The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philippians 2:1-5, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Were I to ask you if you’d ever done something to help someone else, what would you say?

Oh, I know that you have! Still, if we’re being totally honest, we’d have to say that we’ve done at least some of those things with the thought that we might be able to request something from them at a time in the future. Just “doing for others” without an agenda is often rare, is it not?

Jesus was not like that. He did for others what was needful for them without a thought of the cost to Himself. He wanted them to be healed, so they could walk or see. He wanted them to be healed, so they could view the beauty of things around them. He wanted them to trust Him for the future life He could provide for them.

There are numerous things we could do for others. Why are we not thinking of them instead of ourselves? If we would be like Jesus, we would never “count the cost;” we would share Him with others, and without hesitation. Just think of what He has done for us: He gave His very life!

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