The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 10:7-9, “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you,

I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me,

he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.’”

When Jesus said “Truly, truly (???? amen), He meant “listen up! I have

something very important to say to you.” In ancient time, shepherds lay

down and slept in the “doorway” of the fold. No sheep could leave the fold

without the shepherd being awakened. He warns that there are others,

who pretend to be the shepherd, but are out to steal the sheep. Then,

He adds that He is the true door, and those who enter through Him will

have salvation (???? sozo). Sozo means “safety, security.” Those who

believe upon Him will have eternal salvation. They can never be “lost”

again—ever! Further, they will “go in and out,” meaning they will have

freedom – true freedom from all fears and wants. Finally, He says they

will “find pasture.” Pasture means food (the Word of God, the Bible),

and nourishment (understanding of the Word), rest and fellowship (with

other believers). What a joyous life we have in Jesus Christ! Truly, we

do.

Love always and prayers daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer

and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your

hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Have you ever had a problem? –one that worried and frustrated you?

Well, we all have. But the answer to problems is not to be worried, but to

engage in earnest, sincere prayer with thanksgiving! Don’t forget the

thanksgiving aspect of your prayer. How can we say “Thank You, LORD,”

without remembering the blessings He has already given us? That remembrance

encourages our belief in Him even more. But, how are we to know He has heard?

He gives us peace in our hearts –the exact opposite of the anxiety we previously

had. His peace is beyond our understanding, yet it is there! Further, He guards

our hearts and minds, keeping them focused upon Him rather than upon that

problem that caused the anxiety. Sound good? Well, the Psalmist thought so.

He said, “Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes

them to stumble (Psa. 119:165).

May the LORD ease your burden and give you peace today.

We love you,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 8:29-32, “’And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone,

for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’

30 “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,

‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’”

Security is something that is always meaningful. Little children

long to be secure, as caring mothers seek to make them so. As

we grow, we continue to need security. When we know Christ,

we know security. He never leaves us alone. Jesus always did

what was right and pleasing to His Father, so what He spoke

caused many to believe upon Him. Further, He said that

continuing to absorb His Word constituted them as “true

disciples.” The same is true of us. We should always want to

be “true disciples” –true followers, true learners of Christ,

because only those who are true are free –free from worry,

free from anxieties, free from fears of all kinds. Concentrate

on Him and His Word. You will be pleasing to Him and He will

always keep you safe and secure in Himself.

We love you enormously, and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

John 8:57-59, “Then said the Jews unto him, ‘Thou art not yet fifty years old,

and hast thou seen Abraham?’ 58 Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say

unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am.’ 59 Then took they up stones to cast at

Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple, going through the

midst of them, and so passed by.”

Rejection is not an easy thing to handle. But it can be handled, if we know

how. Jesus was being challenged by the Pharisees. He was teaching them

what His Father intended them to hear and obey. They insisted that Abraham

was their father and that they were to follow the Law of Abraham. Jesus said

that He lived before Abraham. That got their attention big time! The believed

Jesus to be a fraud and they sought to kill Him. Jesus was certainly not lacking

physical power. He could have summoned angels to protect Him; however, He

hid Himself and escaped out of the Temple, where all of this took place. The

point is: there are times to turn away. Often our increased witness produces

anger in others. We are to “listen” to the Holy Spirit. If He indicates that we

should not continue to witness, we should stop and turn away. David turned

away from his own brothers, when they scolded him regarding his words

about Goliath (1 Sam 17:30). It is not wrong to turn away when others are

rejecting our words of witness. Just be sure that the Holy Spirit is directing you

to do so.

Thanks you for your prayers for us. We had a GREAT DAY at Southwest

City yesterday!

We love and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

Luke 16:4, “I am resolved what to do, that,

when I am put out of the stewardship, they

may receive me into their houses.”

A steward is one responsible for the things of another.

The steward above had not been faithful and his master

had dismissed him from his employment. The steward

knew that once he was out of a job, he would have no

place to go. So he determined (resolved) to do what

was necessary to gain a place to stay. ~ New Year’s

Resolutions are something like that. The page has

turned, and we resolve to do more or better than we’ve

done in the past. That is a demonstration of wisdom,

BUT it is worthless unless actions follow the determination!

What have you resolved for 2017 that is different from

2016? Is it a plan or just an idea? How about starting

every day with reading the Bible and praying? How

about behaving like Jesus would have you to behave?

How about some practical things, like cleaning your

room, helping around the house, listening more closely

to your parents’ instructions? Humm… Make no mistake.

You can fulfill all of your resolutions with the LORD’s help.

God bless you throughout this year –starting today!!

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas