The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 21:18-22, “Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.
19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, ‘No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.’ And at once the fig tree withered.
20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, ‘How did the fig tree wither all at once?’ 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” it will happen.
22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Remember how things went when you were a “kid”? You mother needed to shop, but she
couldn’t leave you at home by yourself, so she took you with her. Shopping always meant passing by the candy store! Shopping, therefore, was never a dull experience.

I won’t mingle a candy store experience with Jesus and His disciples, except to say that they all got hungry, too. The only other strange occurrence was that when the
tree was found to be fruitless, Jesus condemned the tree completely; and instantly the
tree withered.

It was a lesson on faith. Jesus was teaching His disciples that simply speaking to an
inanimate object required trust that what was requested would come true. Fig trees are
supposed to bear figs; and figs were there for the hungry to eat. Jesus continued with the lesson on faith, saying, “If you have faith and do not doubt, you…can say to ths mountain,
‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.“

No, I’ve never spoken to a fig tree –nor to any tree, as far as I can remember. But, I have sought to live by faith in Him and have found Him to be more than reliable. No, it’s more than just asking; it’s being yielded to Him and living daily in His will. Then, “…all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” There’s really nothing like it! And it’s there for you when you trust Him all the way. Does He have your life in His hands? He wants it..

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