The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 3:1-5, “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of

commendation to you or from you?

2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of

the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

4 And such confidence we have through Christ toward God.

5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy

is from God.”

Have you ever applied for a job? If you have, you have probably had to fill out an application and provided

a letter of commendation from a friend or a previous employer. No reputable company wants to employ a

person who is not competent to do the job required. The company also wants employees who are honest

and reliable. Letters of commendation say good things about the person for whom it is written. So do areas

that are required on the application form. In these areas, the person applying for the job speaks about his

own accomplishments.

Paul says he doesn’t need letters of commendation. Those who really know him, know in their hearts that

what he has accomplished is not from Paul himself, but from the LORD whom he serves. When I’m asked

to write such a letter for someone, I ask myself, “Do I really know him?” and “Can I say good things about

him that may be contradicted by his life?” But, when I’ve known someone over the years and everything

has been good, I can commend him without hesitation. If you are asked to commend someone in whom

you have no confidence, a good thing to say is “I am not his best reference.”

How about you? Are you always commendable? Do you freely acknowledge that the things you’ve

accomplished are not of yourself, but the doings of the LORD through you? Pride often stands in the

way of truthfulness. The LORD knows He is responsible and that He has accomplished good things

through you. You know it, too; so, why not simply tell “the unvarnished truth”? Telling the truth always

sets you up for a supreme letter of commendation.

We love you and pray for the LORD’s work through you every day,

Nana & Dado III

P. S. As I write this letter, we’ve learned that our dear friend, Gladys Cole is being rushed again to

the hospital. Please remember her in your prayers.

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction

so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort

with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ

are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

I’m sure you’ve heard of the man who complained that he had no shoes –until he

met a man who had no feet. How like that we are. No doubt, you’’ve heard the old

spiritual song: “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen; Nobody knows but Jesus.”

Paul treats all complainers with a word of praise: “Blessed be the God and Father

of our LORD Jesus Christ…” Blessed (eulogetos) means “well spoken, good word.”

We are to rejoice in the LORD. His compassion is our encouragement.

Just last night before we prayed, we received notice of a tragedy that surrounds

a retired missionary couple. I met Jack and Isa Douglas when I went to Papua

New Guinea many years ago. They were missionaries, who blessed my life in so

many ways. The sacrifices they made for the cause of Jesus Christ were multiple.

So, why now is Isa suffering from brain cancer? We have our health problems,

but they pale in comparison with theirs.

The LORD is comfort to all of us! He comforts us so that we may comfort others.

Some of you will readily understand this; others of you will understand it in time.

It all comes down to the fact that Christ allows us to suffer, so that we may know

how to empathize with others in their suffering. Yet, Christ Jesus Himself suffered

far more than we will ever know this side of Eternity. “Blessed be the God and

Father of our LORD Jesus Christ!” Please pray for Jack and Isa, as we pray for

one another.

Lovingly, prayerfully yours, always,

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,

1 Corinthians 16:9, “…a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

Open doors are always opportunities for exploration. One of the things we boys used to like to do was visit

old abandoned houses. More often than not someone had been there before us and left the doors open for

us to enter. It was an adventure to see where people had once lived and the things they had left behind.

When Paul said that a “wide door” was open to him, he indicated the opportunity for sharing the gospel.

Have you ever noticed how many “open doors” you have for sharing your faith? Recently, a girl said to

me, “My sister is getting married –my younger sister.” It was an opening for me to say, “Well, you’ll have

to pray about that.” Prayer is always a spiritual undertaking, and how she responded to the thought of

prayer indicated whether she was thinking spiritually or just physically.

I’ve always been interested to note that Paul did not say, “…but there are many adversaries.” That would

have indicated a hesitancy. No, he said “…and there are many adversaries.” When a really good sports

team takes the field against an equally tough team, they are challenged positively to do their best. If a

good college team were to play against a second-rate high school team, there would be no serious challenge.

Paul’s knowledge of “many adversaries” demonstrated to him that Satan’s team was there. It was an opportunity

for the LORD to exercise His strength through Paul in witnessing and winning the lost to faith in Christ Jesus.

Think about the opportunities you have to turn conversations into spiritual conversations. Think about how

exciting it is to witness the LORD’s power do His work in the lives of unsaved people. Not everyone to whom

you witness will immediately come to faith in Jesus. But, the mere mention of spiritual things will make them

think spiritually. The Holy Spirit will commence His work in their minds and hearts, and while you may never

see them again, some other witness will take the baton and continue the race. Pray for that open door!

God bless you!

We hold you in our prayers every day,

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,

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.”

Have you ever been puzzled by verses in the Bible? I certainly have. And the verse

above was one that, as a kid, I had great difficulty understanding. Steadfast and

immovable seemed to be much the same, but then Paul says “always abounding.”

If you’re standing still, how can you be abounding at the same time? I knew there

could be no contradiction. After all, this was the Word of God. But, for a long time,

I simply could not figure it out.

When difficulties like that occur, it is always good to take a closer look at the individual

words. So, let’s unpack them and see what exactly Paul meant.

The word steadfast means to be “firmly settled in your thinking about what you believe.”

Immovable means not to allow anyone to unsettle you or mix you up in your spiritual beliefs.

Neither of these words have to do with your physical position; both are to be spiritually understood.

Abounding means overflowing, surpassing the normal, always increasing as to the work of

the LORD. Work means the practical manifestation, the open proof of what you profess to be

the beliefs the LORD has given us in His Word. It’s good to have the truth of God in your

mind, but to do His full work we must demonstrate outwardly what we believe.

The encouragement this verse gives us is that nothing He gives us to do that will glorify Him

is ever in vain or worthless or without result. He does not guarantee that we will always see

the results of our witness, but they will be there to be revealed in eternity.

Years ago in Mexico, I learned of a man, who had “come to the end of his rope.” He took off

his shirt, climbed to the top of a barrier overlooking a river and was about to jump to his death,

when he felt a piece of paper hit his chest. Being curious, he climbed down from the raining and

read the paper. It was a gospel tract, written and published by someone he never knew; but

the message gave him hope. And on that day he came to faith in Jesus Christ. All of those

who produced that tract had worked; and none of it was in vain. So, work and be encouraged!

You are daily in our prayers,

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,

1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love,

I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith,

so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not

have love, it profits me nothing.”

Language is indeed a marvelous instrument! Travel to foreign countries brings a person into

contact with various languages and even intense concentration produces little or no

understanding of what is being said. It is simultaneously interesting and frustrating, because

imagination leads one to think that things being said are being said about himself. Only recently,

I was asked to write a letter of commendation for a friend who speaks nine languages. Yet, his

most valuable attribute is his loving attitude toward everything in life.

Paul lists numerous attributes that are envious, but none is more to be desired than love. In fact,

he says one could possess virtually everythiing man desires; but, if without love, the person

possesses nothing. He goes further still to say that giving everything to help and feed the poor,

even giving his own body in excruciating death amounts to nothing if it is not done in love.

Maybe it’s time for each of us to examine what we possess and hold dear other than love.

Our work, our possessions, our abilities, our friends, our families – all amount to nothing unless

we possess and show them love. By the way, the love of which the apostle speaks is agape, the

highest form of love that exists. It focuses on nothing more than upon the LORD Jesus Christ,

who lovingly gave Himself in death for our sins. Do you possess this kind of love? Can others

see it in your life and work? Think about it. Then, ask the LORD to make you even more loving.

You are in our daily prayers,

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.”