The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ecclesiastes 12:12, “But beyond this, my son, be warned:

the writing of many books is endless, and

excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.”

Were Solomon alive today, he would marvel at his own words.

“Google Books estimates that there are about 130 million books

in existence. If you double that, it’s probably more than enough

to cover all the books that ever existed. UNESCO estimates that

about 2 million books are published worldwide each year, but that

includes older books as well as new ones.” That’s a lot of books!

Notice that Solomon did not warn against reading books! He only

pointed out that “excessive devotion” to them was wearying. One

of the regrets I have, as I look back over my life, is that I did not

read more! Reading is to the mind what food is to the body. Yet,

we must always beware of what we read and eat.

I have formally studied five languages, yet only in my native English

can I claim proficiency. Still, reading books in the languages in which

they were written is superior to reading a translation. More important

still is reading GOOD books! Books are authors’ ideas; and they are

no better than the authors themselves, so, be careful! Authors are

clever; they know how to make you believe what they believe,

whether it is true and accurate or not.

Check the publisher, too. Money drives publication, and some

publishers will publish anything that brings in the buck! All of this

leads me to say that there is only ONE BOOK you can truly trust:

The Bible – the Holy Word of the Living God! Let that Word be the

Standard; and let everything be judged by what God has said.

Saturate yourself with HIS WORD! Believe it all, even what you

don’t fully understand. Pray for understanding. If the LORD lets

you live to my age or longer, you will be glad for what you have read.

We love, cherish and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

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,

Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that

we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

4 in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how

you should respond to each person.”

Situations in life differ quite a bit. Sometimes we need to sympathize with people that are hurting.

Sometimes we need to laugh, so as to lessen tension or ease those who are hurting. Sometimes

we need to speak seriously and correct wrong thinking. Each situation calls for a different action.

Paul addresses those situations by instructing us to always be prayerful. We are keep alert to the

fact that the LORD God is listening and be thankful that we are not alone. He encourages us to

start every day praying that the LORD will “open to us a door for the Word.” We know the Gospel.

We have been saved; and sometimes we are put in situations (imprisoned) so that we might share

that Gospel with others. When we do, we want to speak clearly as He would have us to speak.

Sometimes, those with whom we are speaking will give us “open door.” Remember that the LORD

has provided us that opportunity to witness. Our witness may start with a short sentence that just

mentions the LORD. How the person responds may show us whether they truly know Him or just

sort of agree with what we are saying. The LORD will then direct us to say what is appropriate.

Always we are to be gracious. Our speech must be “seasoned with salt.” Did you ever eat a boiled

egg without salt? Yuk! It needs salt! Salt seasons the egg, making it acceptable and delightful.

That’s how our words ought to be. Remember, too, that each person is different. Some like just a

little salt; some like a lot. The LORD will show you how much. Just be prayerful as you speak.

Please pray for us, too, as we 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,

Colossians 3:12-15, “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,

put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against

anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let

the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

In a recent conversation among friends, someone said, “Have you ever seen anything like what

we’re seeing today?” It was a clear reference to the openly evil that exists today. Things that

would never have been said in previous days, is openly declared today as if there’s nothing of

which to be ashamed. My immediate response was that we’re living in the “last days” of human

history. Jesus is coming soon, and Satan and his forces have pulled out all stops to be as

resistant to Him as possible.

Paul saw evil in his day, too; and he admonised the Colossian believers (and us!) to manifest

Jesus Christ in our lives as fully and completely as possible. We’re to have compassion (pity) on

those without Christ. They have the “natural look of the natural man.” We’re to show kindness

(uprightness), humility (lowliness of mind), gentleness (consideration) and patience (long-suffering)

toward others. “Bearing with one another” relates to present offenses; “forgiving” relates to past

offenses.”

Yes, sometimes people have legitimate complaints against each other. We are to forgive, regardless

of the nature of the complaint. We are to love (agape) with the love that only comes from the LORD.

It’s not just niceness, although that is certainly involved. It is genuine love that behaves as if nothing

ever happened.

Peace in our hearts always comes from the LORD. We are to allow Him to rule (act as an umpire)

in our hearts. This is what salvation is all about. It’s not just about going to Heaven when we die; it

is about the attitude of our hearts and minds right now, today! When we learn this, we are prepared

for life today and for Heaven tomorrow. Count your blessings and always –always– be thankful!

We love and pray for you daily,

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,

Colossians 2:8-10, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception,

according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according

to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made

complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority,,,.”

Today is Memorial Day here in the United States. It is a national holiday set aside for remembering

military personnel, who have died in wars of the past. It is also a good day to pray for those who are

currently dedicated to defending our country.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in the verses above that there are wars of many kinds, and the one,

vital thing to remember is never to be captured. The greatest battle of all times and with every person

is the battle for the mind. Philosophy, admittedly, is interesting. Men of the distant past have developed

thoughts and ideas that have affected the thinking of others. Problem is, those thoughts have largely

led to nowhere. Worse yet, they have stolen time and energy that could have been invested in following

the way of the LORD.

The Bible says, “in Him you have been made complete…” Don’t waste time following the thoughts and

traditions of men. Follow the LORD Jesus Christ and His Words in Holy Scripture! He alone is the

Supreme Ruler of all mankind! He alone is the Supreme Authority! Everything we need to know is

contained in His Holy Word, the Bible!

Yes, we are at war. If our minds are captured, we are worth than useless. Simon Peter says, “…fear

God. honor the King” (1 Pet. 2:17). Let’s make this Memorial Day a day of escape from all things

ungodly. “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2).

Let’s pray together for each other and for the families whose loved ones made the ultimate sacrifice,

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,

Philippians 4:18, “But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance;

I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent,

a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”

Prisons are a dismal place. Over the years, I have preached in numerous prisons.

By and large, they are lacking in the clean and pleasant comforts which we have

in our homes. Just about anything of a pleasant appearance or a pleasing odor

would be welcome to the prisoners.

At the time of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he was a prisoner in Rome. He was

writing to thank those who had sent him money for food and the needs he had.

Among those things he had received was “a fragrant aroma.” Most of the commentators

view this figuratively, as if we were to say, “They are so sweet” with respect to something

that has no odor at all. But, I see no reason to understand Paul other than meaning this

quite literally. Sweet odors bring remembrances from the past. They take our minds off

of dismal situations, as well as giving relief from unpleasant odors. Bathing was not as

prevalent in those days as it is today –certainly not in prisons. History also reveals people

carrying sweet odors in handkerchiefs, so that they could “escape” unpleasant odors from

others. Remember the old saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” It’s not scriptural, but

the truth is if you’re not clean, you won’t be next to anything very long!

In any event, the “sweet fragrance” that had been sent to Paul was viewed as “an acceptable

sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” Whatever we are able to do for the LORD is a “well-pleasing
sacrifice” to Him. In prison, a pleasant smile from a prisoner was “a sweet odor.” One young

prisoner in Poland composed a song that depicted his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his

Savior. That was a sweet odor and sacrifice well pleasing to us and to God.

Our sincere and loving prayers are offered 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.”