The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 12:1-8, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;

7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;

8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

When someone charged with controlling you gives you an order, obey it without delay! I learned as a child that delay only brings a repetition of the same order, but is stamped with a harsh reminder. Further, Paul, the divinely assigned author of the order, emphasizes that he is merely the conveyer of it. The order is initially from the LORD!

Further, the purpose of the order is that we might present to the LORD everything that is required for a “spiritual service of worship,” such as total transformation from self-will to the will of the LORD. We are not to be spiritual robots! Reason requires that we yield to Him and serve Him, utilizing the gifts He has given us. Sometimes, however, we are not only to do the work but to advise and assist others. We are certainly not to simply sit on the sidelines and watch! We are always to be in the battle, but cheerfully, as we assist and encourage others. Are you ready?

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