. Unlike Eve,
who admitted to her sin, Hamas elects to forget they fired that first shot.

We must pray for Israel and for those in Gaza, who are suffering from the fire their
own kinsmen kindled and fanned into flame! Surely, we’re living in the last days!

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