The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 24:16, 31 & 45, “But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him….

And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him….Then He opened

their minds to understand the Scriptures…”

Did you ever read something in the Bible that you didn’t quite understand?

We all have. But, later –maybe years later—we read the same passage

and this time we understood it clearly. The thought occurred to me that

the time for our understanding that particular passage had not yet come.

Other passages were so deep that we just couldn’t get our minds around

what they meant. Then one day it was like a light had come on and we

could see clearly things we couldn’t understand before. These three

verses show clearly that there is a time for understanding things and that

Jesus is the One who opens our minds to understand at the proper time.

Having said that, none of us are to be complacent with not understanding.

It’s not wrong for us to seek others’ thoughts on Scripture. Our pastor

only yesterday opened an area I had viewed many times, but this time he

broadened my understanding still further. Maybe I should have understood

the passage more completely; or, maybe yesterday was the LORD’s timing

for me to see it. Prayer is also vital to understanding Scripture! We should

always pray before we read, asking the LORD to “open our minds to

understand the Scriptures.” Scripture enlightens our minds. It also

convicts us of wrong in our lives, so that we can confess our sin to Christ.

This is how we “grow in grace.” God bless you as your read His Word!

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Luke 21:13, “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony.”

Opportunities are always important. For one thing, it means

yhat you are important to someone. No one offers an opportunity

to someone they don’t like or to someone they believe to be

incompetent to the task. Thus, it is a complement to be wanted.

Every opportunity also is an opening for your testimony. There

sre some things I am not competent to do. But, don’t tell me

I can’t, because I won’t accept that. Any opportunity offered

me is an opportunity for me to share Christ. Even those

things I did not personally want to do, I found He could do

through me. I only had to be available.

Honestly, as I think of it, I have always sought to undertake

everything that crossed my path. I was invited and took on

a radio program that turned into six stations in four different

countries. I’ve accepted invitations to speak that led to an

around-the-world evangelistic tour that led to a week’s meeting

in the largest evangelical church in Europe. The editor of an

expanding Christian newspaper gave me the opportunity to

become a writer, which I did until the death of the editor. In

Australia, my radio interviews led to television opportunities,

one station in Victoria offering me a regular weekly program.

Don’t be afraid of opportunities! You never know where they

will lead. And whether they are for an extended period or a

one-time occasion, they are “an opportunity for your testimony”;

and they just might open doors you didn’t even know were there.

Love and prayers,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Luke 22:54-57, “And having arrested Him, they led Him away,

and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was

following at a distance.

55 And after they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard

and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.

56 And a certain servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight,

and looking intently at him, said, ‘This man was with Him too.’

57 But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know Him.’”

It is commonly thought that Simon Peter was the oldest member

of Jesus’ group of disciples. Whether he was, may never be

known. What is beyond doubt is that he was the most vociferous

in the group. Would Peter ever deny the LORD? Absolutely not!

was his insistence. But, he did. Look how it happened….

Jesus had been put under arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Peter is likely the one who drew his sword and cut off the ear

of the High Priest’s servant. He was “all in” for Jesus! But, as

they led Him away, Peter followed at a distance. Distance is

the beginning of denial. When they arrived at the house where

Jesus was to be interrogated, Peter sat down among those who

were opposed to Jesus. Affiliation with the opposition is also

denial. When finally accused of being a friend of Jesus, Peter

out-and-out denied he even knew Him!

Distancing yourself from the Bible, prayer, church, Christian

friends is the first step down the road to denial. Be very, very

careful. Right now, you would AFFIRM that you are a friend

of Jesus. It would be ridiculous of anyone to think otherwise.

But the road to denial is a slippery slope. Keep yourself on

solid footing. Never believe what happened to Peter couldn’t

happen to you.

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Luke 21:1-4, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.

2 And He saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins.

3 And He said, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them;

4 for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in

all that she had to live on.’”

I was taught to believe the Bible –everything it said, just the way it said it.

But as a kid, these verses always gave me trouble. The rich men gave

handfuls of money into the Temple treasury, while this poor widow only

gave two, small copper coins; yet Jesus said she had given more than

the rich men. How could this be? I knew Jesus made no mistakes, but

how could He figure that she gave more? Over the years, I examined

this passage carefully. We’re not told how much the rich men gave;

but we are told that the poor woman gave “two small copper coins.”

They were worth in total about $0.0028. Imagine! She could not have

purchased anything of value with such a paltry amount. Besides that,

it was all that she had. So, we are led to understand that Jesus was not

measuring how much was given, but how much was left over!

We are responsible to support those who share the Gospel: pastors,

evangelists, missionaries. At the same time, inasmuch as we are able,

we are to be careful to share with those who are responsible in using it

properly. And we must view what we give as given to the LORD. Once

we have given it, however it is used becomes the responsibility of the

one to whom it has been given. When we see that what we’ve given

is being used responsibly, we feel free to give to them again. When the

LORD sees that we are responsible in using what He has allowed us to

have, He gives us more. We must always be faithful stewards!

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:

and with all thy getting get understanding.”

James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,

who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be

given to him.”

The word wisdom is used some 400 to 500 times in the Bible,

depending on which version you use. The dictionary defines

wisdom as the “knowledge of what is true or right coupled with

just judgment as to action.” The Hebrew word ??????? chokmah

means “skill in administration, prudence in religious affairs.” The

Greek word ?????, sophia means “the ability to use knowledge for

correct behavior.” It is the only skill for which we are instructed to

ask; and when asked, it is promised that God will grant it.

Wisdom is more than being smart or knowledgeable about something.

It’s knowing when to speak, when not to speak, and even how to

phrase what you say. Some time ago, I faxed the following to a

U. S. Senator:

I was deeply appreciative of your questioning of Judge Neil Gorsuch

today in his Confirmation Hearings for the U. S. Supreme Court.

Your questions and personal mannerisms confirmed for me a long-

held belief that any inept person could be elected to the U. S. Senate.

Whether it should have been sent is a question of wisdom. Some

things need to be said; some things do not. And the judgment of

deciding is what we call wisdom.

My personal difficulty with wisdom has been being too quick in thinking

and not sufficiently slow in responding. Dr. Cleveland Horne was my

pastor for a time. He was a retired Navy Commander and one of the

most brilliant men I have ever known. But he frustrated me when I

asked him a question. He took sometimes two or three days before

he answered me. I wanted a quick answer. He saw the need to

weigh all aspects of the question before he replied. And when he replied,

there was nothing omitted. He had thought the matter through thoroughly.

That is wisdom.

Practice being wise! “…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow

to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God”

(Jas. 1:19-20).

We love you abundantly –and pray for your wisdom!

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”