The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 31:23-24, “O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!

The LORD preserves the faithful, And fully recompenses the

proud doer. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in the LORD.”

The world around us abounds with discouragements!

Circumstances work against us! People seek to hinder

us! Some days just pressure us in the wrong direction.

None of this is new! There will always be discouragements.

What are we to do?

Just keep loving the LORD. He is always with us! He

guards and preserves those who are faithful to Him! He

deals with the proud in His own way. Just be certain

you’re not one of them!! Let your mind and your will be

strong in the LORD. That’s what courage is! Hope is

future certainty! No question about it: the LORD never

forgets or abandons His people. And because of Him,

we are His people! Praise the LORD!

We just keep loving you and praying for you,

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.”

2 Chronicles 32:7, 20, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed

because of the king of Assyria, nor because of all the multitude which is with him;

for the One with us is greater than the one with him….But King Hezekiah and

Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven.”

Why do those who have sufficient always want more? Pride and

arrogance seem to grip the hearts of leaders. It was so with Sennacherib

king of Assyria. When he saw what Hezekiah, king of Judah, possessed,

he wanted it all for himself. Even in Old Testament times, men knew that

a key to victory was psychological warfare. Sennacherib’s generals taunted

Judah with threats, intending to demoralize them. They sent letters that

dishonored the LORD God, and they spoke in the Judean language so that

all the people of Judea could hear and fear.

But, Hezekiah was wise. He had prepared for Assyria’s assault by stopping

up the water sources and depriving them of drinking water. Then he spoke

to the people and to the LORD. He reminded the people that the LORD was

greater than Sennacherib and his armies. Then, he and his leaders prayed to

the LORD about the entire situation. “And the LORD sent an angel who

destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the

king of Assyria. So, he returned in shame to his own land.”

Should we, then, worry about the power of North Korea? Should their threats

be discouraging to us? Is not the LORD more powerful than Kim Jung Un?

Pray for our leaders that they might look to the LORD as did Hezekiah!

May the LORD bless you today! You are ever in our 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,

2 Chronicles 25:9, “And Amaziah said to the man of God,

‘But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have

given to the troops of Israel?’ And the man of God answered,

‘The LORD has much more to give you than this.’”

Times often change, but people don’t –even wealthy people,

such as kings. Amaziah became king of Judah when he was

25 years of age. He counted 300,000 men who could go to

war, and then he hired an additional 100,000 valiant warriors

from Israel itself. He was about to leave when a man of God

urged him not to go. The LORD is not with you and He will

bring you down. But, Amaziah was concerned for the money

he had already paid for those 100,000 men. Ah, youth! But

the man of God said, “The LORD has much more to give

you than this.” To Amaziah’s credit, he listened to the counsel

of the man of God.

None of you are planning to go to war against anyone –at

least, I hope not! But, we all often resemble Amaziah’s poor

judgment when it comes to money. I would hate to try to list

the things I’ve bought over the years –things that I thought

I could not get along without—but they proved to be things

that either did not work or things that I did not used as much

as I thought I would. The longer I live, the more valuable the

counsel of the LORD becomes. Indeed, He has much more

to give than I ever realized! What is more, He is ready and

willing to give it! Why are we not looking to Him for His riches?

You are in our thoughts and prayers 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,

2 Chronicles 21:20, Jehoram “was thirty-two years old when he became king,

and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret,

and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”

The only time I think about dying is when someone I know dies. I’m

aware that, barring the delay of the Rapture, I, too, will die someday.

I have no idea what king Jehoram thought about death; but having

been stricken with an excruciating illness, I can only imagine that he

longed for death. What is most interesting in this verse is that Jehoram

died “with no one’s regret.” I learned in Australia that a moderately

wealthy man died penniless and no one attended his funeral. Even

for an evil man, it’s sad to think that no one cared that he died.

How do you want to be remembered? When my grandfather died

(Dado I), I witnessed grown men weeping as they looked into his

casket. I distinctly remember one man saying, “He bought me gym

shoes, so I could play basketball.” Dr. Don Ralston officiated at the

grave of our dear friend, Jack Conner, recalled Jack having

witnessed to a woman, speaking to her in French –despite the fact

that neither of us ever knew Jack spoke French! What will people

say about you? about me? Will anyone care that we are gone??

The Israelites were careful about burials. Kings were buried in the

Jerusalem, the City of David; so, Jehoram was buried there, but

because he was evil, he was not buried in the tombs of the kings.

“He lived that kind of life; he died that kind of death; he will spend

that kind of eternity.”

We love you! Live for the LORD! Influence people for good!

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,

2 Chronicles 15:1-2, “Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,

2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, ‘Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah

and Benjamin: the LORD is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek

Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.’”

Anyone who reads the Chronicles can see the triumphs and failures of nation

after nation. There was never an opulent king like Solomon. But, despite his

wisdom and knowledge and all that he wrote in Ecclesiastes, he began to admire

what he possessed more than the One who had given him the possessions.

When Solomon died, Rehoboam, his son, ascended to the throne, but he lacked

the wisdom of his father and led Israel back into sin. From then onward, Israel

went up and down. She would serve the LORD; then she would forsake the

LORD. Ultimately, a priest of the LORD –Azariah—said to Asa, who was then

king, “…the LORD is with you when you are with Him.”

While Azariah’s words were for Israel and her king, they have a serious

application to our lives as well. Everything we have or ever will have is

from the LORD. But, when we become enamored with what He has

given, we displace the LORD and He disciplines us until we make Him

first in our lives again! We have no idea what poverty really is. We have

SO MUCH! Yet, He is more! And all His provisions can be taken away

as quickly as they have been given. Yes, we are to enjoy what the LORD

has given us. But, we must NEVER forget HIM from whom they have

come! Always put Him first in your life!

You are the LORD’s most precious gift to us! Our love and prayers will

never cease for you; and we will never forget from Whom you have

come!

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.”