The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Esther 6;6-11, “So Haman came in and the king said to him, ‘What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?’ And Haman said to himself, ‘Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?’

7 Then Haman said to the king, ‘For the man whom the king desires to honor,

8 let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed;

9 and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’

10 Then the king said to Haman, ‘Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.’

11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’”

Too bad for Haman. Some thoughts that initially seem beneficial often turn out to be the downfall that was never anticipated! Had Haman only stopped to think, he would have known that those who live for the praise of man, get only that –and not all of that at any one time! Yet, those who live for the glory of God, ultimately, receive praise from Him! Pride and selfishness blind us from many spiritual truths!

It’s hard not to rejoice over Haman’s embarrassment in having to lead horses throughout the city carrying Mordecai! I’m reminded of the verse: “ …let the one who thinks he stands watch our that he does not fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). I can see small children giggling in the shadows. It would have been hard not to laugh! Still, that is not all. Haman was hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. Haman’s arrogance led to scheming, and his scheming led to death. “You can’t do wrong and get by!”

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 22:1-6, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.

3 The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.

5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards himself will be far from them.

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

It all happened in 1995. Christa Pike was then 18 years old when she and her 17-year-old boy friend, Tadaryl Shipp, lured Colleen Slemmer, a Jobs Corps co-worker, into a secluded area near the University of Tennessee and killed her. The motive was jealousy. Christa believed Colleen was a rival for the love of her boy friend.

Ultimately, Christa Pike was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Complications occurred, and the Governor of Tennessee has now put a “stay” on Christa Pike’s execution.

The huge question that begs to be heard is: WHERE WERE THE PARENTS WHEN ALL OF THIS WAS OCCURING? Where was the Sunday School where Christa could have learned about Jesus? “Train up a child in the way he (she) should go” requires parental guidance. Where was the teaching of the “thorns and snares” that lay in wait for unsuspecting youth? Where were the Christian friends, who could have told her about Jesus? Where were the prayer warriors, who might have prevailed for her salvation?

There seems no way out for now 50-year-old Christa. Will she be next victim of the electric chair? Or will the executioners try the lethal injection again. What a tragedy! The only positive aspect of this senseless, childish cataclysm is its “WAKE UP” call for all of us! Young people die. And when they die without Christ, they go to Hell where they experience the LORD’s final judgment! It’s a judgment that will not overlook our failures to reach the lost before it’s too late!

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,

Mark 10:46-52, “Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.

47 When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’

49 And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’ So, they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.”

50 Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.

51 And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!”

52 And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson said, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” Yet, it was true even before Tennyson said it. It’s always been true! Bartimaeus lived long before Tennyson, and it was true, even away back then! The problem is not with prayer; the problem is with our believing it!

Look closely at the people in the verses above. People who either don’t believe in prayer or are embarrassed by those who do, always object. Yet, those who are hurting and desperately need help, are the ones who faithfully call for it. Jesus Himself is never embarrassed by someone calling for prayer! Neither should we be! When we desperately need help for anything, we ought to call for it!

The power that Jesus possessed for the healing of this blind man is the same power He possesses today to provide for our needs. He wants to honor our prayers; so we ought always to believe and say, “Thank You.” And an additional way to say “Thank You” is to be obedient and follow His teachings in the Bible. You can do that! I know you can!

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 8:33-36, “When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house,

34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

35 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them,

36 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.”

The LORD has means for forgiving multiple sins. What’s more, He sincerely wants to forgive! Yet, despite His earnest desire to do so, we hinder Him by not confessing the sin. Yes, it often hurts to admit that we’ve been wrong. Wrong ideas, wrong speech, wrong thoughts, wrong actions – the list reaches far. Yet, too often we endeavor instead to excuse the sin we’ve committed on the faulty basis we’ve merely invented!

Read the Scripture listed at the start of this letter. Our LORD’s promise rests on our confession and prayer for forgiveness. Remember when as a child you did something wrong. Ultimately, you told your mother you were sorry and she smiled and said she forgave you and hoped you’d never commit that sin again. The sin was yours to confess; it was hers to forgive. So, it is with Christ.

The rain that was denied Israel because of her sin became abundantly plentiful once the sin was confessed and forgiven. It is the same with us. The LORD stands ready to forgive. Now, it our turn. Let’s delay it no longer. The blessing of forgiveness awaits us!

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 8:22-25, “Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.

23 He said, ‘O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart,

24 who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day.

25 ‘Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, “You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.”’”

I’ve been reading recently of Solomon. His life would have been well, had he continued to live the remainder of it from this spiritual position. Ah, but it is not to be. His careful examination of the godly life of his father, David, was ultimately abandoned in his own later life. The end was not what the beginning had promised. It rarely is!

It’s sad to say, but that’s often the way of our lives. Reared of a godly heritage, we often feel “left out.” We simply want to discover what it’s like on the “other side of the fence.” So, we glance over there and eventually find ourselves mired there, wondering how it happened.

No, across the fence is not a good side! Yet, the discovery reveals even more. It was much easier to look exploringly at “other side,” than it is to abandon it and get back to where you came from! Sadly, Solomon never retreated to the side he had abandoned. He left the worship of the LORD for worship on the wrong side. It was not that the LORD would not forgive him; it’s just that he never asked! There’s an old children’s song that says…

“Be careful, little feet, where you go;

Be careful, little feet where you go;

For the Father up Above is looking down in love;

Be careful, little feet where you go.”

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