The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 10:23-24, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself;

Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, O LORD, but with justice; Not with Thine anger,

lest Thou bring me to nothing.”

Did you ever have a problem trying to decide what you would do in life?

Most of us have. I have always loved music. It was a significant part of

our family. I so loved the piano, that I thought I might become a concert

artist. (Wild thought, huh?) My temperament was such that I thought of

becoming a lawyer. I love to argue, to debate, to match wits with others.

But Jeremiah debunks that humanistic stuff when he said, “…a man’s

way is not in himself.” It is not that we should not consider the options

before us, but that the final determination must rest with the LORD.

We often need correction. When correction is needed, our appeal should

always be that the LORD would deal with us justly and lovingly. He need

not harness us kicking and screaming to drag us into the center of His

will. We must remember that we are His, not our own! Thus, we are to

be obedient to His desire for us. Furthermore, He knows the end from

the beginning; and the fulfillment of our lives brings glory to Him.

Love and prayers for you all,

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,

Jeremiah 1:4-8, “Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,

5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you

were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to

the nations.’ 6 “Then I said, ‘Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know

how to speak, Because I am a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you

shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. 8 “Do not be

afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.’”

Were you ever called upon to do something that frightened you?

You could think of a thousand reasons why you couldn’t do it, but

not one that you could. We’ve all been there, I’m sure. Moses

had the same excuse (Ex. 3), but the LORD said to him, “I AM THE

LORD AND I’M ALL THAT YOU NEED ME TO BE IN ANY GIVEN

SITUATION” (Ex. 3:14). WOW!

Some of us have egos that tell us we can do anything! Of course,

we can’t, but we think we can. In such situations, the LORD has

to break us down (crush our “selves”) so that we will be totally

dependent upon Him. What boy has never said to his dad, “Hey,

dad, I can do that,” as he picked up a tool to prove himself? When

things went awry, however, and the boy hurt himself, he was ready

to depend upon his dad. The secret seems to be “I cannot, but You

can.”

Sometimes we get uninvited “help” from others, who seek to

discourage us (“You can’t do that! Who do you think you are?”)

Just remember who knew you and fashioned you and set you apart

and appointed you for His purpose. He never fails. And if He knew

someone better suited for the task, He would not have chosen you.

No one learns to swim just sitting at the edge of the water. Listen

to His voice and obey! Trouble? He has promised to deliver you.

We love you immensely 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,

Matthew 2:1-2, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea

in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in

Jerusalem, saying, 2 ’Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

For we in the east, saw His star and have come to worship Him.’”

President Trump’s acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the Capital of

Israel, this past Wednesday, was historic! Ancient history supports

the City as the Capital. The word “Jerusalem” occurs over 800 times

in the Bible, and means (in at least one translation) “foundation of

peace.” The City is the acknowledged place of three major religions:

Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. “There is plenty of evidence for the

existence of ancient Jerusalem. Excavations in the City of David, today

the village of Silwan, just south of the Old City walls, show that the site

has been continuously occupied for some 5,000 years.”

(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/myth-and-reality-of-king-david-s-jerusalem)

What may be causing the turmoil, however, is that the Muslim world

wants to claim it as their capital. And for the United States to recognize

the city as the Capital of Israel, is unacceptable in their eyes. Perhaps,

too, it is unacceptable in that it means “foundation of peace” –something

diametrically contrary to Islam’s avowed purpose: pushing the Jews into

the Mediterranean Sea! How absurd! Fighting over the “foundation of

peace.”

Muslims believe the gold-topped dome in Jerusalem is where Mohammed

ascended into Heaven. Jews see it as the city the LORD selected for His

Temple, the place where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac. Christians view

Jerusalem as the place where Jesus was crucified (albeit, outside the city).

Keep alert! This official, presidential acknowledgement of Jerusalem as

Israel’s Capital City, may just be the beginning of the end. Jesus is Coming

soon!

A Jewish lad, maybe 10-12 years old, came up to me one day and said,

“Hey, mister, do you know where the USA is?” “I’m sure I do,” I replied,

“but why don’t you tell me?” “It’s right in the middle of Jerusalem,” he said

with a smile that stretched to the Mediterranean Sea! JerUSAlem. We don’t

have to be in Jerusalem to pray. Our Holy City is far above! But the signal

has to be observed. We have to be ready! Are you?

Love and Prayers for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

For further reading:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/timeline-for-the-history-of-jerusalem-4500-bce-present

https://www.jerusalem.muni.il/en/Visitors/Facts/Pages/Section31621.aspx

http://www.bible-history.com/geography/israel_the_center_of_the_world.html

http://www.bible-history.com/geography/strategic_jerusalem.html

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,

Isaiah 59:1-4, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not so short That it cannot save;

Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made

a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face

from you, so that He does not hear.

3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity;

Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness.

4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion,

and speak lies; They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.”

Have you ever prayed and prayed and prayed, but nothing happened?

It was as if God either could not or would not hear. The Scriptures give

many reasons for unanswered prayer. God is sometimes saying, “No”

because what we’re asking is not as beneficial to us as we want to believe.

Sometimes, He says, “Yes, but not yet. Wait; the time is not right.” And

at other times, He says He cannot hear us because of our sin. But, He

doesn’t leave it there. He spells out how we have sinned: hands, fingers,

lips, tongue –all have worked in wickedness, and wickedness always

separates us from God.

It would be wrong for us to ignore our own sin and look only to that of

others; still, verse four speaks of using the courts for wrong reasons,

intending to crush opponents instead of seeking justice. That just may

be what is going on now within the Mueller investigation. If that is

true, then that would speak to the LORD’s silence in answering prayers

related to our nation. This is all very serious stuff! We have to be clean

before God for Him to hear and answer our prayers. That would make

justice in the Mueller investigation dependent upon US! Think about

that! We’re not as far removed from what is happening as we think.

The same is true of understanding Scripture, effective witnessing to

the lost, and a multitude of things. The LORD’s people must be clean!

We pray to be cleansed, as we pray for you each day,

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,

Isaiah 55:8-11, “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,’

declares the LORD. 9 ‘For as the heavens are higher than the Earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 ‘For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the Earth, And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So shall My word be which

goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing

what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.’”

What do you know about things around you? How much of what has been

Humanly developed do you understand? Take Wi-Fi. We can measure its

strength; we can send instant messages to the far corners of the Earth by

using it; but how does it actually work? Do you know?

We read the Bible, but how much of it do we really understand? The LORD’s

thoughts are so much higher –more intelligent—that ours, that the greatest

thoughts we have about anything are simply childish incomparison. What

we know is what He allows us to know. Isaiah quotes the LORD as He tells us

about the rain and snow. They come to us from the LORD and they come with

a purpose. When that purpose is accomplished, the moisture returns in the

heavens from where it came, so that it can come again, as He wills.

There is a parallel of the elements with the Word of God. His Word also has

a purpose. As it is read or quoted, it penetrates the mind of man. The LORD

has created us with the ability to understand His Word. We can also reject it.

The Word is a producer of LIFE to the one who accepts it; it produces DEATH

to the one who rejects it. But that Word is never meaningless! We don’t

always know how the Word is working in those with whom we share it.

What we do know is that it is accomplishing the LORD’s purpose. And it is His

will that everyone on Planet Earth hears His Word. When we have received

Him as our LORD and Savior, He enables us to share that Word of Salvation

with others. We do this through direct witnessing, through prayer, through

supporting missionaries –through a variety of ways. But, what we do is

guaranteed to be effective and glorifying to Him! Let’s get started!!!

May the LORD bless and use you is our daily prayer,

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.”