The Grands Letter

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

Dear Grands,

Judges 6:1-4; 6-10, “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.

2 The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian, the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

3 For it was when Israel had sown that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them.

4 So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

5 “…and they came into the land to devastate it.”

6 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD.

7 Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian,

8 that the LORD sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery.

9 “I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land,

10 and I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.’”

Obedience is an incontestable requirement of the LORD! It is mentioned 15 times in Scripture! Samuel said, “…to obey is better than a sacrifice…” (1 Sam. 15:22); and in whatever circumstance we might find ourselves, Peter instructs: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

And what precisely does the LORD require of us? The prophet Micah said, “…to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Mic. 6:8). People are often complicated; therefore, we must stay close to the LORD, listening to His instruction from the Scriptures and following His direction. We are His people! He loves and cares for us. Moreover, He will always guide us safely through the multiple tempests of life. Trust Him! He never fails.

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.”

Anyone upon whom the Spirit of God falls is of extreme importance! Azariah’s importance manifests itself in his address to Asa and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. What’s more, his immortal words reverberate throughout the ages to all believers: “…the LORD is with you when you are with Him.”

Have you ever been in a situation where you sensed that you were alone? It’s an awful feeling! Yet, the sense of loneliness gives way to shame when you realize that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are never alone! He never abandons His children!

At the same time, it is possible that the “loneliness” abounds because we have forsaken Him! It’s true that we often take the LORD for granted. “He’ll always be there,” we say. Yet, when we turn away from Him and begin to think that we can navigate life alone, we stumble and fall.

In those times of failure and loneliness, He allows us to experience life as it would be without Him. It’s a spiritual shock intended to awaken and bring us back. He forgives our sinful departures and wraps us again within His tender arms. “Be strong,” He encourages us, “there is reward for your work.” Are we truly engaged in His work? Personal inventory is required.

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,

Numbers 25:4-9, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.’

5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”

6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

7 When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand,

8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.

9 Those who died by the plague were 24,000.”

Reading through the Old Testament reveals innumerable instances of stunning surprises! It not only demonstrates that the LORD is real and powerful; He dealt with His Old Testament people in a manner that ought to instill fear in the heart of every living human being.

The LORD’s multiple miracles that accompanied Israel’s exodus from Egypt all the way to the Promised Land are nothing short of stunning! His maneuvering of the huge and numerous tribes, providing food and water for such an enormous congregation, leaves the reader wide-eyed and almost gasping for breath!

The minutiae of Divine Instructions coupled with daily repetition make our activities seem almost childlike and virtually insignificant. At the same time, every Divine requirement had a precise purpose, leaving no room for questioning the wisdom or intention of the LORD! Yet they did!

Long hours of travel, the mingling of enormous family households, wandering children, seeking where their families were located at nighttime. Arguments among and within family units were doubtlessly ongoing. Except for the LORD being patient, neither they nor we would arrive safely. How great and how wise and how patient our blessed LORD is! Praise His Holy Name!

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 Peter 2:13-19, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,

14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.

19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.”

Did the first 10 verses of the passage above give you a start? Maybe we need to repeat them: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution…” No, Peter is not saying that we ought to join every human institution and live by its rules. No, we are to be submissive to law and order as constituted by government. But, read on – “…for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.”

Notice, too, that we are to do everything “with all respect,” even toward “those who are unreasonable.” If we apply these divine instructions to the day in which we currently live, we can depend on the LORD to advance and ultimately implant respect into the lives of those who are “unreasonable.” It’s like fighting the fires of harsh opposition with the sweet waters of kindness. Even if the cause is lost for the moment, what will linger in the minds and hearts of the opposition will work toward a compatible conclusion. It’s winning with kindness instead of raw power!

Wherever “sticky” situations arise, the resolution for the Christian is through prayer and kindness. “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” The LORD always has a way that is superior and beyond our wildest imagination!

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