The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 17:15-20, “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

16 Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, when he has no sense?

17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man lacking in sense pledges and becomes guarantor in the presence of his neighbor.

19 He who loves transgression loves strife; he who raises his door seeks destruction.

20 He who has a crooked mind finds no good, and he who is perverted in his language falls

into evil.”

We live in a world that seeks to justify the wicked while simultaneously condemning the

righteous. Unscrupulous acts of evil are defended with denials from those who are most

closely related to the acts themselves.

Surrounded by verses that identify the ways of the wicked, verse seventeen introduces what

has long become known as “the wisdom of Solomon,” highlighting in a biblical proverb the

value of true, loving friendship emerging from a close, concerned companion.

Whether the companion is seeking to assist his friend by extracting him from trouble

or simply demonstrating his closeness and concern at a critical point in time is not clear.

Yet, there is no question of his love and devotion.

What a blueprint of Christ’s concern for us! He is our dearest and closest friend! The

adversities that surround us melt away in the Light of His eternal presence.

“There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus;

No, not one. No, not one.”

I trust you know Him. If so, share Him with others. You’ll both be better for it.

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