The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Deuteronomy 9:1-6, “Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven,
2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’
3 “Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.
4 “Do not say in your heart, when the LORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is dispossessing them before you.
5 “It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

The “Big Day” is on! We’re matched against another school that is known for its sports.
We’re excited, yet we’re just a tad scared. We’ve been coached, and warned, about certain members of the opposing team. Still, we’re going to take a deep breath, remember what our coach has said, and –and, just…just do our best!

That “Big Day” in sports might well have prepared Israel for her truly BIG DAY in life! It was the day Israel was crossing the Jordan River to take possession of the land the
LORD had given them to possess. There was just one, big problem: the Anakim warriors that dwelled there! They were a fearsome mob of tough and skilled warriors! Still, Israel had a Warrior who had never lost a battle. He was Israel’s God!

Israel won that battle against the Anakim. But she was also reminded of the LORD’s directive: “Do not say in your heart when the LORD your God has driven them out… because of (our) righteousness…the LORD has brought (us) in to possess this land…’”

Much like Israel in those ancient days, you and I often face enormous difficulties in life. Our nation faces the same enemy; it’s just that we are too often the very enemy we face! Whether it’s an illness or a financial loss or a dozen or scores of difficulties too numerous to mention, we must never forget:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and
though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake
at its swelling pride. There is a river whose streams make glad
the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God
is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her
when morning dawns (Psa. 46:1-5).

Quite honestly, those are excellent verses to memorize! They easily fit the need of every challenging situation –even that difficulty you’re facing today.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

Gene
(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom