The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Prov. 23:22-28, “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother
when she is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who sires a wise son will be
glad in him.
25 Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
26 Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes delight in my ways.
27 For a harlot is a deep pit and an adulterous woman is a narrow well.
28 Surely she lurks as a robber, and increases the faithless among men.”

To some of you this will sound strange; but the older I become (your guess!), the greater
is my understanding of the wisdom in their instruction when I was young. There were
things I was instructed not to do, but without the rationale behind the instruction. As I
grew older, I suddenly understood the rationale.

There were, of course, multiple things left to my own discretion. I now believe that what items were omitted from my parents’ instruction, were purposely omitted that I might learn them on my own. Instructions are somewhat like stair steps. When we successfully learn to lift our feet up one step, it encourages us to lift them up to the second step. It’s a simple matter of growth.

In much the same way, the LORD instructs us en route to spiritual and physical maturity. On the physical level, we are to make our parents and others glad. On the spiritual level, we are to literally “live” in the Word of God and allow His Holy Spirit to enable us to grow spiritually. This is to the delight of our LORD Jesus Christ.

When we were children, we wanted to “grow up” physically. At least, that’s how I felt. Why then, should anyone wonder why we want to grow up spiritually? By the way, where are you on the spiritual growth scale? Are you reading the Bible daily? Are you praying about becoming more like the LORD Jesus Christ? Are your habits pleasing to the LORD?

We would all do well to remember the words of B. B. McKinney’s hymn:

“While passing through this world of sin,
And others your life shall view,
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.”

Practice living this way this week. You might be surprised what other will say when they see more of Jesus in you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

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

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