The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 12:39-40, “’And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

40 “’You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.’”

According to the Department of Justice, there are 1.03 million home invasions every year. How many

home invasions occurred in Jesus’ day on Earth is impossible to know; however, they did occur, prompting His mention of it in our verses above. There was danger in the ancient world, just as there is today. Jesus is not specifically addressing the matter of homeowner’s rights to defend themselves and their possessions, although by implication, He does support self-defence. He has a more serious matter of which to warn us.

The parallel here is the contrast of a home invader with the Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. We should be ready for both. Of course, the Coming of the LORD is vastly more important. Jesus’ words, “be ready” are imperative in the Greek language. His Coming should be –must be– uppermost in our minds.

Some in Simon Peter’s day were saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep (died), all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4). Still, Peter warns,

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief…” (2 Pet. 3:10). Do thieves intentionally announce when they are coming to rob you? Of course not! Neither does Jesus announce when He is coming. The point is: we must be ready! We must be always alert because He could come at any moment.

We become alert when we read the Bible and consistently follow its instructions. We become alert when our minds are focused on living a Christ-like life. No thief wants to be caught in the act of doing something wrong. And no true believer in Jesus Christ wants to be caught dabbling in worldliness when He comes!

Solomon said, “Watch over your heart with all diligence…” (Pro. 4:23). That means guard your heart at all times! Don’t for a moment be caught off guard. Sound like a full-time job? You bet it is! But when He comes, it will be worth it all.

We love and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”