The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Habakkuk 2:18-20, “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it,

Or an image, a teacher of falsehood?

For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.

19 “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a dumb stone, ‘Arise!’

And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is

no breath at all inside it.

20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

When I read these verses this morning, I was captivated by the thought

that I might –just might—have idols in my life. The prophet hit me hard!

No, to be sure, I don’t have any idols like he mentions, idols of wood or stone,

or gold or silver. But I do have possessions. I don’t have anything much that

I have created; but I do have things that I have acquired. Are they idols?

They can be.

A house, a car, jewelry, clothing, computers, cell-phones, books –books?—

Just about anything we’ve made or acquired –things that we possess– can be

classified as idols. It’s not the amount of possessions we have, but it’s how

treasured those possessions are to us. And it’s time. How do we spend it?

For example, what dominates my attention to the extent that I gravitate to

it more than anything else? (I dare not criticize you, because I have things

that dominate me, just like you do.) Thus, this warning is to both of us. We

simply cannot afford to be dominated by anything other than the LORD, His

Holy Word and prayer! When the “chips are down,” what profit is greater

than the things of the LORD? Just think about it….

We earnestly pray for ourselves, as we lovingly pray for you,

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,

Habakkuk 1:2-5, “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And Thou wilt not hear?

I cry out to Thee, “Violence!” Yet Thou dost not save.

3 Why dost Thou make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness?

Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

4 Therefore, the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround

the righteous; Therefore, justice comes out perverted. “Look among the nations!

Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—

You would not believe if you were told.”

A woman and her husband were walking down the street. Inadvertently, the woman

stepped on a loose section of the sidewalk and fell 30 feet into an ancient well. The

water in the well arose above her waist. Needless to say, she cried for help; yet, it

took rescuers an hour to extract her from the well.

The prophet Habakkuk saw the violence of evil surrounding him, and he cried out

to the LORD. He thought he would never be saved. He could not understand why

the LORD made him see the affliction. Everywhere he looked, “destruction and

violence” surrounded him. Strife and contention were everywhere!

What the prophet saw led him to better understand the depths of evil. “The law

is ignored, and justice is never upheld.” This is what happens when the wicked

are in control. Moreover, “justice comes out perverted.” The Hebrew word

) ?????aqal( means “to bend or twist.” Evil men have no problem twisting the law

to benefit themselves. Boy! Do we ever see that in our day!

But the LORD is not asleep. He is not unaware of what is going on, however

personal or widespread it may seem. “I am doing something in your days,” the

LORD says. And He is at work doing something. Why do we not see it? Could

it be that we are too focused on the problem instead of the Problem Solver?

Set your eyes on the LORD! Live daily in His Word! Develop a sensitivity to

the Holy Spirit. The woman who fell in the well cried out for help. She was

rescued and the well was filled in for the sake of others who would walk that

way. The LORD will not do less for those who depend upon Him!

Our prayers of love are issued for 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,

Micah 4:5, “Though all the peoples walk

Each in the name of his god,

As for us, we will walk

In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

I learned long ago that not everyone believes what I believe.

Not everyone, even those who read the Bible, come to the same

conclusions as I. Of course, we are responsible to live for the

LORD regardless of what others do or say.

The prophet Micah lived in a tough and rigorous day. So do we!

We witness to others about the LORD Jesus. We encourage

others to read the Bible. We seek to live out our faith, so as to

be faithful and honorable to Him, while also seeking to be a

testimony to others. Yet, they continue to pursue other gods;

they twist the sayings and teachings of the True God, in order

to make His ways conform to theirs.

It is indeed joyous when we see the lost come to true faith in

our LORD Jesus Christ, It may be even more joyous when we

come to know that our lives have contributed to their faith in

Him. Whatever others ultimately do, however, must not affect

our walk with the LORD. If they come to trust Him, we must

remain humble. If they reject Him, we must not be discouraged.

Let Micah’s words resonate within us: “As for us, we will walk

In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide you in all

that you do for His glory.

Our daily prayers are for you, as yours are for us,

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 60:1-2, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise

upon you, And His glory will appear upon you.”

Sleep means different things to different people. Hard work almost always calls for a sound sleep.

Sometimes, difficult and disturbing events – sheer mental exhaustion, things with which people

don’t want to deal—drives them to engage in sleep. For those surrounded by troubles for which

there is no foreseeable way out, they may go so far as to seek death, rather than to face them.

Isaiah foresees something better –much better! The entire passage is prophetic; still, it has a residual

meaning to each of us who knows the LORD. Don’t despair! Don’t get down in the dumps over

anything! Light –the LORD’s Light—is encompassing you! The LORD Himself is Light. And when

we recognize Him as our redeemer, there is not reason to wallow in despair, as in sleep.

To be sure, darkness falls upon us individually, just as it does upon the whole world. (Have you

read the News lately?) The darkness that pervades the Earth calls for sleep. Burying our heads

beneath our pillows, however, is no answer. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in

trouble’ (Ps. 46:1 NAS). So, don’t allow darkness of any sort to deepen and deposit its gloom on you!

The Glory of the LORD awaits you this very day!

We love and pray for each of you every, single 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,

Ecclesiastes 11:7-10, “The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. 8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

10 So, remove vexation from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”

Have you ever had a dream, a truly bad dream where everything was going wrong? I remember dreaming that I was

scheduled to preach at a church, but had forgotten to bring my Bible. In addition, I had forgotten to take any clothes,

except the casual and tacky things I had on for traveling. WOW! Was I glad when that was over and I saw the reality

of daylight!

Solomon encourages us to rejoice in the days we have, but also not to forget the many days of sadness and guilt, but

to note that everything that is to come is perishable and amounts to nothing. He is saying that some things matter

and some things don’t. And most of what we think is important is not important at all. Yes, there are pleasant days

throughout the years of our lives. As we grow through childhood into adulthood, we develop impulses and desires

and we give in to those things. Just don’t forget, Solomon says, that there is a price to pay for engaging in worldly

and fleshly practices. Everything has its consequence. God will bring us to judgment for all the ungodly things we

do. So, turn aside, cease and avoid fleshly desires and wicked impulses because you don’t have much time! Your

days of life are less than you think.

The intention of these verses and their instruction is not to scare you of death. It is to encourage you to be realistic.

No one knows how much (or how little) time he has left on Earth. A friend of mine opened the front door of his

house because someone rang the doorbell. A man he had never seen charged through the doorway, attacking him

and nearly beat him to death. His skull was smashed into his brain. By God’s grace he lives, but he will never be

the same. Measure each day carefully, and trust always in the LORD.

We pray for you earnestly 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.”