The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

James 4:13-17, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’

14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

15 Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.’

16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

Today is the last day of the year 2018. Many people will be examining their past and resolving to do differently in the coming year. It’s a noble gesture, but an intended resolution within itself is not sufficient. James notes for us the open determination of men who say, “This is what we’re going to do”; but they fail to take into account that life itself is not under their control. The most earnest intention that omits the LORD is doomed to failure. In fact, without inclusion of the LORD, man is simply boasting.

Mark (7:21-23) says, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

There are two basic words for evil in the New Testament: ????? (kakos), which deals with inward thoughts, which may be only known to the person who has such thoughts. Then, there is ??????? (poneros), which when made known to others, produces evil within them as well.

How then are we to activate our good intentions with all of this evil within us and surrounding us? We do right when we stay focused upon Him who IS right! Refuse to watch things that are evil; refuse to listen to things that are evil. Stay focused on Jesus and His Word! It is more than a “resolution”; it is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day focus. Satan is clever. He not only produces filth that masks and covers the will of God, he “feeds” it to us in small bites, one after the other, until we begin to like the “taste.” But in the end, we suffer loss, and he laughs at our weakened, spiritual situation.

Be smart! This new year could be our last on Earth. We will then stand before the LORD. What excuse will we give to Him when His instructions are so clear?

We love you and continue to pray for your spiritual growth,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

desire. If you do not wish to receive it, you may simply say so. I will not be offended. ~ Gene

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 4:8-11, “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.’

10 “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’ 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”

Following Matthew’s account of Satan’s temptation of Jesus, we must first note that “the devil took Him…” Previously, the Holy Spirit had led Jesus up into the wilderness where He was to encounter and overcome tempation, proving Himself superior to all other powers. We surely cannoit believe –and I do not!—that the Spirit simply abandoned Jesus to the clutches of the devil.

But the passage does say, the devil took Him (??????????? paralambano, meaning to receive something or someone from another). It was as if a parent yielded a child briefly to someone else. It happens all the time, when parents allow a soccer or baseball coach to take nominal charge of their children for a specific purpose. Such is paralleled in the Holy Spirit lending Jesus to Satan for the specific purpose of the temptation, but standing close by to observe what would occur.

The kingdoms of the world were glorious! Such a thought reminds me of flying into Stockholm at night. The entire city was encircled by streetlights of various colors. It resembled a crown like a king would wear on a formal occasion. Fame, wealth, power, authority –all could be His for one small concession: just “fall down and worship” Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4).

Satan, as we observe him, never gives up in his effort to turn Jesus away from His Heavenly Father. Nor does he give up on us, as he plays the piper in the effort to seduce us away from truth, righteousness, and even from Jesus Himself. Yet, Jesus’ resistance and His resolve were superior. “Begone, Satan! Depart from me!

And relying once again upon the Scriptures, He shouted, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only!”

It was on October 29, 1941, at Harrow School in Great Britain, that Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the school saying, “…surely…this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never –in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” And so it must

always be with us.

James emphasizes not giving up when he writes, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). We can and we must. Never give up resisting! Never, never, never!

Prayerfully and lovingly yours,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Explanation: Yesterday’s letter was interrupted by an early phone call from Rose Marie.

Her INR had soared out of control and her HBG had dropped significantly (Medical

people will understand). She is currently in Regional hospital and has received

two units of blood. She is much better and will shortly be returning to rehab,

where she is making significant progress. Please just keep praying for her.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 4:5-7, “Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, “He will give His angels charge concerning You”; and “On their hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.”’ 7 “Jesus said to him, ‘On the other hand, it is written, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”’”

Most sports games are won when the players simply will not give up! Their problem is that their opponents have the same mind-set and are determined not to give up, either. Satan had to know that he could not win against the Son of God; yet, he was stubbornly determined not to quit.

Jerusalem was (and is) the holy city. The pinnacle was simply the highest point. Exactly where it was located is not known, but my suspicion is that it was at the edge of Mount Moriah that overlooked the Kidron valley below. In any event, it constituted the precise place for Satan’s second temptation. “If You are the Son of God –and You are (as the Greek language informs us), throw Yourself down.” Satan here purposely misquotes Psalm 91:11-12, by omitting the phrase “in all Your ways.” What Satan was tempting Jesus to do was not “in (His) way”; it was not in His best interest, and it was not His Father’s will.

Satan‘s temptations are often the strongest immediately after we have experienced something remarkable in Jesus’ service. Remember, Jesus had just been called “the Son of God,” so Satan takes this opportunity to put him to the test. Satan often attempts to fill us with pride, vanity and self-conceit just when we have had a glorious experience in the LORD’s work. He endeavors to urge us to do something that is calculated to bring us down and lead us into sin.

It has also been said that some of the most powerful temptations of Satan occur when he appears to be urging us to do something for the glory of God. He wants us to believe that God always comes to the aid of His people when they are in danger. I can drive a car as fast as I like. God will protect me. And God can; but it’s not true that the promise is for those who purposely throw themselves into danger in the effort to prove He will come to their rescue.

Once again, Jesus’ reply to Satan was from Scripture. “It has been written and remains so, you shall not put the LORD your God to the test.” This emphasizes how vitally important Scripture is! So when you are tempted to do wrong, look to the Word of God in Scripture. “Feed,” as it were, the Holy Spirit with Scripture. It and prayer are the only way to nourish your spiritual life, and stay in the good graces of Almighty God. May He ever keep us close to Himself where we are safe.

Lovingly and prayerfully yours,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Matthew 4:1-4, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

3 And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’

4 But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

“Now on Friday there’s goina be a little quiz.” Professor Beasley’s quizes were never what you would call “easy”; but he softened the warning with a warm smile. Obviously, he intended to question us as to what he had said in his previous lectures. They were for our benefit, as was everything he did and said.

But there is a clear difference between a test and a temptation. A test is for our good; a temptation only looks as if it’s for our good, but clearly it is not. Satan’s hijacking of CHRISTmas by introducing Santa Claus was not the end of his nefarious tactics. But, this time, the tables were turned. It was necessary that Jesus prove His strength to resist evil; thus, the Holy Spirit led Him into the valley of temptation for that proof.

Temptation to do evil often comes when we are physically weak. Jesus hand fasted and prayed for 40 days. He was not only hungry, He was tired as never before. And it was when He was in this condition, that the devil pounced on Him with a cleaver twist of words.

“If You are the son of God –and You are—command that these stones become bread.” You’re in charge here, there’s no need for you to suffer like this. You’re the boss of this business; you’re the pastor of this church.

You’re the head of this family, just do what you want! Satan makes it so inviting. And, truth be told, we fall for his scheme. But in the end, “it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper” (Prov. 23:32).

Jesus’ response was a steadfast resistence! He simply quoted Scripture. The Greeks had clear meaning in the way they wrote and spoke. Our English version that says, “It is written,” says in Greek, “It has been written and it remains that way.” Pretty powerful stuff! Jesus is saying that the physical bread is far less important that the spiritual Word of God. The Word of God is that which continues to be His Word in every situation. It is always present for our deliverence from temptation; it is all-powerful in that nothing can stand against it.

So, then, why do we still fall into Satan’s traps? Isn’t it clear? We either neglect or ignore His Word. Well, why does He continue to allow us to fall into Satan’s traps? It is to prove His strength to deliver us. Yet His Word only works for us when we live in it daily and lean upon Him for deliverence. Are you doing that?

We love you and are praying for you,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 John 5:20-21, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

CHRISTmas for the year 2018 is now past; but it ought to live in our lives and be celebrated every day! Just think: The Word, the second Person of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), became flesh –like us! He lived among those whom He created –those who had descended from Adam and Eve, His original creation.

Those who lived in the days of the shepherds and the magi actually, physically saw Him! The Apostle John, who wrote the words of the verses above, physically walked in His presence and heard His teaching! Yes, John beheld Jesus’ glory! And Jesus was the “only begotten” from the Father.

“Only begotten” (?????????, monogenes) means “the only one of its kind.” Jesus Christ was and is unique. And He was given to us that we might know Him and understand His teaching. Jesus is thoroughly true in His life and in all that He says. When we trust Him, He comes into our lives in the Person of the Holy Spirit, who then gives us what we need to understand.

Further, He inspired godly men to write what we now have and know as the Holy Scriptures, the Bible! He superintended their writings, so as to guarantee their accuracy. We have, therefore, no valid excuse for living apart from the Scriptures. We are also warned to “guard (our)selves from idols.” How do we do this?

We do it by reading and carefully studying the Bible. The Holy Spirit will then bring to mind the teachings embedded in our hearts, so that we might live every day for the glory of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

How is that for a day-to-day CHRISTmas!

We love you and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”