The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men for their transgressions,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

15 “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive

your transgressions.”

The years I spent in evangelism and the pastoral ministry taught

me more about people than a Ph.D. in psychology or sociology.

My observation was that the greatest sin was the lack of forgiveness.

On the surface, people were friendly, humorous, and spoke of the

love and goodness of the LORD. But, often the conversations led

into the ways of others and how others had dealt unkindly with

them –even some pastors. It was not difficult to see that beneath

the surface of their lives, they harbored unforgiving spirits.

I’ve had personal experience myself with the lack of forgiveness.

It’s not difficult to refuse to forgive when all the evidence shows

that others are wrong and have done wrong to you. Satan feeds

every reason possible as to why we should not forgive. Even the

saying, “Well, I’ll forgive –but I won’t forget!” comes into play.

Yet, the LORD, who is the Ultimate Judge, says, “If you don’t, then

neither will I; and you have a lot more to lose if I don’t forgive you.”

Remember that David said, “Against You and You alone have I

sinned” (Psa. 51:4). So, any lack of forgiveness for other’s sins

against us is tantamount to our sin against the LORD Himself!

That’s heavy, isn’t it? What’s more, the Holy Spirit chokes on

what we call prayer until we do forgive others. He doesn’t weigh

whether what others have done is “heavier” than our lack of

forgiveness; He simply says, “Until you honestly and fully forgive,

I just won’t listen to anything you have to say.”

One more benefit I’ve found to forgiveness is that the heaviness

of heart is relieved when we truly and fully forgive. But what about

the other guy? He’s probably never known or cared about what

you think of him. So, in the long run, failing to forgive only hurts

the one who fails to forgive. Give that grudge up!! Yield it to the

LORD! The pathway of prayer is then opened and the sunshine of

love will fill your heart and life! God bless you!

We continue to lovingly 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,

Genesis 5:22a, ??????????????? ???????? ?????????????????

Does that look strange to you? Reading from right to left, it says,

“And walked Enoch with Elohim,” or “Enoch walked with God…”

Walking with God is not like a stroll around a lake. It’s a continuous

and progressive action of life. When we follow the LORD daily, He

blesses us, and in turn, affects the culture of our time in a positive way.

I can remember when Sunday was a day when all businesses closed

in honor of the LORD. Only those businesses that were vital to life

(hospitals, police, fire departments) were operating. Yet, slowly

businesses began to open until virtually every money-making operation

has invaded the sanctity of the LORD’s Day. Our culture has changed.

In 1967, Truett Cathey opened Chic-fil-a in the State of Georgia. The

restaurant has never opened for business on Sunday. Yet, today Chic-fil-a

is the number one fast-food restaurant in America. God honors those

who honor Him.

Some years ago, a St. Louis pastor preached a message that challenged

a businessman who operated his business on Sundays. St. Charles Rock

Road was a main artery from north county to the city downtown. Traffic

was heavy every day. This man’s business was a filling station on that

heavily-travelled road; and they pumped a lot of gasoline every day and did

a good business. But the man was troubled about being open on Sundays.

So, he said to his crew, “Next Sunday we’re going to close; and we’ll be

closed on Sundays from now on.” His partner objected, saying that he, too,

was invested in the business and believed the business should remain

open. “But, I’m the senior partner,” the other man said, “and we’re closing

on Sundays!”

His testimony was that on the Friday and Saturday before the Sunday on

which they were to close, they pumped more gasoline on those two days

than they had ever pumped on Friday, Saturday and Sunday combined in

the history of the station!

All of that is to say that the LORD is faithful to us when we determine to

walk daily with Him. He honors and blesses those who honor and glorify

Him! What about your “walk”? Is it a walk with God? Give Him a chance

with your life. You’ll be amazed at the blessings His love will pour down

on you!

Love and prayers, ever and always,

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 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.”

Did you notice? Did you see what just happened? Jesus had just said (v. 7),

“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.” That is, we are not to ask Him to do things that would show off His power. Humm… thought Satan. Why not?

So, once again, Satan appeals to human pride. Luke’s gospel says that Satan showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world “in a moment of time” (Lk. 4:5). All of

this is spiritual in nature, leaving me to believe that the “very high mountain”

was a view through time and space. Look at these kingdoms, Satan said. They can all be Yours. Right now, they’re mine; but I can and will give them to You. You don’t have to suffer the anguish of the Cross; You only have to humble Yourself and worship me.

Barnes writes, Satan “commences, therefore, artfully and plausibly, and the real purpose does not appear until he has prepared the mind for it. This is the way with all temptation. No wicked person would at once tempt another to be profane, to be drunk, to be an infidel, or to commit adultery. The principles are first corrupted. The confidence is secured. The affections are won. And then the allurement is little-by-little presented, until the victim falls. How everyone should be on his guard at the very first appearance of evil, at the first suggestion that may possibly lead to sin!”

Once again, our LORD Jesus used Scripture to refute Satan’s temptation; and he went away. We can defeat Satan, but not without the LORD’s help. We just

MUST stay in the Word every day! Make it a habit to read the Bible daily. Read

it carefully and consistently. It’s the one thing Satan cannot stand. And it is a force the LORD has given us by which we can become spiritually strong and

victorious!

You are daily in our prayers, always in our love,

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 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.”'”

Did you ever have a friend try to get you to do something you knew

was wrong? Wow! I can remember numerous times such has happened

in my life. Sometimes they wanted to get me not to do something I knew

to be right. Also, they didn’t give up. They pestered me to do or not to

do something contrary to my own thinking. Satan is like that. He pesters

us until we do what he wants. Then, we come to regret it.

Satan had already lost round one with Jesus. He refused to turn stones

to bread (vv. 1-4). So now, he takes Jesus into the City of Jerusalem, the

Holy City and causes Him to stand at a high place on the Temple Mount.

You want to talk Scripture? Satan said. “If You’re the Son of God (and You

are), throw Yourself down; for it has been written and cannot be changed

(perfect passive indicative)” that angels will care for you and protect you

from hurting even your foot against a stone. Satan was quoting Psalm 91:11-12.

But, if you turn there and read, you will find that he conveniently omitted

four words: “in all Thy ways.” What Satan was endeavoring to get Jesus

to do was not the Father’s will. Be very careful! Not everyone quotes

Scripture correctly –not even some preachers!

In the end, and the confrontation is not quite over, Jesus never argues

against Satan’s misquotation. He just quotes more Scripture: “You shall

not put the LORD your God to the test.” Sometimes a voice inside of us

says, “Well, it’s not really the right thing to do, but you’re saved, so you

won’t go to Hell for doing it. And besides, it’s fun.” Don’t be fooled.

There is a consequence for every sin. Satan knows it; he just doesn’t

want you to think about the consequence. Turn like Jesus did to the

Scripture. The Holy Spirit will use the Word to feed your soul and keep

you holy.

Love and prayers always,

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 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.'”

Baptism had been a highlight in Jesus’ life. Through His baptism, He was

Introduced to all mankind as the Messiah. The entire Trinity (also known as

the Godhead) had been present for the occasion. But now, He must be

proved as able to withstand Satan and his clever and slanderous assaults.

That Jesus was willing to undergo the tests is proved by the Holy Spirit’s

leadership. After 40 days and nights of prayer and going without food, the

human aspect of Jesus’ being was exceedingly hungry. Satan then tempted

Him. “If You are the Son of God, (and You are)” he said, “command that these stones become bread.” Jesus saw the subtlety in Satan’s words, and said,

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of

the mouth of God.”

When I was in high school, I was often invited to lunch by some businessmen

in town. One day a veteran of the Korean War was the speaker. I remember

him saying that they were so hungry for American food that he bought a can

of chili-con-carne from a fellow-soldier for $20! Hunger is a huge factor in

temptation. And Satan knows more about how to “buffalo” us than we know

about resisting. Oh, you think I can’t turn stones to bread, huh? No, it was a

solicitation to engage in evil. Jesus knew that sin is evil –every time! And he

immediately resorted to the Word of God as His defense. Notice, too, that

He said, “…every word…” Don’t be guilty of racing through your reading of

Scripture. Savor every word like you would a soft and luscious piece of meat.

The Word of God is always our best defense against evil and temptation. Use

it as the LORD intended. It will never fail you.

You are daily in our prayers, always in our love,

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.”