The Grands Letter

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

Dear Grands,

Psalm 106:13-21, “They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel,

14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

15 So He gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When they became envious of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD,

17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and engulfed the company of Abiram.

18 And a fire blazed up in their company; the flame consumed the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a molten image.

20 Thus they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass.

21 They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt…”

“Did you remember to bring the items I mentioned?” It was the voice of the teacher.

“I forgot,” replied the student. It’s so easy to forget. Perhaps for that reason, the Bible uses the word 53 times, and its cousin, forgot, 10 times. Still, there are some things that must not be forgotten!

Deuteronomy 4:23 says, “Be careful…that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God…” Spoken originally to Israel, yet the verse itself speaks to us, as to all New Testament believers. How often we forget the responsibilities we assumed when we trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD of our lives! Oh, we never forget what He promised us, but we easily allow ourselves to forget what we promised Him!

Don’t forget to pray! Don’t forget to undertake that responsibility He assigned to you! Don’t forget the “lost feeling” you encountered daily prior to your salvation – or the embarrassment you felt when you remembered what you had neglected. There’s so much for which we are accountable!

It’s amazing how we excuse our failures while simultaneously holding others accountable for neglecting promises of their own! The day of reckoning is coming! Time is quickly passing by! Tomorrow will be 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