The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,

for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh,

a messenger of Satan to buffet me– to keep me from exalting myself!

8 Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

9 And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in

weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the

power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses,

with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for

when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Did you ever disguise something that happened to you by saying, “I knew

someone once who did a similar thing?” That’s what Paul did in the verses

one through six. The experience was of such magnificence that he was not

permitted to share it in its entirety. In fact, the LORD gave Paul a weakness

just to keep him humble. We’re not told what it was, although it may have

been an eye condition. When Paul begged for deliverance from this weakness,

the LORD simply said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected

in weakness.” Paul said, Okay, I will be content with weakness…”for Christ’s

sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. How does that work out?

Very simply. When we stop thinking of how strong (intelligent, good looking,

wealthy, influential) we are, we become strong spiritually –strong in the faith!

What’s more, our strength in the faith is for Christ’s benefit, not our own!

What we are or do that causes people to praise us does not come from us, but

from Him! So, let’s all be like Paul and give credit where credit is due: to our

LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ!

May God bless each of you with His special blessing,

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,

Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”

Two hundred and forty-one years ago, the United States of

America was born! Virtually every historical document regarding

our nation gives evidence that we were founded upon faith in

our LORD Jesus Christ. Thus, the Psalmist’s word clearly applies

to our beloved United States. The LORD was and is our foundation!

And we are promised blessing only as we faithfully abide in Him.

We are people “chosen for His own inheritance.” Think of that!!

Solomon wrote, “Righteousness exalts a nation…”; but he also

wrote, “…sin is a disgrace to any people” (Prov. 14:34). We

have a been blessed with a strong foundation, but we must labor

to maintain that with which we have been blessed. Nations are

simply the aggregate of their people. If we relax in our devotion

to God –if we allow ourselves to drift into sin—we will become

a disgrace to the LORD and will weaken our witness to others

of His salvation and blessing! It’s so easy to pass blame on the

Congress or on the President for the slippage in our devotion to

God. But, WE are the people! Maintaining the greatness of our

blessed nation starts at our doorstep! Pray for our nation and

its leadership! We face enormous struggles at home and abroad.

Yet, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”

(Ps. 46:1).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! We’ll do our part to keep you

strong in the LORD!

Praying for you and loving you every 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,

2 Corinthians 8:1-5, “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God

which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction

their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own

accord, 4 begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the

saints, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord

and to us by the will of God.”

How do you measure the value of a gift? Our culture makes it difficult, but

Paul simplifies it for us. In my lifetime, I’ve received many, many gifts. I

remember a man giving me $50 after a preaching service, saying, “They

(the church) didn’t give you enough.” In India, a woman I never knew

dropped a 22k gold necklace into the offering. Nana still has it. We were

once given a car. But how are each of these to be measured as to their value?

I cannot judge the hearts of the givers; I can only try to assess whether they

could afford to part with their gifts. In a sense, it’s not how much one gives,

it’s how much he has left over.

Paul says the churches of Macedonia (Greece) were in deep poverty. But

they had joy in abundance! They could hardly afford to give to help others,

but they abounded “in the wealth of their liberality!” Haven’t you known

people like that? I sure have. Most of us want more of the things we

desire. Those poor Greeks just wanted to give, give, give! How did they

get that way? Why were they so different from us? It’s quite simple, really.

They “first gave themselves to the LORD…” When you belong to the LORD,

everything you possess belongs to Him. That makes it easy and joyful to

give. Remember that poor widow who gave two mites to the Temple

treasury, while the wealthy gave money by the handfuls? Her treasure

was in the LORD Himself, and He took notice of her. Isn’t His notice of

greater value that what we give? I should hope it is.

We love you dearly 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,

2 Corinthians 7:1, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved,

let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit,

perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

The promises of the LORD are always genuine. They are a

solid rock on which we can rely. We are His beloved; and as

a loving parent always keeps his promise, our LORD keeps

His promises. At the same time, Paul instructs us “to cleanse

ourselves.” This is NOT a “works-for-salvation” cleansing;

rather, it is our abstaining from all forms of evil –things that

work against our spiritual growth in the LORD. Okay, that’s

understandable, but what about this “perfecting holiness”?

How do we do that? We do it simultaneously as we turn

away from the evil that pollutes us. We concentrate on the

purity and holiness of the LORD. We purposely and continuously

focus on the LORD Himself. We literally live in and by His Word!

We call upon Him for strength to make holiness our sole focus!

And all of this is done “in the fear of God.” Fear (?????, phobos)

negatively means dread, terror; but in a positive sense means

respect, reverence. The positive seems better, but knowing

the power of the LORD’s physical and spiritual discipline is

a good reason, too. It’s His two-track plan to keep us running

smoothly on the rails of life. God bless you!

Our prayers are for you, as you become holier with time,

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 Corinthians 5:18-21, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us

to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely,

that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their

trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating

through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made

Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the

righteousness of God in Him.”

The Secretary of State is an ambassador. Having been confirmed by the Senate,

he represents his president and his country to other countries, seeking to get them

to subscribe to his country’s position on a variety of subjects. He does not push

his own position, but that of his president and his country. What Paul describes

in the verses above sets the stage for us as ambassadors for Christ.

Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we have a new life and a message

to share! We are sent forth into various parts of the world about us to share

that message, that those whom we meet might come to know Christ Jesus just

as we do. The political Secretary of State meets with his counterpart in another

country, shakes hands, smiles and shows a congenial attitude. That’s exactly

what we are to do with lost people. Friendliness is a component of love. We

want them to “see” the difference in our lives, and desire it for themselves.

Ultimately, we share Christ with them, and the “change” they see in us is not

from us, but from Him. Watch for your opportunities! Always show love!

Speak gently, clearly and biblically. Express concern for them to know Him.

When all of these things are in place, you have become His ambassador. You

are not responsible for whether they accept Him, but for whether you discharge

your responsibilities. When you do, God Himself is glorified! God bless you!

We love 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.”