The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 18:14, “’So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven

that one of these little ones perish.”

The first email in my inbox this morning was a prayer request from

Australia. The two-year-old girl of an Australian pastor and his wife

has been diagnosed with leukemia. My reading today included the

verse above, and my prayer for little Lara was based upon the will

of our Heavenly Father. Please join me in prayer for Lara and her

parents and siblings. With all the troubles we sometimes face,

none is more serious than what this Christian family is now facing.

God bless you. And thanks for praying.

Love you immensely,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Matthew 16:23, “But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan!

You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s

interests, but man’s.’”

There is no question but that Simon Peter was the impetuous disciple! It

was Peter who whacked off the servant’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane.

It was Peter who, although out run by John, rushed inside the Tomb to see

that Jesus had arisen from the dead. It was Peter who walked on the water.

But in the verse above, the LORD sternly rebuked him for “not setting (his)

mind on God’s interests.” That rebuke gave me pause as I read it. Whenever

we are thinking of our own interests ahead of God’s, we are a stumbling

block to the LORD’s interests and work! That caused me to think: What is

the LORD’s interest for me today? Are we thinking of His interest or our own?

We love you all more every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Matthew 15:33, “The disciples said to Him, ‘Where would we get

so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?’”

What an incredible question!! Oh, it might have been viewed as

ordinary, had previous miracles not occurred. But Jesus had fed

the five thousand in Matthew 14; and in that same chapter, Peter

had walked on the water in the midst of an horrendous storm.

Had they forgotten all of that? Apparently so. ~ But before we

demean the disciples for their forgetfulness, we better take a look

at our own lives. We have prayed and witnessed the LORD’s

answer. Why are we doubting Him on immediate things? He is

never without power. He IS power! Trust Him and obey!

May He increase the faith of all of us,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction

of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the

knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…”

From the day you were saved, you were in a battle –a battle to be all the LORD wants

you to be. The battles we fight are not waged and won by how smart we are. They are

won by the LORD’s divine power. But that being so, why are we even involved? Why

doesn’t He just do it all by Himself? It’s because He has designed to use us in the process.

What do we do to enable Him to use us? We think only of good and holy things! That’s

what Paul meant when he said, “…taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Have you ever considered that you become what you think? Just as your body functions

best when you eat the proper foods, your mind and life become what you think! Think good

thoughts. Stay away from everything that “is raised up against the knowledge of God.”

We love and pray for you all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Matthew 8:2-4, “And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said,

‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. 3 Jesus stretched out His hand

and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy

was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you tell no one; but go, show

yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a

testimony to them.’”

The Book of Matthew transcends from the Old Testament to the New Testament.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You have heard that it has been said…,

but I say unto you…” ~ But, now in Matthew 8 (above), He heals a leper and says,

“…go show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded…”

If the Book of Matthew is a bridge from the Old to the New, why would Jesus tell

the man to follow the Old Testament practice? ~ If I cannot spell words correctly

by writing a letter by hand, why should anyone expect me to spell correctly by

typing on a computer? By showing Himself in league with the Father and agreeing

with the Old Testament Law (which was never intended to save), Jesus establishes

His authority to show the better way – the way of salvation in Himself as His Father’s

better plan.

God bless you all today!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas