James 1:13-17, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
“Temptation” is the encouragement to do what is wrong, and we engage in it long before we know the definition of the word. When we’re old enough to know it is wrong, we find the “escape” in blaming someone else for what we do. Such a transfer of blame comes immediately on the heels of the action. Sometimes, we even seek to transfer the blame to God by saying, “I am being tempted by God.”
James is clear, however, saying, “God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” Rather, it is the enticement to do wrong that is evil, and God has no connection with that. Some years ago, it became popular to jest about wrongdoing by saying, “The devil made me do it.” Interestingly enough, however, James puts the blame on “lust”; and lust is blamed on mankind.
Shifting from evil to good, James informs us that every good and perfect thing is “from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” James will not permit us to place the blame for sin anywhere but upon ourselves; nor will he permit us to take credit for any good that occurs. Good is ever and always from the LORD.
We must give close attention to all that occurs; and our concentration on God will endeavor us to be more and more like Him.
Heartily in Christ,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom
James 1:13-18, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the Word of truth, so that we would be among the first fruits of His creatures.”
Temptation is a frightful experience. Yet, the “fright” is carefully masked by the Tempter. It is subtle. It is exciting! What’s more, the tempter “smiles” when he comes and “assures” you that all will be well. Trust me, it will not be well—not if you are a true and faithful believer in the LORD Jesus.
It’s as if there were room in your life for but one—and there is “but for one.” If you have trusted Jesus as LORD and Savior of your life, His presence within you fills you to the uttermost! For He overflows the fullness of your heart and life. There is no room for another.
Deception says there is; but deception lies! How efficient would any sports team be if a “second” coach were simultaneously allowed to be the coach of the team? How efficient is a local Police Department if two or three policemen insist on being “Chief”? Whoever is earliest to the office runs the department. Does that sound even slightly like “common sense”? Of course not!
Once we have committed our hearts and lives to the LORD Jesus Christ, He—and He alone!—determines how life is to be conducted. “You cannot do wrong and get by!” If you appear to be “getting by,” and there are no consequences, you simply do not belong to Him. Thus, a constant and careful evaluation is imperative. Do that evaluation right away! Right now!
Heartily in Christ,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D. Springdale, Arkansas 72764 United States of America
“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom
Matthew 24:1-8, “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”
The verses listed above give a clear account of the coming of the end of the age. Christ is warning that we should not be mistaken simply because some think it is otherwise. There have always been those who believe their understanding of the Word is accurate when it is not! Jesus’ warning, “See that no one misleads you,” is a clear acknowledgment that there are those who will intentionally seek to mislead others.
Still, it’s more than a few who are in error, and it is they of whom Christ speaks, that there are others who will attempt to mislead us. Our focus, however, ought never to be on those who are in error, but upon Jesus, who is never in error!
At the same time, it is obvious to those who are watching that there are more than a few whose preaching and teaching is not according to the sound teaching of Scripture! We must, therefore, be alert to their presence and their intention to mislead as many as possible.
Years ago, a pastor was heard to say, “I don’t believe all I hear preached.” Many could say “Amen!” to that statement. That’s why we ourselves ought to be clear in our understanding of the Bible. We should be careful and prayerful to always be aligned with a church that is clear in its teachings from the Bible. A slip here and a slip there will lead many astray.
Heartily in Christ,
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
Genesis 1:14-19, “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.”
For centuries, men have sought to understand light – what it is; where it originates, who or what is precisely behind it, and what its overall purpose is. Light is one of the great mysteries that begs our continuous investigation.
The Bible tells us that the LORD GOD Himself is the originator and producer of what we call “light.” In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world.”
In 1875, a man named Philip P. Bliss composed the lyrics and music to a song entitled, “The Light of the World is Jesus.” It’s a song that can never truly be “out of season” because “Light” and “Jesus” are indisputably and forever aligned. The word “light” itself is mentioned over 297 times in the Bible, and our reading of the Bible serves to enlighten us both mentally and spiritually.
Furthermore, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). This admonition was emphasized in an old hymn that churches used to sing:
“While passing through this world of sin,
And others your life will view;
Be clean and pure within;
Let others see Jesus in you.”
Please accept “Man Alive” (attached) as a small Christmas gift.
Heartily in Christ Jesus,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom
Genesis 26:1-4, “Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines.
2 The LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you.
3 “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham.
4 “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”
Sixty years ago, I heard this story. Whether it is apocryphal or true, I do not know. What I do know is—well, you read and then you tell me.
The seminary was winding up its year, and it was customary for one of the students to be selected to give an address to the entire school. The faculty poured over the records and selected a fine young man as the annual speaker. The student was scared to death. His forte was as a scholar in the classroom. He had never given more than a short talk in one or two of his classes. Speak to the whole school?
“Oh, no!” he pleaded. But there was no backing out. He had been faculty-selected, and he was going to face the school with a formal address.
The day came, and he was literally shaking as he stood before the entire school. “Duh… do you know wha… what I… I’m about to say?”
Of course, his subject had never been announced, so the entire school body said loudly and politely, “NO!”
“Wuh… well… neither do I, so let’s all go home.”
The exhausted speaker was devastated. “I’ve… I’ve ruined everything,” he said. “No, you haven’t,” said the dean. “You’re just not used to speaking in public. Go back and study a bit more. We’ll let you speak again next week.”
Self-dejected, he dutifully returned to the books. He was not happy, but there was no other way out. He had to address the school—the entire school!
When the day finally came, he was on the platform, but not in good form for speaking. Yet, he stood, walked to the lectern, coughed nervously, looked frightenedly at the school body, and said, “Duh… do you know wha… what I… I’m about to say?”
Having been present at the speaker’s last attempt, and knowing his concluding remark, the students were not about to be fooled again. In chorus, they loudly proclaimed, “Yes!”
The speaker then remarked, “If you already know, then there’s no reason for me to repeat it. So, let’s all go home.” Again, he dismissed the audience, and everyone left the auditorium.
Once again, after a laborious hour with the young seminarian, the dean and members of the faculty were able to persuade him to try one more time to deliver the annual student address. It was the third occasion, and the fright that attended the young man on two previous occasions had not dissipated one iota.
He staggered to the lectern, gripping it as if life itself was hanging in the balance. Sweat poured from every avenue of his face and virtually soaked the paper he had prepared to share. Whatever changed from his previous two attempts, his opening words were the same:
“Duh… do you know wha… what I… I’m about to say?”
His fellow students were now thoroughly confused. Some said, “Yes,” and snickered beneath their breath. But some said, “No,” because they still had no hint as to what he might say.
Hearing the division within the student body, the young speaker then said, “Well, those who know, tell those who don’t know, and let’s all go home.”
Literally mortified that he had failed three times, the dejected young speaker-to-be left the auditorium in devastating defeat!
“I am a total failure,” he said, “a total, total failure!”
“Oh, no!” said the dean. “You’re not a failure. In fact, we want you to stay with the school and teach! For what you said is a fundamental, biblical truth. It’s for those who know to tell those who don’t—before we all go Home.”
There’s a serious message for all of us in that story. Are you ready to tell those who don’t know Him? There’s no better time than at CHRISTMAS!
Heartily in Christ,
(Dado III)
Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America
“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom
