The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

James 4:1-5, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have; so, you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so, you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?”

Do you recall that I shared in one of these letters that my cousin, Jim, and I used to argue vociferously – not because we disagreed, but because we were seeking to arrive at Biblical truth? It may indeed sound strange now, but it served us well then. What’s more, we’re still friends, and we still advocate what we learned from the Bible!

I say all of that to say that I’m thankful my friendly contests were with Jim and not with Apostle James! What James quotes above is not only to Jewish believers, but it’s a small part of the verbal scourging he is giving to us all. Look at what James includes: pleasures, lust, murder, envy, fights, quarrels, adultery, failure to pray – all hostilities toward God! And these were church members! “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

James then adds: “Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? Oh, indeed the Holy Spirit indwells us, if we have trusted Him as LORD and Savior of our lives! But our love for the world and its pleasures smothers His appearance, so that we don’t act or look like Christians!

Some churches today even fight within themselves, ignoring the mandate of the Scriptures. Some pastors are guilty of the very sins that James condemns. Let me encourage you to forsake that kind of pastor and those kinds of churches. They only destroy in you what the Holy Spirit seeks to build up. Love the LORD! Love His Word!

Be thankful for courageous pastors and Biblically sound churches! None of them are perfect because you and I are not perfect! Yet, we’re to strive for perfection under the power and leadership of our LORD Jesus Christ. Be prayerfully supportive of the LORD’s work, primarily in your own life. We strengthen others when we allow the LORD to strengthen us. God bless!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.”

–Corrie ten Boom