The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 42:5-8, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.

6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore, I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.”

Life is filled with problems; therefore, if you are alive and able to read this letter, you have undoubtedly encountered some difficult problems over the years. Some are fiddly little things that you’ve ignored, brushed off, and forgotten. Others are more serious and sometimes tend to inflict darkness upon you. Still, they are far from a fatality. They just linger, causing little flashes of concern here and there in the interest of keeping you spiritually off-balance. What is the remedy?

The Psalmist’s first question is “Why!” Why are you troubled about anything? I knew a man who said, “Don’t tell me it doesn’t pay to worry! Nothing I ever worried about ever happened!” I suppose that’s one way to shred worry. Just ignore it. Still, worries don’t go away on their own. Like a pesky animal, they have to be defeated!

“Hope in God,” the Psalmist says. That’s how to defeat worry. Yes, and true hope begs for continuity. The Psalmist adds “praise” to the LORD to be embedded with one’s cry for help. Were a wild animal to be invading the place where you live, crying “HELP” would be of little to no value unless it were addressed to a neighbor or the police. Our focus ought always to be on the LORD! And it ought not to be only when we are in despair. “…praise Him for the help of His presence.”

I recently read a paper I had written years ago – an account of the ministry in which the LORD had led my family and me to engage. Things I had forgotten…things that He had done in and through our lives—leading, encouraging, protecting—all were supremely encouraging! I was clearly in His hands. He was directing and protecting. There was no worry, as we were all yielded to Him. There’s an old song that says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; Look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” I commend it!

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 was an era of warfare! Saul was dead. His sin against the LORD had required the LORD to take his life! Israel was, therefore, without leadership; thus, the nation turned to David, reminding him of his past victories over Israel’s enemies.

It goes without saying that there is safety in numbers. Yet, today, we must thoroughly trust in the LORD. There was no truer message than this: “If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you…be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.”

It’s highly unlikely that the LORD will call upon us to engage in physical battles against other nations; however, we are required at all times to engage in battles against sin! In many respects, our battles exceed those encounters of David! What’s more, our battles occur simultaneously on multiple fronts and in the arenas of the mind and the heart!

Don’t despair! Engage in prayer! “He that is with us is yet more than he who is with them!” Be strong in the LORD! He will win against our spiritual struggles! We must just believe!

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 Samuel 13:5, 8-14, “Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

8 Now (Saul) waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.

9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.

10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.

11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,

12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So, I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”

13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

Have you ever outsmarted yourself? Ever jumped in on something you thought you could handle, only to find that you couldn’t? Well, that’s exactly what Saul did! “But Samuel was late,” you say. Yes, Samuel was late; however, time was not the issue – obedience was!

I’ve often been tempted to engage in things for reasons I could not justify. In those instances, I’ve learned that it’s better to leave such things alone! Keep close and prayerful contact with the LORD. He is always your Supreme Leader!

The ultimate penalty Saul paid for his disobedience greatly outweighed what he envisioned as success. What we view as “things we can handle” often ends up in the same devastation.

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 13:3-13, “As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,

4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”

5 And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

6 “Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many.

7 “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.

8 “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

9 “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

10 “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

11 “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.

12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

13 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”

There was a joyful little song we kids used to sing: “Be careful little ears what you hear; for the Father up above is coming down in love; be careful little ears what you hear.” Similar lines also applied to the eyes and the lips, as well as the other parts of the human body. Jesus warned of such things when He answered the query of His disciples. Thoughtful, studious preachers today echo similar warnings.

In London, there is an open-air pulpit where citizens can freely express secular and/or doctrinal beliefs without fear of legal reprisals from authorities. It’s what we call “freedom.” Not everything espoused there is true or even believable. Therefore, audiences are forewarned. Jesus forewarns us, just as He forewarned the disciples in His day. “Be on your guard,” not only with what you say, but with what you believe. You can trust the Bible! Saturate yourself with His Truth!

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,

Genesis 9:1-7, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2 ‘The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.

3 ‘Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.

4 ‘Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

5 ‘Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.

7 ‘As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.’”

Have you ever been afraid? Can you genuinely recall a time when you were truly captivated by fear? I suppose that has happened to everyone at some time in life. I can recall my mother saying, “Don’t be afraid. You can do it. Just trust the LORD. He will help you.”

The LORD had just “blessed Noah” and his family, saying “Be fruitful and multiply…” Then, abruptly He added, “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth…” Yes, fear would indeed exist, but it would be that “every beast…bird…everything of the earth” would experience fear, except for man.

Yet, today, the source of fear appears to have originated within man, for he clearly avoids contact with multiple creatures of the earth, whether the danger is real or merely imagined. Regardless, it is man who is protected by Almighty God. Although couched in political rhetoric, President Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed Scripture when he said, “The only thing man has to fear is fear itself.” Whatever seeks to trouble you is erasable through prayer. Be fruitful, not fearful. The LORD is your strength and stay.

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