The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 22:1-8, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’

2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Has the LORD ever put you to a test? If so, it’s nothing to fear; it’s just what He occasionally does in order to prove to us what and where we are, while “shaking” us into reality. Of course, He already knows where we are at all times; it’s simply His way of “awakening” us and letting us know that His eye is consistently upon us.

Think back on school times. You walk into class, expecting nothing out of the ordinary, only to have the instructor come through the door saying, “Okay, class! Books closed; pencils sharp; minds alert! We’re going to have a quiz!”

Momentarily, all hearts sink—and then slowly we recover. What’s the point of this, anyway? One point is to remind the class that they should have read and re-read the lesson instead of watching sports on TV the night before!

In true reality, the LORD wants us to keep alert on the main thing: the class and all that it encompasses. He doesn’t intend for our hearts to fail; just that we are always awake and alert to His availability to hear and for counsel.

Are we always alert to His counsel? Do we live in a state of prayerfulness? Are we sensitive to His presence? Do we meditate daily on His Word? It’s a need that we have that only He can satisfy. Hopefully, this is so!

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