The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 5:21:-26, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ‘ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’

22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”

Words matter! What’s more, words matter to God. He cites calling someone a “good-for-nothing” as being comparable to murder; and saying “You fool” as sufficient guilt for casting a person into hell! Words truly matter to God; so they clearly have to matter to us!

Think that’s serious? Listen to this: “…if you are presenting your offering…, ” and just happen to remember that someone –not you, but someone else— “has something against you..,” get things right with him before you offer anything to the LORD! Whew! That’s truly strict! It’s not something to brush aside and forget. If we expect the LORD to listen to our prayers and receive and credit our giving, there are things we first need to get right with others!

You can read again for yourself verses 25 & 26. Simply stated: If we want the LORD to listen to us and answer our prayers, we need first to be in agreement with our neighbors, family and friends. “Do what I tell you first, and then we’ll see about it,” is what my mother used to say. Now, I know where she got the idea! And now we both know what to do with it, don’t we?

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