The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”

Please re-read the above two verses once again. Read them slowly; let the message sink deeply into your mind and heart.

“Wisdom, might, and riches” are the uppermost thoughts in the life of man. I am the smartest; I am the most powerful; I am the richest. These are uppermost in the minds of many men. But, is it true?

The LORD disavows this untimely trilogy in mankind He has created. Let them not boast of such, He says. Rather let man boast that “he understands and knows Me.” Let him acknowledge that it is the LORD “who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth.”

How is man to come to such divine thought? He comes to it by immersing himself daily in the Word of God in Holy Scripture! For it is there that we learn both of Him and of ourselves. It is within the Scriptures that we gain knowledge of how different we are from God. Yet, it is in Scripture that we learn to love Him and embrace His teachings and become more and more in His image, day by day.

Read His Word daily. Let its truth be absorbed in your life. Life then comes alive!

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,

Philemon 1:1-7, “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,

2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

5 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;

6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.

7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.”

Without question, this is one of the tenderest, most loving epistles the Apostle Paul ever penned. Although there are many facets to the purpose of this epistle, it sets the standard for everything anyone needs to know and employ when pleading for a serious cause.

Onesimus was a slave of Philemon. He had escaped and come into contact with the Apostle Paul. Although Paul denounced slavery in his day, he assessed the reinstatement and determined to return Onesimus to his owner.

Certainly, Paul had the overall spiritual aspect in mind. It’s a pattern we must all embrace. As someone once said, “It’s never right to do wrong to do right.”

There are some interesting things we’ll have to examine throughout eternity. For now, it’s sufficient to live by the teachings of the Scriptures. Oh, what a day that will 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,
Colossians 3:1-7, “Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.”

Previously, in this letter, Paul has clearly examined and advocated how the Colossian believers should conduct themselves. Now, he concludes that section by noting that they should affix their minds “on things above.” What an all-inclusive instruction for every believer in every generation, regardless of where he lives or in what particular situation he finds himself.

Paul clearly shifts his thought (and that of his recipients) to a “higher level” where they will soon be and live with Christ. This is precisely how we ought to think as well; for who knows when he will slip these surly bonds of earth and take residence in heaven?

At the same time, Paul takes nothing for granted with respect to what he means. He clearly cites those sins that have membership in our earthly bodies: immorality, impurity, passion, and all. Clearly, these things that plague humanity here have been thoroughly excluded from the heavenly home above. So, while their exclusion now will serve us well on earth, they will be something of a “head start” on the believers’ home in heaven.

Even now, our natural lives influence the lives of others. Who is to say that our new life in Christ will not be of influence on the lives of others here and now? Clearly, that was Paul’s intention. It’s a challenge! But it’s a challenge we cannot afford to miss! May God bless us to that very end!

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,

Joel 1:1-6, “The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

2 Hear this, O elders, And listen, all inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days or in your fathers’ days?

3 Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons the next generation.

4 What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; and what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten.

5 Awake, drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine drinkers, on account of the sweet wine that is cut off from your mouth.

6 For a nation has invaded my land, mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, and it has the fangs of a lioness.”

It was a dreadful time! Sin always precedes devastation! And the sins of the people had so expanded that the LORD’s prophet rose up to sound the alarm!

It may have been that the Judeans believed they could sin and escape the judgment of the LORD. Some people today believe they can do that. Or, it may be that their sin simply escalated to the point that they had forgotten God. Some people today believe they can employ that, too. But the massive locust invasion emerged unscathed.

Doubtlessly, disease is but one “willow-switch” with which the LORD disciplines people. Man simply cannot do wrong and get by! Throughout the Scriptures (particularly the Old Testament), the LORD utilized multiple animals and insects to discipline people. He still utilizes multiple things. Despite today’s turmoil surrounding various medications, the LORD can clearly utilize them to His advantage in urging people to recognize and renounce their sin! Man simply cannot sin and get by! Check your life! There just may be an invasion coming your way. It’s never worth the risk!

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 106:6-12, “Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation,

5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.

6 We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.

7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.

8 Nevertheless, He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known.

9 Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, And He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.

10 So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

11 The waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left.

12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.”

Man, by nature, is both stubborn and forgetful. The Israelites reflected this in their attitude. The LORD provided them with everything they needed; yet, they continued to sin! “Nevertheless, He saved them for the sake of His name.”

We rubber-stamp Israel in accepting the LORD’s gift, yet we refuse to live by His standards. We often fail to openly recognize Him as the Giver of the gifts, choosing to allow others to believe that His blessings were actually the result of our gifted initiative.

We would do well to recall the fate of others who failed to openly recognize and praise the LORD for His faithfulness. By the way, are you giving Him credit for what He is doing in your life? He is the only true Giver of good gifts that are eternal in nature. Think of that!

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