The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Kings 8:22-25, “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

23 He said, ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,

24 who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day.

25 ‘Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, “You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.”’”

I’ve been reading recently of Solomon. His life would have been well, had he continued to live the remainder of it from this spiritual position. Ah, but it is not to be. His careful examination of the godly life of his father, David, was ultimately abandoned in his own later life. The end was not what the beginning had promised. It rarely is!

It’s sad to say, but that’s often the way of our lives. Reared of a godly heritage, we often feel “left out.” We simply want to discover what it’s like on the “other side of the fence.” So, we glance over there and eventually find ourselves mired there, wondering how it happened.

No, across the fence is not a good side! Yet, the discovery reveals even more. It was much easier to look exploringly at “other side,” than it is to abandon it and get back to where you came from! Sadly, Solomon never retreated to the side he had abandoned. He left the worship of the LORD for worship on the wrong side. It was not that the LORD would not forgive him; it’s just that he never asked! There’s an old children’s song that says…

“Be careful, little feet, where you go;

Be careful, little feet where you go;

For the Father up Above is looking down in love;

Be careful, little feet where you go.”

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