The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world

not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but

on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous

and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good

foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

Paul’s warnings were always practical. If what he says seems otherwise,

Just remember that what he is writing is the Word of the LORD! Riches

are indeed uncertain. In the 1929 Stock Market crash, unbelievably

wealthy men threw themselves to death out of high buildings, because

the riches in which they trusted were suddenly and thoroughly wiped out!

Hope must always be founded on the LORD. Paul is not against riches; he

simply warns against trusting in them. He says we are to do good with all

the LORD has entrusted to us, and, thereby, be rich in good works. We are

also to be generous and eager to share what the LORD has entrusted to us.

While we cannot trust in money, we can and must trust the LORD as our

foundation. When we do this, we experience true life, which is always in Him!

You, Grands, are our riches! We have prayed for each of you even before

you were born. What you have become and are continuing to become,

we view as the LORD’s enrichment to us; and for that there’s not enough

money in the world to equal it!

Love you more than you’ll ever know this side of Heaven,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

________________________________

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com

Dear Grands,

Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 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.”

It’s not always easy to do what is best. There are times when we find

it hard to rejoice. Still, the Bible encourages us to “rejoice in the Lord

always.” We are never to be anxious about anything. Just pray earnestly

to the LORD for what we need. This is absolute trust in Him that He will

provide us with what we need. And don’t forget to say “Thank You.”

What will that trust bring us? It will bring us the peace of God, the very

opposite of anxiety. Further, our prayerful requests will result in answers

well beyond what we have ever thought –even beyond our understanding

of how such blessings could ever be! He will guard our hearts and minds

against the anxiety that would rob us of His peace. Do you believe that?

It is always beneficial to us to believe the LORD and to trust His Word.

Just don’t worry! That’s your part; everything else lies under His control.

We don’t know everything that concerns you day-by-day, but we are

praying for you anyway. We love you immeasurably!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

________________________________

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:25, “Brethren, pray for us.”

A few days ago, I mentioned a verse or two that I’ve often

thought of as humorous. The verse above often strikes me

humorously, although it is not intended that way in Scripture.

The Australian Baptist was a national Baptist paper that

circulated in every state and in the Northern Territory. Just

about every meeting I held was mentioned in the Baptist

paper. They would give some information about where the

meetings were being conducted, and a brief bio on me. But,

at the end of every piece there was this verse, “Brethren,

pray for us.” Thankfully, many did and our meetings were

greatly blessed of the LORD. Still, I’ve often wondered how

many who read the paper viewed the verse as an urgent

request, seeing this Yankee evangelist was preaching.

Now, without any sense of humor, please pray for us. We

need your prayers as much as you need to pray. God bless

you abundantly!

Love,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

________________________________

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com

Dear Grands,

I Thessalonians 5:16-23, “Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit;

20 do not despise prophetic utterances.

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may

your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If the Apostle Paul sounds a lot like a parent in these verses, it is because

he has been given that spiritual responsibility over all believers. It would

take a lot of time for me to write and for you to read the explanation of

the seven bolded words and phrases above. Paul admonishes each of us

to do what we are enabled to do that is right; then in our last verse (v. 23),

he assigns to the LORD Himself what He alone can do: make us holy. The

Only the “God of peace Himself” can “sanctify,” or make us completely

holy. Why, then, are we not completely holy? We are not, because we

have not obeyed those seven indicators listed in verses 16-22. The

Grace of God must balance with the obedience of man. He alone can

make us holy, but we can and must abstain from the enemies of holiness.

Pray for your pastor as he brings the LORD’s message today!

We pray for you and love you without restriction,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

________________________________

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com

Dear Grands,

Colossians 3:8-10, “But now you also, put them all aside:

anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its

evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed

to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—“

Having warned us of some weighty sins in verses five and six, Paul

turns to attitudes that we are likely to view as normal. But they,

too, are wrong in God’s sight. Anger is a “vigorous upsurge”; wrath is

a “violent rage”; malice is “hatefulness, immoral behavior”; slander is

“speech that is harmful to another’s reputation”; and abusive speech

is using “filthy, obscene language,” something that has become all-too-

frequent today. Nor are we to deceive others by telling lies, since we

put away such things when we were saved. We are now clothed in

a new nature of righteousness, like the nature of Jesus Himself.

WOW! What a challenge! Yet, the Holy Spirit indwells us, making it

not-so-difficult if we are sensitive to His leadership and follow Him.

Love and peace to you all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

________________________________

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com