The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 John 1:5-12, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

It is utterly foolish of anyone to deny what is blatantly obvious to others! As small boys, we used to pretend we were cowboys or Indians or policemen. We dressed as appropriately as possible and tried to talk and act as we supposed they did. Of course, everyone who saw or heard us knew we were not whom we pretended to be.

In the passage above the Apostle John exposes as fraudulent those who pretended they are followers of Jesus, but lack His likeness in their lives. They say they are followers of Him, but they don’t live like it. How many are like that yet today!

Let me ask: Do you read the Bible every day? Do you spend some time in prayer every day? Do you recognize your sin and confess it to the LORD every day? It’s vitally necessary that we stay close to Jesus and rid ourselves of sin. Sin hinders our fellowship with the LORD. “Oh, it’s only a little sin,” you say. Yet, “little” becomes increasingly “larger” when we allow it to lie even dormant in our lives. A little here, a little there, and before we know it, prayer and Bible study have disappeared completely, and life is without nourishment and protection! At that point, we are precisely where Satan wants us! No, confession of sin is the only true answer. If we confess our sin, Jesus forgives it, and we’re “on course” again with the LORD!

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