The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 5:10-17, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.

13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Have you ever wondered why the LORD leaves you here on Earth? I certainly have. Oh, it’s not that I don’t love my family. I surely do! But my parents and grandparents have all gone on to be with Christ; so too has my wife. They’re all with Him, so life is certainly more than one’s family.

One day we, who truly know Jesus Christ, will stand before Him at what the Bible calls the Judgment Seat. At that time, He will assess the quality of our lives and whether we had attended well to the assignments He had given us while we were here on Earth. At that time, also, we will give an accounting for the things we have done and have not done. That will be far less than enjoyable!

Yet, we still have the opportunity to reclaim ourselves. There are lost souls who need our witness. There are straying souls who need our spiritual guidance and comfort. Our lives should demonstrate Christ before all mankind! Nor should we stand in the way of a brother or sister when they seek to honor Him. We are to be His “new creatures!” Others will notice our lives and ask how we managed to become what we are. At that point, we can tell them of Jesus! We are not responsible for whether they accept Him. But we are responsible to see that they have had the opportunity to receive Him! Are you with me? Okay, let’s go do it together!

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