The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 John 4:7-11, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

If you’ve been watching closely, you’ve noticed what is missing in today’s society: love. Oh, yes, we greet one another, smile, perhaps ask about someone in the other’s family, who has recently been sick; but, it’s often a “Hail, Mary!” –and we’re gone.

Shopping used to be a time for genuine fellowship. I remember people talking so long that one or the other had virtually forgotten what they were looking for when they entered the store. I’ve seen people openly weep when they learned of the diagnosis of a mutual friend –things we too often view as fractionally important today.

True love – the love that originates from God – is the love that John insists that we have and should demonstrate toward others. Every true, born-again believer possesses that love. So, why does it not radiate within us, so that it is seen by others?

In some instances, we are simply focused on ourselves. (Oh, I didn’t ask about that. I was in a desperate hurry. The item I wanted to buy was on sale and I was afraid it would be sold before I got there!) How sad that “things” too often take precedence over people! One day, you and I will be the ones to experience being “short-sighted.” Think carefully on this.

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

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 2:1-6. “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

3 and in their greed, they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;

7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men

8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),

9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…”

Do we have false prophets today—or what! Turn on your radio or television and they are there! Interestingly, some of these false prophets have been engaging in sins that have caught up with them, and they are no longer on the scene. Others are sure to be revealed, as time goes on. Still, the spiritual truth prevails: “Be sure your sin will find you out!”

We are instructed by Scripture to follow the LORD, trust His Word, and forsake everyone and everything that comes from non-Scriptural sources. Personalities often cleverly cover the errors of their sins, but only for a brief time.

What is to be done? First, consistently choose those who are Scriptural and godly in their lifestyle. Listen carefully to their teachings. Be certain that the teachings are rightly supported by Scripture. Pray earnestly for the LORD’s leading. He will never let you down!

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

Dear Grands,

Psalm 20:1-9, “For the choir director. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!

2 May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion!

3 May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah.

4 May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your counsel!

5 We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.

8 They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright.

9 Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call.”

In the nine verses above, David models the way for desperate prayers! His cries to the LORD are for help for another, while simultaneously exalting the LORD as the Supreme Helper! In his desperation, he sets forth for us the model for desperate prayer.

“May He remember your offerings…may He fulfill all your petitions.” He then prays for the LORD’s counsel for his friends. There is not the slightest hint that the LORD will refuse his petition. And in the conclusion of his prayer, David affirms his unwavering trust that his prayer will be answered!

Let’s examine what surrounds our prayers. Do we truly believe the LORD will attend to what we ask? Do we fervently believe that our prayers will be answered? And how do we respond when the LORD does answer affirmatively? Do we praise Him, give Him credit? Or do we turn to others as the grantors of our petitions? Yes, He often uses others to help us. Still, there are many serious avenues to be considered. “…we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.” He alone is to be glorified!

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

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 2:1-6, 9, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter…

9…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…”

Have you ever had something nefarious just slip into your mind and life unknowingly? “Where did that come from?” you asked. Ideas and such, that subtilly creep into our lives, are often placed there by the adversary, inabling him to direct our thinking away from the LORD and His Word. It’s a subtle diversion, sometimes going totally unnoticed until the Holy Spirit snaps our thinking back into the right channels of thought.

We must always remember that we have an Ally in the LORD Jesus Christ! He not only warns us of the wiles of the enemy; He also provides us with His Holy Spirit, keeping our minds and hearts on the right path! The Scriptures are virtually filled with accounts of the LORD’s victorious encounters over the forces that sought to stifle Him. Read again verses 4 through 9 above!

The triumphs of the LORD are present and available to us for every situation, provided we are genuinely committed to Him in faith. Don’t sweat the hard stuff! The LORD can deal with it! What’s more, He delights in aiding us, just as we delight in aiding our children. Praise be to 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

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 2:1-9, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;

7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men

8 (for by what he saw and heard that arighteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds),

9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…”

False prophets have always invaded the realm of the righteous in the attempt to destroy mankind’s acceptance of God’s truth! What is occurring today has always occurred throughout the past centuries. There is nothing new under the sun! What is equally distressful is the knowledge that those who succumb to the false teachings of Satan will ultimately be thrown forever into the eternal fires of hell!

The forever cries of those who were deceived will echo throughout eternity! The God of love, who sought earnestly to convince them of His love, will then Himself be unable to rescue them. The postmen, the grocery boys, the workmen attending our houses—their opportunity for salvation will have passed! The door that would have led to life everlasting will have closed forever!

Friends here that could have been with us, are not there! Rewards that awaited us in Heaven will never be conferred. And for eternity, we…; and for eternity, they…. Think! Act! Now there is time!

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