The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 5:33-45, “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’

34 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

37 “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

39 “But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

41 “And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’

44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

If anyone ever wants to know whether Christianity is hard and “tough as a rock” or as “easy as gooseberry pie,” this is the passage to explain it. The passage says, “This is what the ancient fathers have told us.” (v. 33). It is not as easy as it seems.

Don’t promise what you will do, Jesus said, “Just do it!” Don’t rest your statement on some ancient saying; rest it on Jesus and what He has said. Let His Word stand for Itself! Resist the temptation to slip your own thinking into His Word!

Behaving like He wishes us to behave is not easy – at least, at first, it’s not. Yet, as time moves on, stick to what He has said. Let nothing divert you from His Truth. It’s His Truth that sets us free!

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