The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 12:5-6, “’Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii

and given to poor people?’ Now he said this, not because he was concerned

about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he

used to pilfer what was put into it.”

Things are not always what they seem. Mary, sister to Martha and Lazarus,

had just anointed Jesus with a very costly perfume, worth 11 months’ wages!

And, yes, there’s always an objector. On this occasion, it was Judas Iscariot.

Why would he object? It wasn’t his perfume. Maybe this is the first clue we

should notice. What did he suggest? Why, that it be given to the poor. What

a smokescreen! The poor weren’t his concern at all. He was in charge of the

disciples’ money, and often dipped in it for things for himself. He was a thief!

The lesson here –at least one of them—is that we need to think about what

people say. Do they really mean what it appears they mean? Or is there

something deeper, something hidden in their words? Human nature is sinful.

Always. Objections to many things are often smokescreens masking their true

intention. Oh, and remember, too, that you are not the only one who knows that!

Love and prayers to each and every one of you,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will

for you in Christ Jesus.”

Thessalonians was Paul’s first epistle. It has only five

chapters, and he concludes with rejoicing! Things don’t

always give themselves to rejoicing; still, we are encouraged

to rejoice anyway. For one thing, we often forget just how

much the LORD has already blessed us. And for another,

we have no idea why He has allowed things to go badly

for us when they do. Pray, pray, pray! We can never pray

too much. And don’t forget to say “Thank You” to Him,

even for what we perceive as wrong done to us. Sometimes

He tests us while we’re young, so we’ll know how to deal

with injustices when we grow older. It’s not given us to know

all of His ways. Just rejoice, pray, and give thanks! As the

old hymn says, “We will understand it better by and by.”

May the LORD give you a fantastic day today!

We love you because He loves us all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 11:47-48, “Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council,

and were saying, ‘What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.

If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come

and take away both our place and our nation.’”

At the heart of most controversies lies the desire to control. Instead of yielding

to the Scriptures, which spoke clearly of the coming Messiah, the Pharisees

opposed Jesus because they were fearful of losing control of their position.

Sounds a lot like politics, doesn’t it? Well “politics” goes much deeper than

Governments. Children don’t obey their parents because to do so would be

to lose control of what they wanted to do. Parents often fear of losing control

of their children. Criminals run from the police because they don’t want to

lose control of their lives and activities. It goes on and on and covers virtually

every situation in life. But are we to retain control of our lives or allow others

to control them? Are we, as children of the LORD, not to allow the Holy Spirit

to exercise control over our lives, thoughts, possessions –everything? Examine

your life carefully. Who is in control of your life?

May the LORD continue to bless you daily!

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”

You undoubtedly know that this is the shortest verse in the

entire Bible. But the impact is rarely noticed by commentators.

Weeping or crying is usually connected with sorrow, although I

have sometimes laughed so energetically that my laughter brought

tears. Why would Jesus weep? He had known for some time that

Lazarus was dead, and He had come to Bethany to raise him from

the dead. Some speculate that Jesus was sorrowful for Mary and

Martha, who had lost their brother. The Jews reasoned that Jesus

wept because He loved Lazarus so much. Undoubtedly, there is

some truth in what they believed. Perhaps, Jesus saw the parallel

between what Lazarus’ death and the death that He would die.

For my part, I have come to believe that He wept because of sin.

Death was not in God’s plan when He created Adam. It was Adam’s

sin that brought death into the human arena. Oh, if Adam had just

followed God’s instructions! ~ Do you understand how greatly our

sin hurts God? Whether is something we do or something that we

don’t do, God weeps when we live outside His will for our lives.

Keep your focus on Jesus! Let the Holy Spirit guide and direct your

life. Things you encounter may cause you to weep; just don’t let

things you do cause hurt to God. He loves you and wants to

direct everything in your life.

We love you, too, and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 12:42-43, “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him,

but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that

they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of

men rather than the approval of God.”

Have you ever thought how serious it would be to be voted out of church?

How far would you go to avoid being kicked out? Jesus encountered

some officials who believed on Him, but were afraid to acknowledge it

publicly because they were afraid of being put out of the synagogue.

Why? Because they “loved the approval of men.” Do you know people

who value other people’s approval more than God’s? Have you ever

done what others wanted when you knew it wasn’t right in God’s sight?

It’s really tough to stand alone. Yet, there’s strength in doing what is

right. Remember that verse that says, “You shall know the Truth, and

the Truth shall make you free” (John 8:32)? There is strength in freedom!

So, always stand up for what is right in God’s eyes! In the long run, you

will be glad you did.

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas