The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 18:9-14, “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

It’s not fully clear in my mind, as it occurred many years ago. I had concluded a sermon and had left the pulpit when I was immediately confronted and accused of having publicly mentioned a situation that, in the complainant’s mind, had fully disclosed to the audience something that had occurred to her many years ago. From my standpoint, the person’s objection was completely absurd! I had not a scintilla of information concerning my objector’s life or situation. In fact, it was my first (and thankfully only) time she and I had ever met! All this is to say that very strange things sometimes occur in churches.

In our passage above, two men, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector, commendably entered a temple to pray. That appears to be all that either of them had in mind. Certainly, both should be commended for their presence in the LORD’s House, as well as for the purpose of praying. Yet, the “good” stops there.

The Pharisee clearly and intentionally attacked the tax collector, calling him a “swindler,” someone thoroughly “unjust,” and an “adulterer.” Allowing for the moment that the Pharisee’s accusations were even possibly true, they were hardly appropriate for an act of prayer. It should alert us to be careful regarding what we say to the LORD in prayer. At the same time, the tax collector, virtually all of whom were known to be, at the least, “swindlers” and “unjust,” simply prayed humbly “in acknowledgment of his sin, begging that the LORD “be merciful” to him. What a schoolhouse lesson on prayer! May the LORD help us all to remember.

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 10:17-22, “As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ ” 20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.”

It’s truly hard to fathom! Here is a good man, intellectual, polite, subservient, earnest, thoughtful, with everything going for him. The Scriptures omit details about his upbringing, but from the things he said, it would be easy to believe that he came from a good, religious, Jewish family. For when Jesus cited the commandments, the man’s reply was, “I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Yet, something was missing…

I know some people like that, don’t you? They’re good people, they’re pleasant, polite, generous, helpful people. They would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed it. They smile and give every reason for one to believe they are solid, Bible-believing, church-attending, missionary-supporting people. But, they’re not.

They attend weddings held in the church; they attend funerals, where they’ve heard the Scriptures; they’re just good, old, down-to-earth people – the kind that made America great. Just one thing is missing: Jesus Christ. Oh, they believe He exists. They’ve heard preachers tell about Him. They’re not objectionable to the Bible or sermons, or hymns that exalt the Savior. They even sing the hymns that exalt Jesus when they’re in the right setting to do so. They’re just like the man who called Jesus “Good Teacher,” except they never committed their hearts and lives to Him.

I’m sure you know some folks just like this man who called Jesus “Good Teacher.” They’ve just not gone far enough to personally accept Him as their LORD and Savior. What are we to do?

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 13:1-7, “Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.

2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children.

3 Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.

4 “Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.

5 “For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.

7 “But he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.'”

I sincerely trust that you’ll not think unkindly of me for utilizing these verses as the backdrop to a very personal encounter. But, to me, the parallels are astounding! You see today, July 22 is my birthday. My mother had been told that she would never bear a child. I was never told the rationale behind that medical assessment; nevertheless, at the LORD’s appointed time, and by the grace of God, I entered the world; and through the faithful prayers of my mother, father, grandparents, and doubtlessly, a host of friends, most of whom I never knew.

The directives that the angel of the LORD gave to Manoah, in the Scripture passage above, were virtually identical to what was passed on to me, by my parents, as strong, Christian advice. They never clearly mentioned the Judges’ passage above, yet clearly taught me the essentials that the angel of the LORD gave to Manoah. Thus, I have never indulged in intoxicating beverages. One can live successfully without such. At the same time, I was never a “Nazarite,” nor do I claim such. By the grace of Almighty God, I was called into His service 74 years ago, and have been blessed by God with a worldwide ministry, in which many souls were brought to Him. I am 91 today.

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 10:13-16, “And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 ‘Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.’ 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.”

The true character of anyone is nowhere more openly evident than the concern one has for dealing with children. Throughout the Scriptures, and throughout life, the demeanor people exhibit in association with children is largely indicative of their attitude and respect for all mankind. Here in this passage, the disciples demonstrated a “get-out-of-the-way-kids” attitude toward the children. Possibly, Jesus experienced a flashback of His own childhood and grasped it as an opportunity for showing both adults and children the love that ought always to be honestly displayed.

The love that adults of all ages show to their children is without a doubt the characterization that will be demonstrated in their children’s lives. Children who, unfortunately, receive little to no love from their parents have to look elsewhere or suffer becoming like those children in their own adult lives. It’s a “what goes around, comes around” kind of life. Even casual observation tells a sharp-minded adult what that child is going to be when he (or she) becomes an adult.

Thus, as parents, we are both planters and reapers. We reap what we sow in the lives of our children. Quite understandably, I exhibit some characteristics that were inside our family. They have worn about as well on me as they have on those who influenced me to adopt them. There’s a short verse that says, “Be careful, little one what you think; be careful, little one what you think. For the Father up Above is looking down in love. Be careful, little one, what you think.”

Parents, you be careful, too. For what you display in your life, your children will also display in their lives. We all want our children to adopt and image our better qualities, don’t we? Be adoptive of the qualities of the LORD Jesus. That’s really the key to everything good!

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 37:3-11, “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

9 For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.

11 But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”

There’s an old saying that goes, “All is well that ends well.” You might be successful in arguing against that declaration because not everything does end well. Many things start out somewhat in error and end up in the “not-so-well” category. Trust is always present in the first stage of any endeavor. Trust is, however, not always well-placed. The psalmist recommends trusting in “the LORD” as the best start; then, doing our very best fits nicely alongside divine trust.

Along the way, things often get rough; however, we are not to worry because everything is committed to the LORD. We are simply to rest in Him. He knows the way and all of the rough spots that seek to slow us down. Just patiently rest; doubtlessly, He has walked these paths previously and encountered every obstacle that mocks our life travel.

Yes, we are tempted to become angry, as by our calculations, we’re traveling much too slowly. Yet, at the time of our signing on for this venture, we agreed to allow The Leader to plot and time the overall course of travel. The ticket has been paid. We have agreed to our Guide’s propositions. It is for us to relax and let the LORD be the Guide. Is that not what we said when we signed on?

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