The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 1:1-6, “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital,

2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”

4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 I said, “I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.”

Did you ever ask a question only to wish you hadn’t? The regret accompanies the answer. This is precisely what Nehemiah discovered. He had asked about his people, yet the answer he received was neither what he expected nor wanted. What is most commendable is that prayer was his initial undertaking.

Far too often, disturbing news prompts us to establish a connection with someone we are certain has complete and helpful information. Still, our first contact ought to be the LORD! Whatever the occurrence, He alone holds the answer in His hands. Prayer ought to be our first line of inquiry. We used to sing it in church: “If you trust and never doubt; He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the LORD and leave it there.” He is the Answer! He alone knows our needs. Foremost, He is our first line of defense in every situation.

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,

Daniel 1:8-16, “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials,

10 and the commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces that look more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.”

11 But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12 “Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.

13 “Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”

14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days.

15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food.

16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables.”

Those of you reading this Grands Letter already know that the LORD is capable of doing anything that is righteous and that will further His cause. The big question is whether you and I will always respond to such perilous commands with the strong faith and grace of these Hebrew boys. Just put yourself mentally in their situation and be honest.

Have you ever in your life wondered how those boys felt and what they said to each other over that brief stretch of time? My own thought is that they sweat a lot, trying desperately neither to speak of the situation nor to count the days. Yet, in the end, the LORD honored their faith and delivered them from all hurt. Whew! Just remember: “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

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,

Proverbs 30:2-9, “Surely, I am more stupid than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man.

3 Neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know!

5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

6 Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.

7 Two things I asked of You: do not refuse me before I die:

8 Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion,

9 That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”

The Psalmist is here acknowledging and placing upon himself some serious restrictions.

Indeed, they are matters that should concern everyone. Initially, he deprecates himself, saying that he is stupid and without the qualities of either man or the LORD.

Have you ever said that, or openly put yourself down as totally unqualified to give an opinion about a subject that has arisen among friends? It’s difficult to do. Normally, we want those close to us to depict us as “quite knowledgeable” on a variety of subjects.

But, such was not the way of Solomon. In this verse, he literally calls himself “stupid,” and thereafter, speaks only of the LORD, extolling all His wisdom and abilities. Why would he do this? Read again verses three and following. “Every word is tested…” How clearly are the memorable words of my maternal grandmother: “We will give an account for every idle word.” Do you here and now recall things you never ought to have said? Sadly, so do I!

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,

II Kings 9:1-3, “Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, ‘Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead.

2 ‘When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room.

3 ‘Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait!”

Some things are so urgent there is no time to loiter! Just get in! Do it! Get out! And there are times when we just don’t want to do it! We just want out before anything starts!

This occasion demanded quickness! Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king, but he “walked in the way of the former kings of Israel. He reigned for only one year and did evil in the way of Israel’s previous kings, just as Ahab had done.

Elisha knew the occasion was right for a change. He summoned one of the prophets and hurried him to Ramoth-gilead with the message to Jehu. “Go in,” Elisha said, “bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then get up and get out of there as fast as you can!

Running away is not always wrong. In this case, it was firmly ordered by the LORD’s prophet, Elisha. It was indeed the safest response to an orderly task that would only be understood by those who walked closely with the LORD.

Sometimes, walking away from something looks and even feels cowardly. At other times, it’s the safest and wisest thing to do. We must always be certain that what we’re doing is what the LORD has ordered us to do. He understands the nuances that are beyond us. Besides, He is our Commander-in-Chief!

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,

Proverbs 30:24-28, “Four things are small on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:

25 The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer;

26 The shephanim are not mighty people, yet they make their houses in the rocks;

27 The locusts have no king, yet all of them go out in ranks;

28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.”

Have you ever encountered a man clothed in ragged blue jeans and a faded old shirt, but who owned a multi-million dollar enterprise? Well, whether or not you’ve met anyone like that, you surely know that “clothes don’t make the man.”

When a man has virtually everything, as Solomon did, it’s understandable that he would investigate the smaller, overlooked things in life. At first glance, it would appear that they are merely wandering insects or mammals doing virtually nothing worthwhile. But, when concentrating on them, we discover they are not just alive – they have purpose in what they’re doing! Yes, the LORD created them with and for a purpose.

The LORD created everything with purpose! You yourself are an intentional, meaningful creation of the LORD! There is purpose to your life – meaningful purpose! Yet, the tragedy is that life is often lived as if it had little to no purpose whatsoever.

The LORD said to Abram, “I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Gen. 17:5). To Moses, He said, “I have made you as God to Pharaoh” (Ex. 7:1). To Israel, He said, “I brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves” (Lev. 26:13). So has He made and ordered our lives that we might live for Him! Are we what He intended us to be? One day we will be called to account for how we lived? Are you ready?

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