The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

I Corinthians 3:21-23, “So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you,

22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or

things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”

The late Earl L. Pounds, the pastor who led Nana to Christ and who became my

pastor and mentor, once said to me, “Remember, ‘all things are yours.’” At that time,

I had no idea what he meant. But, the longer I live, the more I understand the

complexities of life and of God’s Holy Word. ~ The late W. A. Criswell, pastor of

First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, once said, “To be free, you must be a slave.

To be at liberty, you must be in bondage. To have the world, first you must

belong to Christ [Matthew 6:24-34 ; Mark 10:28-31 ; Luke 18:28-30 ].” ~ Thus,

everything from sunrise to sunset of every day, from the frigidity of winter

to the scorching heat of summer –it all belongs to you and me! The

challenge we have is what we do with what our LORD has given us.

God bless you abundantly,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear, Dear Grands,

Romans 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to every man

among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think;

but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each

a measure of faith.”

There’s a story told of a young man who was scheduled to preach in a church.

He was seated by an old preacher and strode confidently to the pulpit

when his time came. But his confidence was misplaced and he stumbled

and fumbled and forgot a lot of what he intended to say. Humiliated, he

dropped his head as he left the rostrum and slumped in the seat by the older

preacher. “Son,” the older man said, “if you’d gone up in the way you

came down, you’d have come down the way you went up.” Paul’s writings

are often hard to understand, but they are packed full of practical instructions.

We need to be careful not to be overconfident about any of our God-given

abilities. At the same time, we need to be confident that through the LORD

we can do whatever it is He calls us to do. My pastor used to say, “We’re

‘not to think more highly of (ourselves) than (we) ought to think,’ but we

are to think that highly.” There’s a balance between “I can do that!” and

“I can’t do that.” Notice in the verse how faith plays the vital role.

Love you all! Go do it!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk,

not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time,

because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but

understand what the will of the Lord is.”

These three verses are LOADED with excellent instruction!

Walk here means behavior. Unwise means without skill, not

knowing or caring how to behave properly. Conserve your time!

Don’t waste it with stupid stuff. The times in which we live are

evil-producing. Don’t be without reason. Have an attitude that

leads to understanding and doing the will of God. Live in the

Word daily; because without the Word it is impossible to discern

whether what you think is from the Holy Spirit or not. It takes

both the Word and the Spirit to guide us day-by-day.

We love and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Romans 7:19-21, “For the good that I want, I do not do,

but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am

doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one

doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle

that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.”

Why did I do that? Did you ever ask yourself that? You

knew better, but you did or said it anyway. Have I ever!

Well, Paul had the same experience. He was impulsive,

and for a time could not figure out why he was doing what

he did not want to do. Then, it came to him: “…sin…dwells

in me.” Yes, Paul was a Christian, but sin continued to

live within him. But the fact that sin indwells us is not an

excuse to sin. In can all be overcome by the Holy Spirit,

who also lives within us. We just need to stop and think

before we act. Stifle your quick impulses and ask the

LORD what is right in His eyes. Then you can be assured

of doing what is right.

May the LORD Jesus lead you in all you do today!

He loves you and we love you, too,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dearest Grands,

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us

an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at

the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things

which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Are you currently facing a problem? Do things sometimes seem that they

are furiously crashing down on you? Well, this, too, will pass. It’s only a

passing tribulation that will bring about exceeding glory! Have you ever

thought of “glory” having “weight”? Well, it does; and it out-weighs all of

the devastation that afflicts us. Last night a boy I do not know was injured

in a motorcycle accident. He underwent surgery at 6:00 P.M. in a local

hospital. Affliction? Certainly! But, in time, he will do well and will undoubtedly

share the excitement of the injury with his friends. Yet, what Paul speaks

of is not merely temporal, it is eternal. You don’t see the value of affliction

right now, but you will in eternity. Don’t despair! Jesus is there! You’re in

His care! And your burdens, He’ll bear!

Love you all today and tomorrow and forever,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas