The Grands Letter

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.”

I’ve been teaching at Liberty now for more than 10 years. One

of the courses requires all students to give an account of their

salvation in Jesus Christ. Almost more than I can count, have

stated that even after the LORD saved them, they returned to

lives of sin and shame, often involving themselves in the grossest

of sin. Satan’s first attack is to keep us from coming to Christ

at all. He wants to control and govern our lives, so that we lose

all thought of God and His love and indulge ourselves in sin.

When that doesn’t work, and we’ve honestly and earnestly

committed ourselves to Jesus Christ, Satan then attempts to

get us to indulge ourselves, mind, soul, body, into sin. This

has always been his plan. It has not changed. It will not change!

Paul pleads with us to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of

flesh and spirit.” We CAN overcome sin! The LORD gives us

the power to think cleanly and live cleanly. And when we allow

the power of Jesus Christ to enable us to live holy lives, we

feel clean within ourselves. Failure to live for Him brings

consequences! Don’t fool with God. You should read what

some of my students say.

We love you and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For momentary, light affliction is producing

for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things

which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal,

but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, life is filled with difficulties. Things

go wrong. Plans we’ve made, go awry. People disappoint us. And

more often than not, we despair. Paul tells us first that these are

momentary experiences. They don’t last long. Also, they are

incidental, light, non-destructive things that bother us only for a

very short while. The bright side of these afflictions is that they

are working for us, while they appear to be working against us.

We cannot grasp it all, but the little hurts and disappointments

we encounter are spiritually producing glorious things for us!

And the truth of all of this is because the LORD is not asleep.

He is allowing these little, short-term hurts and disappointments

to build character within us. We view things from a human

perspective; God views things from an eternal perspective.

So, CHEEER UP! The LORD has won the victory! And so have

we, if we will only believe.

Our love and prayers encompass you all,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 2:14-15, “But thanks be to God, who always leads

us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma

of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance

of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among

those who are perishing…”

You stink! You need a bath! Did you ever hear words like these

from your mother? Believe me, I have! And I learned quickly that

it was better coming from someone who loved you than from anyone

else. The Apostle Paul thanks the LORD, who “manifests through

us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of (Christ)” everywhere we

go. Of course, Paul is speaking metaphorically. But look at what

he says: the LORD gives us the knowledge of Himself, and that

knowledge permeates the atmosphere everywhere we go. This

knowledge is like a beautiful aroma to all with whom we come in

contact. It excels the most gorgeous perfume. The lost and the

saved alike notice the difference in our lives. That’s what gives

us the opportunity to share the Gospel with the lost and more of

the knowledge of Him to the saved. Either way, we exemplify

Him, and He is glorified!

May you radiate a “sweet” smell today everywhere you go!

We love you always, but more easily when you “smell sweetly,”

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,

immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that

your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Paul addresses so many things in his Corinthian letters. He talks

about temptation, about conscience, about freedoms, and about

marriage. But, as with all of his epistles, he comes to a grand and

glorious conclusion. His love for these believers in Corinth is true,

and his admonition is based in that love. Be steadfast! Be firm!

Don’t move away from what you believe. When other leave the

faith, you “sit still.” Be stubbornly resistant to anything contrary

to the way of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. At all times, be “over

and above” (immovable) in your work for the LORD! Don’t settle

for the minimum! Always believe more, do more! And be

confident that nothing you do by the urging of the Holy Spirit and

for the glory of the LORD will ever be empty or without profit. It

may not always appear profitable, but it is because the LORD is

all over what you are and say and do! Abound for Him today!

Love and prayers always,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 3:21-23, “So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you,

22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or

things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”

I will spare you the difficulties I have had over the years with understanding these verses.

Yet, Ellicott’s Commentary opens my understanding. Read the following carefully, slowly.

Let every sentence sink into your mind and heart. Powerful stuff this!

“Be it wisdom, be it light, be it power, be it victory over sin, be it a matter of this world, or of the world to come, all is in Christ. Having Christ, we have all things; bereft of Christ, we have absolutely nothing. All things are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. Well, then, what is the result for me? I am poor, it may be. Yet all the fortunes of this world are mine; for they are Christ’s, who Himself is God’s, and who could easily give them all to me, with Himself, if they would serve my interests. The whole world, with all its glories, with all its power, belongs to me; for it belongs to my Father, who will give it me tomorrow, and could give it me to-day, if that were good for me. I am very ill, it may be. Yet health is mine, strength is mine, comfort is mine, a perfect enjoyment of all the blessings of life is mine; for all this belongs to Christ, who belongs to God, and who disposes of it as He will. If He withholds these things from me to-day, for a fleeting moment, swift as the shuttle in the loom, and for reasons wholly of His own; it is because these pains and this bitterness conceal a benediction worth more to me than the health so precious, than the comfort so delightful.… I challenge you to find a thing of which I cannot say: This is my Father’s; therefore, it is mine; if He withholds it to-day, He will give it me to-morrow. I trust myself to His love. All is mine, if I am His.”

God bless you abundantly –as He wills,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas