The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 140:6-13, “I said to the LORD, ‘You are my God; Give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.

7 “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 “Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

9 “As for the head of those who surround me, may the mischief of their lips cover them.

10 “May burning coals fall upon them; may they be cast into the fire, Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.

11 “May a slanderer not be established in the earth; may evil hunt the violent man speedily.”

12 I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted and justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”

Have you ever found yourself in such dire need that you literally cried out loud to the LORD in desperation? I’m sure you have. David was not a timid lad. Almost any selection of his writings in Scripture will attest to that. Yet look at what is shared above: he has experienced his “day of battle,” and the vicious slander of at least one evil human tongue. Yet, he himself was human; and every human being has a limit for terror.

The psalmist’s confidence of protection lies in the very “presence” of the LORD. You’ve been there! The darkening clouds of uncertainty billowed about you, producing fear, the likes of which prompted the question: “Where is the LORD, and is He capable of extricating you from the frightful, forthcoming dilemma in which you find yourself? And just when you were about to surrender and let go of the ropes, Jesus Himself emerged from spiritual warmth as your Precious and Ready Redeemer!

No, “God is not mocked!” (Rom. 6:7); He is always timely, possessing full and effective recourse that simultaneously locates and extricates the desperate. Trust Him! He never fails!

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,

1 Samuel 8:1-7, “And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.

2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.

3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;

5 and they said to him, ‘Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.’

6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ And Samuel prayed to the LORD.

7 The LORD said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.’”

Now, read that first verse one more time. “…Samuel was old…” More often than not, older men (and women) make decisions that could bear greater scrutiny before they are issued. The older we become, the less care we often give to important details.

Samuel was old; thus, his supervision of his sons was considerably less than when he was younger. Old men tire more easily. Recuperation comes with greater demand—at least, it seems that way. Thus, Samuel’s sons escaped the oversight and direction they had received when they were young. Samuel had long been their spiritual guide; yet, because his sons were not living up to his standards, the people suggested he appoint a king to rule over them. Samuel, however, was not persuaded and wisely sought counsel from the LORD.

We’re often caught in similar situations. People who have lived under human supervision come to view themselves as competent to rule themselves. It is then that we must seek the LORD’s guidance and abide by His will. In Samuel’s case, the LORD reveals that the people had rejected Him, and he should “listen to the voice of the people.” In effect, the LORD is leaving them to their own devices. How sad that ultimately turns out to be!

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 141:1-8, “O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You!

2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who do iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5 Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head; do not let my head refuse it, for still my prayer is against their wicked deeds.

6 Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock, and they hear my words, for they are pleasant.

7 As when one plows and breaks open the earth, our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8 For my eyes are toward You, O GOD, the Lord; in You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.”

Were you ever in a situation that could be described as being “between a rock and a hard place”?

That’s obviously where David was when he authored these verses. It was an earnest and hurried prayer: “Set a guard! Keep watch!” These were simply not words thrown into a meaningless sentence. David was serious! To his credit, he tacitly acknowledges the temptation to “practice (their) deeds of wickedness”; yet, throughout everything, he prays against “their wicked deeds.”

Have we not all been in David’s place somewhere in our hurried lives? We had the best of intentions, but suddenly found ourselves helplessly, unintentionally “trapped” inside a company of unbelievers. It was our own fault, but how do we now extricate ourselves from this anti-Christian group?

The Word says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,” and “a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psa. 51:17). Thus, in whatever potentially compromising situation we might find ourselves, the LORD is always our Anchor of hope and salvation! Praise 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,

Psalm 59:9-17, “Because of his strength I will watch for You, For God is my stronghold.

10 My God in His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.

11 Do not slay them, or my people will forget; Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.

12 On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be caught in their pride, And on account of curses and lies which they utter.

13 Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more; That men may know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah.

14 They return at evening, they howl like a dog and go around the city.

15 They wander about for food and growl if they are not satisfied.

16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress.

17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.”

How do you handle opposition? Doubtlessly, we all face it! At times, it seems simply too much for us to handle alone. Thus, the LORD includes for us the verses above, as an ally that enables us to withstand what we could not oppose alone. Sometimes it’s an illness. At other times, it’s a formidable opponent, clothed in a series of frightful circumstances, intended to bring us to our knees.

Yet, when we are yielded to the LORD, He becomes our stronghold, enabling us to withstand the cruelest of would-be disablers. Oh, I’ve met numerous individuals who sought to disguise themselves as enablers, only to discover their true colors just in the “niche” of time! There’s an old saying that often gives them away: “It’s not how loud you shout or how high you jump; it’s how you run when you hit the ground.”

Yes, our enabler is the LORD! And when the Psalmist discovered Him, he cried, “O my strength, I will sing praises to You; for God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.”

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 John 1:6-11, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

8 Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

9 Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;

11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”

Have you ever put some thought into how many things we call “love”? Boy, I love apple pie! Well, I don’t like apples, but I sure love coconut cream pie! Foods are okay, but there’s nothing I love more than a glass of deep, cold well water! Enough of food and drink, I love soccer! Soccer? It’s nothing when compared with baseball. That’s what I love!

Have you ever taken inventory of the innumerable things we affiliate with the word “love”? The word itself is used frequently in such trivial ways that it tends to lose both its value and meaning. I love my work. I love my wife. I love this weather! And on and on it goes. In fact, any word used so often and in such variant ways is in danger of losing the core value of its meaning.

Despite the linkage, all of those things mentioned in connection with love have infinite value. Yet, the love we have for family and friends should never exceed the love we have for the LORD. He and His love overshadow everything! He is the One who died for us on Calvary when many had abandoned Him. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

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