The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 22:16-21, “And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.

17 “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

19 ‘Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.’ And they brought Him a denarius.’

20 And He said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’

21 They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’”

It is remotely possible that the men of Biblical times spoke of money more often and more vigorously than their counterparts in today’s economy. The Bible references “money” no less than 137 times, and mostly in a negative sense! Timothy warned us that the “love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10); and Paul said, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money…” (Heb. 13:5). Still, despite these and other salient warnings, the lust for the coin of the realm remains steadfast. The stock market, along with the virtually valueless rial of Iran, are but two of the multiple monetary “attractions” of mankind today.

Jesus Himself was not opposed to money. He knew, as do we, that no economy anywhere can survive without it. Money for food, clothing, housing, etc., has always been required. It’s the LOVE of money for money’s sake that took center focus in the views cited in the Scriptures. Jesus was offered the opportunity to express His view on the subject when the disciples brought up whether it was legal “to give a poll-tax to Caesar…”

I grew up in a family with very little money. I learned early that some things for sale were simply not worth their asking price. I can recall my grandmother speaking of “tough times.” My parents both worked, and neither my sister nor I were ever deprived of what we needed; but we were taught to value the little money that we had. “Give, and it will be given to you…by your standard…it will be measured to you…” (Lk. 6:38)

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 Samuel 22:1-7; “And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2 He said, ‘The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.

4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

5 “For the waves of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me;

6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears.’”

What do you do when you find yourself miraculously rescued from the hands of enemies, who could have certainly caused your death? You praise the LORD! That is precisely what David did – only he did it in song! Enemies had surrounded him. Doubtlessly, he was fearful; yet, he “spoke…words of song to the LORD: ‘The LORD is my rock and my fortress…, my shield and deliverer…my stronghold…my refuge…my savior…’”

What a marked difference from what we often hear from those who have been delivered from harm and death. “I sure was lucky!” or “Someone upstairs was certainly watching over me!” Luck? Someone? Upstairs? Surely, the rescue didn’t just “happen.” Why are so many unwilling to credit the LORD for rescuing them from sickness, harm, and death? In the midst of the tragedy, they cry, “Oh, LORD!” Yet, afterwards, they credit luck or good fortune for their rescue. David gave credit where credit was due: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress…my deliverer.”

The “cords of Sheol” were upon him. David was at the very doors of death. Yet the LORD alone rescued him and was worthy to be praised! Sheol was the place where people went when they died.

Simply stated: they were cowards when facing tragedy and death. Yet, in survival, they want to look brave, so they smother the truth and resort to humanistic facemasks. Someday we will meet the LORD face-to-face, and shame and sorrow will grip us then. Be brave! Trust 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,

Leviticus 19:15-18, “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

16 You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.

17 You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”

Were space sufficiently available, the fourteen verses previous to the above would have revealed the LORD’s entire purpose, which is summed up in the closing part of verse two: “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Holiness has always been the fundamental purpose of the LORD for mankind.

If you have been following the current Clancy trial in Massachusetts, you know that one juror is a “holdout” on the final decision. Of the 12 jurors, three are male, while nine are female. Who that person is, male or female, only the jury knows. Yet, that one person may decide whether the accused is guilty or not guilty! It’s a situation well within the law, but it leaves a host of people upset and seriously wanting this trial to conclude!

Assuming the genuine integrity of that one juror, what would you do if you were in that person’s position? Would you cause the jury to “hang” and get everything over with? Or would you give in and allow the will of the eleven others to prevail?

Whatever ultimately occurs, we may be assured that the LORD will exercise His will. Truth will always survive! It may not seem so momentarily, but truth will ultimately survive! In all matters of life, the LORD is the Ultimate Judge! “…be sure that your sin will find you out”

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 106:13-21, “They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel,

14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

15 So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When they became envious of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD,

17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram.

18 And a fire blazed up in their company; the flame consumed the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image.

20 Thus they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass.

21 They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt…”

“Did you remember to bring the items I mentioned?” It was the voice of the teacher.

“I forgot,” replied the student. It’s so easy to forget. Perhaps for that reason, the Bible uses the word 53 times, and its cousin, forgot, 10 times. Still, there are some things that must not be forgotten!

Deuteronomy 4:23 says, “Be careful…that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God…” Spoken originally to Israel, yet the verse itself speaks to us, as to all New Testament believers. How often we forget the responsibilities we assumed when we trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD of our lives! Oh, we never forget what He promised us, but we easily allow ourselves to forget what we promised Him!

Don’t forget to pray! Don’t forget to undertake that responsibility He assigned to you! Don’t forget the “lost feeling” you encountered daily prior to your salvation – or the embarrassment you felt when you remembered what you had neglected. There’s so much for which we are accountable!

It’s amazing how we excuse our failures while simultaneously holding others accountable for neglecting promises of their own! The day of reckoning is coming! Time is quickly passing by! Tomorrow will be too late…

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,

Acts 25:7-11, “After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove,

8 while Paul said in his own defense, ‘I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.’

9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?’

10 But Paul said, ‘I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

11 ‘If then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.’”

Legal trials are formidable events, to say the least. Especially is that so when there is no evidence to support the accusations! The Apostle Paul’s experience was exactly that: an accusation without evidence to support it.

The passage above covers what we might call a “pre-trial hearing.” The Gospel message that occasioned the Jewish dislike had brought both parties to Caesarea, where Paul was expected to be tried before Festus, the Governor of Judea. The Jews ostensibly wanted Paul to be tried in Jerusalem, as their plan was to assassinate him en route. Festus was clearly aware of the Jewish plot when he proposed returning to Jerusalem, yet he desired to favor the Jews. Nevertheless, Paul asserted his innocence by effectively saying, “We’re in court now. Let’s do it right here.”

Innocent people are not fearful of being tried, so long as the trial is conducted fairly and honestly. Truth will “always out.” Yet, Paul saw only one legal procedure open to him: he utilized his legal right and appealed to Caesar.

Always, our best recourse is a prayerful appeal to the LORD. Remember, it was at the Sea of Galilee that Jesus healed the speech impediment of a man, saying, “’Ephphatha!’ That is, “Be opened.” And the man began speaking plainly. He can do all things! And He does them well!

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