The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 12:9-18, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

I have formaly studied four foreign languages; and I am prepared to say that there has never in my studies been a language so explicit as Greek. There are four separate words in Greek that are translatable as love. One word is so vile that it is thoroughly excluded from the Greek New Testament.

True love, ??????, as described in verse nine above, simply cannot be hypocritical. It is always genuine, always pure. Certainly, that’s the exact attitude we should always possess. It is always our LORD’s display toward us, and it should always be our genuine display toward others.

This love connects precisely with diligence, service, hope, preservation, blessing, rejoicing, respect, and peace. Yes, it’s not always in a competent relationship with others; yet, we are admonished to live lovingly as often as possible and without respect of the situation or those who occupy it.

What’s truly exciting is that we don’t have to be Greek to fulfill all that the LORD wants from us. Nor do others have to love us at all. It’s just being like Him! And, after all, isn’t that what everything is all about?

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