The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philippians 2:1-5, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Were I to ask you if you’d ever done something to help someone else, what would you say?

Oh, I know that you have! Still, if we’re being totally honest, we’d have to say that we’ve done at least some of those things with the thought that we might be able to request something from them at a time in the future. Just “doing for others” without an agenda is often rare, is it not?

Jesus was not like that. He did for others what was needful for them without a thought of the cost to Himself. He wanted them to be healed, so they could walk or see. He wanted them to be healed, so they could view the beauty of things around them. He wanted them to trust Him for the future life He could provide for them.

There are numerous things we could do for others. Why are we not thinking of them instead of ourselves? If we would be like Jesus, we would never “count the cost;” we would share Him with others, and without hesitation. Just think of what He has done for us: He gave His very life!

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,

John 3:1-7, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Have you ever heard someone ask, “What does it mean to be born again?” Had Nicodemus possessed Unger’s Bible Dictionary, he could have read: “The new birth is a creative life-giving operation of the Holy Spirit upon a lost human soul, whereby in response to faith in Christ crucified, the believing one, ‘dead in… trespasses and sins’ (Eph. 2:1), is quickened into spiritual life and made a partaker of the divine nature and of the life of Christ Himself.” Of course, Unger’s Bible Dictionary was not available in Nicodemus’ day. Nevertheless, Nicodemus had the supreme opportunity to speak directly to Jesus Himself! Jesus knew everything about the new birth.

There have been numerous ideas as to why Nicodemus would have visited Jesus at night. Possibly, he knew that Jesus was busy with scores of people during the day. It might also be that Nicodemus wanted to conceal his own identity, being that he was a “ruler of the Jews,” and thought to be already knowledgeable of all Biblical and spiritual things.

Jesus then demonstrated the difference between man’s natural and spiritual birth by saying: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Whether Nicodemus ever accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior is unknown. We can only hope and trust that he did. More importantly, is whether you have accepted Him. And if you have, whether you have shared Him with others. Oh, by the way, it doesn’t have to be only at night.

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 40:1-5, “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.
4 How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, And Your thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.”

There’s an old hymn that says,

“Count your blessings; name them one by one;
Count your blessings; see what God hath done;
Count your blessings; name them one by one;
And it will surprise you what the LORD has done.”

It’s so easy to lapse into self-pity. We look at what we lack and mourn. We focus on hope to the neglect of what we already possess. Watch the children! One has a delightful toy; the other does not. Yet, the one with the delightful toy focuses on the lesser toy, apparently because the other one has it. We look in amazement! Does the boy with the better toy not know that he has the better toy?

Ah, but it is demonstrated in adult life also. No matter what we have, we notice and long for what others have, despite the fact that what they have is often ultimately of lesser value. Call it “competition,” but it’s truly selfishness. It’s simply kids in an adult environment acting as they always have.

The Apostle Paul said, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” If things were good enough for the Apostle Paul, they are certainly good enough for you and me.

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 Chronicles 15:1-7, “Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,

2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, ‘Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

3 ‘For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law.

4 ‘But in their distress, they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him.

5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

6 “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.

7 “But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

It is indeed a sad thought, but we all suffer from discouragement at times. What exacerbates us more than we desire to admit is that there seems to be no way out! We find ourselves locked in and unable to find release.

Our text above says that Azariah told Asa, “…the LORD is with you when you are with Him…” Think about that! We can only count on true help when we are connected with the Helper! That requires us to take the initiative and make the first step. The LORD is not hiding from us. The Scriptures say, “…seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul” (Deut. 4:29).

In many respects, we have become a selfish people, always looking for someone to help instead of taking the initiative ourselves in finding it. Little children are like that; but adults are instructed otherwise. I have identified in excess of 60 verses in Scripture that implore us to take the initiative and “seek the LORD.” Surely, those verses are not there without purpose.

If your house were on fire, would you expect the fire department to suddenly arrive without a call for help? Does your physician initiate phone calls to see if you are well? Neither should we expect help at any level without our personal summons. The LORD is there for us. Give Him a call!

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 Corinthians 4:7-12, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;

8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;

9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

12 So death works in us, but life in you.”

Writing to the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul explains his innermost feelings as related to his ministry. What he treasures is the “surpassing greatness” of God’s power, making certain that others know that what he possesses has indeed come from God alone. Paul is suffering from affliction that would never come from God.

Paul suffered persecution, however, for simply being a Christian. He was often “struck down,” but never destroyed! What a blueprint for all believers! How often we’ve been belittled, mocked, and derided for believing and advocating for Jesus Christ! We’ve lost friends and been asked tough questions we were not prepared to answer. Yet, through it all, we have never been destroyed.

I recall, from years long past, an elderly man saying to me that he embraced the Christian faith because it was the only teaching that truly made sense. Apparently, most people cannot embrace the Christian faith in the face of persecution. Friends laugh, mock, and jest openly about spiritual things until it often seems easier to comply than to contest their mockery. Not with Paul! And not with you, if you are spiritually feeding daily on the Word of God!

Mockery has always existed because it seems easier to embrace it than to stand against it. But, is it really? The mockers have no substantial answers! In the long run, Jesus Christ and Heaven are supremely superior to Satan and eternity in Hell. Those degrading words, and the jesting the believer suffers, are only momentary. There’s a Great Day coming for all who believe and embrace Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! Have you trusted Him yet? Time is running 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