The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 5:21-26, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ‘ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’

22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”

Words matter! What’s more, words matter to God. He cites calling someone a “good-for-nothing” as being comparable to murder; and saying “You fool” as sufficient guilt for casting a person into hell! Words truly matter to God; so they clearly have to matter to us!

Think that’s serious? Listen to this: “…if you are presenting your offering…, ” and just happen to remember that someone –not you, but someone else— “has something against you..,” get things right with him before you offer anything to the LORD! Whew! That’s truly strict! It’s not something to brush aside and forget. If we expect the LORD to listen to our prayers and receive and credit our giving, there are things we first need to get right with others!

You can read again for yourself verses 25 & 26. Simply stated: If we want the LORD to listen to us and answer our prayers, we need first to be in agreement with our neighbors, family and friends. “Do what I tell you first, and then we’ll see about it,” is what my mother used to say. Now, I know where she got the idea! And now we both know what to do with it, don’t we?

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,

Luke 21:8-13, “And He said, ‘See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,” and, “The time is near.” Do not go after them.

9 “When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”

10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,

11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

13 “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.”

People in the time of Christ were anxious, as are many today, to know what devastation they might encounter as the time of His coming draws ever nearer. He replied that many would come pretending to be Him, as well as claiming that the “time is near” for the end of the earth. Jesus, however, also predicted that nations would be in conflict with other nations, causing various plagues and famines throughout the world.

Yes, the end is coming; however, it is not imminent. There will be a gradual escalation of lawless activities on both the local and international scenes. The recent willful parental homicide of three children has already given rise to yet another such incident, and concern is heightened that more infanticides could be forthcoming, just as we witnessed the numerous senseless willful abortions over the past years. The lives of some have become cheap in the minds of those who could have given them birth.

Jesus cited numerous other tragedies that would befall mankind as the end of humanity increasingly approaches. Yet, the one “bright light” that accompanies such malfeasance is our opportunity to witness! We have an unprecedented opportunity to share the love and comfort of salvation of our LORD Jesus Christ. May we ever and always be available and willing!

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,

Matthew 22:16-21, “And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.

17 “Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”

18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?

19 ‘Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.’ And they brought Him a denarius.’

20 And He said to them, ‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’

21 They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’”

It is remotely possible that the men of Biblical times spoke of money more often and more vigorously than their counterparts in today’s economy. The Bible references “money” no less than 137 times, and mostly in a negative sense! Timothy warned us that the “love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10); and Paul said, “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money…” (Heb. 13:5). Still, despite these and other salient warnings, the lust for the coin of the realm remains steadfast. The stock market, along with the virtually valueless rial of Iran, are but two of the multiple monetary “attractions” of mankind today.

Jesus Himself was not opposed to money. He knew, as do we, that no economy anywhere can survive without it. Money for food, clothing, housing, etc., has always been required. It’s the LOVE of money for money’s sake that took center focus in the views cited in the Scriptures. Jesus was offered the opportunity to express His view on the subject when the disciples brought up whether it was legal “to give a poll-tax to Caesar…”

I grew up in a family with very little money. I learned early that some things for sale were simply not worth their asking price. I can recall my grandmother speaking of “tough times.” My parents both worked, and neither my sister nor I were ever deprived of what we needed; but we were taught to value the little money that we had. “Give, and it will be given to you…by your standard…it will be measured to you…” (Lk. 6:38)

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 Samuel 22:1-7; “And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2 He said, ‘The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.

4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

5 “For the waves of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me;

6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; and from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help came into His ears.’”

What do you do when you find yourself miraculously rescued from the hands of enemies, who could have certainly caused your death? You praise the LORD! That is precisely what David did – only he did it in song! Enemies had surrounded him. Doubtlessly, he was fearful; yet, he “spoke…words of song to the LORD: ‘The LORD is my rock and my fortress…, my shield and deliverer…my stronghold…my refuge…my savior…’”

What a marked difference from what we often hear from those who have been delivered from harm and death. “I sure was lucky!” or “Someone upstairs was certainly watching over me!” Luck? Someone? Upstairs? Surely, the rescue didn’t just “happen.” Why are so many unwilling to credit the LORD for rescuing them from sickness, harm, and death? In the midst of the tragedy, they cry, “Oh, LORD!” Yet, afterwards, they credit luck or good fortune for their rescue. David gave credit where credit was due: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress…my deliverer.”

The “cords of Sheol” were upon him. David was at the very doors of death. Yet the LORD alone rescued him and was worthy to be praised! Sheol was the place where people went when they died.

Simply stated: they were cowards when facing tragedy and death. Yet, in survival, they want to look brave, so they smother the truth and resort to humanistic facemasks. Someday we will meet the LORD face-to-face, and shame and sorrow will grip us then. Be brave! Trust 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,

Leviticus 19:15-18, “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

16 You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.

17 You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.

18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”

Were space sufficiently available, the fourteen verses previous to the above would have revealed the LORD’s entire purpose, which is summed up in the closing part of verse two: “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Holiness has always been the fundamental purpose of the LORD for mankind.

If you have been following the current Clancy trial in Massachusetts, you know that one juror is a “holdout” on the final decision. Of the 12 jurors, three are male, while nine are female. Who that person is, male or female, only the jury knows. Yet, that one person may decide whether the accused is guilty or not guilty! It’s a situation well within the law, but it leaves a host of people upset and seriously wanting this trial to conclude!

Assuming the genuine integrity of that one juror, what would you do if you were in that person’s position? Would you cause the jury to “hang” and get everything over with? Or would you give in and allow the will of the eleven others to prevail?

Whatever ultimately occurs, we may be assured that the LORD will exercise His will. Truth will always survive! It may not seem so momentarily, but truth will ultimately survive! In all matters of life, the LORD is the Ultimate Judge! “…be sure that your sin will find you 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