The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 3:1-5, “He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered.

2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.

3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!”

4 And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent.

5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”

Have you ever really hurt your hand? It not only hurts, it “tells” you that you’ll never be able to do anything with it from this day onward! Of course, that’s not always true. Still, it hurts so badly that you’re convinced that you’ll never be able to do anything with it ever again!

The man in the passage above was worse still. His hand was “withered!” In all probability, he had seen hurt hands previously; yet, his was so mangled that he doubted he would ever be able to use it again. Nevertheless, he attended synagogue! (How many of us have missed church because of a hangnail, or something of relative insignificance!)

This was “the day” for this man! He met Jesus! There are people alive today whose doctors cannot explain how! Some of them have simply met Jesus! Have you?

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 Kings 8:44-45, “When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name,

45 then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain their cause.”

We all have battles. The circumstances often vary in multiple ways. Some are verbal in nature. Here we merely seek to outmaneuver others through the utilization of superior speech. Other battles may be of a psychological nature, where we are required to convince an opponent that we are right by displaying superior cleverness in speech. Some battles, however, require true mental and physical strength. Whatever the nature of the encounter, we do well to rely upon the supreme, superior wisdom of the LORD by way of humble prayer!

I believe it is true that there were honest, spiritual believers on both sides of America’s Civil War (the War Between the States) who believed in and practiced prayer. Undoubtedly, some prayed because that was all they knew to do. How the LORD receives such prayer, we will never know this side of Heaven – if even then! Yet, it is a serious acknowledgment of the existence of the Supreme Being. Surely, that counts for something in His sight.

Tennyson reminds us that “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” We will do well, as the old hymn says, to “take it to the LORD and leave it there.” Pray for your neighbors, for your pastors, for your relatives. There is no power on earth like the power of prayer!

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 Timothy 3:10-15, “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance,

11 persecutions and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!

12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Thus, Paul warned young Timothy, and in that warning, warns us as well. He cites nine specific situations that occurred in his ministry, and through those citations, warns us all of what is coming our way if we decide to follow the LORD Jesus. Christianity is not a bed of roses. It involves persecution! It requires faith, patience, and love.

Paul is not talking about things foreign to himself. He has indeed suffered multiple times and in many ways. He is telling Timothy that he, too, will suffer if he shares as Paul has shared of his faith. Could it be that the thought of suffering is what hinders us from sharing Christ? Perhaps we could start by handing out gospel tracts. People like to receive things. Only once or twice have I had someone refuse to receive a Gospel tract. You may not think of it as witnessing, but it’s a start. The further you go, the harder it becomes. Yet, the greater and easier it becomes. God bless you for being faithful.

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 3:22-26, “Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.” God’s promises are unwavering, and His enduring love is a constant source of strength. No matter the challenges we encounter, He remains with us, guiding and supporting us every step of the way.

23 ‘And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

24 “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.”

25 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’”

26 “For you first God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

News in our time and from foreign countries supports the competence of the passage quoted above. Although the quotation is from Moses and considerably antedates the factors that exist in our own day, the principle is everlasting: “You can’t do wrong and get by!”

It is of vital importance that we live by the justice our LORD promotes! It is of vital importance that we examine and elect those who promote only true justice. Promises are often spontaneous and thin. Those who live and abide by the principles of Christianity are those who will promote the ways of Jesus Christ our LORD. Think and vote accordingly!

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 Kings 1:5-10, “Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So, he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.

6 His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom.

7 He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and they helped him.

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.

10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon, his brother.”

Remember the boy I referenced a few letters ago – the one who wanted to play baseball but insisted on being first at bat? Well, he must have heard of Adonijah because they were cut from the same “cloth.” Adonijah exalted himself by simply announcing, “I will be king.” How did he get away with such declarations? It’s simple: “His father…never crossed him…” There was no discipline in the family. Add to that, Adonijah was a handsome lad; so, what he wanted, he simply got; never mind the means by which he got it.

Sometimes Adonijah eliminated those he didn’t like – take Nathan, the prophet, the very person needed; he just wasn’t asked. Let’s pause and do some self-evaluation. Don’t we often intentionally neglect to ask the LORD what we should or shouldn’t do? Could it be because we’re sure we know what He would say?

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America