The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 John 3:1-6, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him, there is no sin.

6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.”

Does it excite you when someone actually calls you by name and not just yells, “Hey, you!”? The Apostle John says that when we have come to know Jesus as LORD and Savior of our lives, our Heavenly Father calls us “children of God.” Being a child is certainly an intimate, coveted designation. Further, being a child of the LORD is a designation of divine relationship, parental guidance, protection, provision, and so much more! It means comfort, both spiritually and physically. It means that as His children, we can rely upon the LORD for every conceivable need, at all times.

Still, there’s more to a relationship than merely what we receive. Relationships extend in both directions. There’s a responsibility on our part to behave as He requires. Were we employed with serious responsibilities, as are many in our society, we would be responsible to behave in accordance with the stated regulations of our employment. It is the same with being a Christian. There are both personal and spiritual regulations that dominate our lives: things that we are responsible to do and things that we are responsible to avoid.

How are we to know? Our Father has set forth such regulations in His Book, the Holy Bible. And further, He has provided the Holy Spirit as our internal Guide. No, we’re not abandoned to roam life’s road alone. He is our constant Guide; and He provides everything we could possibly need for living the life that He requires. It’s all in the Bible! May God bless you as you live and trust Him daily!

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