The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 8:28-30, “Jesus therefore said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.”

Do you know who you are? You may think that is a silly or even stupid question, but many people have no true knowledge of who they really are. The age old questions –Who am I? Why am I here? and Where am I going?—still reside in the innermost recesses of the human heart.

Jesus knew exactly who He was. He knew His mission from His Father; and He knew where He was going when His mission on Earth was completed. The result of this knowledge led Him to say, “I do nothing on My own initiative.” This is a heavy thought; and we do well to ponder it regarding ourselves. If you are truly a born-again (born from Above) believer in Jesus Christ, you are responsible to be and do what He wills for your life. Your thoughts and intentions, your strength, you time –everything! belongs to Him. You are no longer your own.

I can look back over the years of my own life and see where and how He has led me. I can also see the times when I strayed the the path of His will and did my own thing. I wasted time – time I cannot now reclaim. I wasted energy on things that I can now see didn’t really matter. The LORD has used Nana (Rose Marie) to teach me to live so as “not to have any regrets.” We can and must, of course, repent of our sins. The LORD can and will then forgive us; but, we cannot reclaim time we have wasted. Oh, that we all might say, “I do always those things that are pleasing to Him” — our Heavenly Father.

Don’t fail to notice the final verse above: “As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.” For as we live as He directs us, many will come to believe in Him, also. That’s His will for us; and it must be our will for ourselves. May His Spirit ever and always urge us to obey Him.

We daily remember you before Him 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,

John 6:9, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

There is a tendency today to overlook the value of small children. The news is alarmingly crowded with accounts of their tragedies –often deaths at the hands of their own parents. Earlier this week, I had the occasion to see a small, sleeping child beside his father. He was a truly beautiful little boy. I remarked to the father how beautiful the child was, and the father told me the boy had just been awarded to him and his wife by the courts. The child was not naturally his, he said; he was a “mentally challenged” child, who was given birth by a woman who was hooked on drugs.

My heart sank as I heard the story. The woman had given birth to several children, all of whom she abandonded in favor of the drugs she craved. And I wondered, as I gazed at this little boy, what he would ultimately become. Would he grow to manhood? Would he overcome the challenges he was facing?

In a way, this child is far removed from the meaning of Andrew’s words in our verse above. The lad of whom Andrew spoke was well and possessed food for the day. Yet, those words ring within my heart in relation to the baby I saw. “There is a lad here…” How much do we value human life? How much do we value the lives of the little ones? It’s far too easy to dismiss the tragedies of others and switch our focus to material things. Yet, all around us are children –little children—who need the love and care of adult Christians.

The man, who is now the legal father of that little boy, is himself a Christian. “All I can do is pray for him,” he told me. Yet, the Scriptures say, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (Jas. 5:16). Earnest, sincere prayer is so vitally needed today! For whom are you and I earnestly praying? What’s more, are we sufficiently “righteous” for our prayers to even be heard?

We love you 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,

John 4:3-6, “He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.

4 And He had to pass through Samaria.

5 So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

6 and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

Anyone who has visited Israel has probably encountered a guide who embellished some biblical accounts to make the visit more exciting for the visitor. One guide pointed to an overhanging tree limb said to us, “That’s where Zaccheus was when Jesus passed by here.” How could anyone identify a tree limb from 2,000 years ago?

One cite, however, was without question authentic: Jacob’s well. I dropped a stone

down into the well, and it was so deep that several seconds passed before I heard it hit the water below. But the thrill was greater than the depth of the well. Jacob, son of Isaac, had actually been there! He had dug the well. Joseph, who had ruled in Egypt had been there –right there where I stood. But more exciting still was the knowledge that the LORD Jesus Christ had physically been there. And I was actually there, too!!!

Jesus was and is God! But, being also man, He was tired. Jews normally took another route, so as to by-pass Samaria because there was a history of hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. But, Jesus intentionally took the route that brought Him to Jacob’s well. “He had to pass through Samaria.”

Sometimes, we just have to do things we’d rather not do. But, when we’re led of the Holy Spirit to do them, we had better! We hesitate because we are fearful of the outcome; but, the outcome is always good when we follow the course Jesus has given us. Think for a moment of the woman. Had Jesus not come, she would never have been saved –nor would those to whom she witnessed have come to know Him. Don’t worry about your Samaria. Think about those who are there that need Jesus.

We lovingly pray for you daily; and we appreciate your prayers for us.

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,

Genesis 18:23-25, “And Abraham came near and said, ‘Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt Thou indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from Thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from Thee! Shall not the Judge of all the Earth deal justly?’”

Today is the commencement of what may be one of the most momentous events in American history! For today the U. S. Senate weighs the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court. I have listened as carefully as a non-legal scholar can to some previous speeches Judge Kavanaugh has delivered over recent years. Unquestionably, he has a brilliant mind and undoubtedly, he grasps the minute neuances of the law.

Hearing him parse words like “maybe” brought to mind Abraham’s “confirmation” of the Supreme Justice, the LORD God Almighty. Sodom was a wicked-beyond-words city and the LORD had determined to destroy the city and all its citizens. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family lived there and Abraham wanted to save them. He reasoned that is was not just for the LORD to destroy the righteous with the wicked; and in his argument, he reasoned that there might be 50 righteous persons living in Sodom. The LORD agreed He would not destroy the city if there were 50 righteous persons could be found living there.

With the skill of a legal scholar, and the undeniable bravery of a seasoned warrior, Abraham said, “Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” It was a brilliant stroke of mental gymnastics. And the LORD agreed to spare the city if only 45 righteous persons could be found.

Abraham undoubtedly reasoned that if his plea worked once, it was worth trying again; therefore, he continued with the same procedure until he reached the level of 10. Yet,

when not 10 righteous persons could be found in Sodom, the LORD destroyed the city! Being a Just Judge, however, the LORD allowed Lot and his wife and two daughters to escape before His judgment fell on Sodom.

This “confirmation” of the Judge of all the Earth has never waivered. He is today what He was in Abraham’s day. He will free the righteous as quickly as He will condemn and erase the ungodly. Thus, it makes sense for us to live godly lives, saturating our minds with His Word, so as to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and direct us in right paths –paths that honor and glorify Him! Determine now to allow Him to be your Justice in life.

Pray for our Senators today and for Judge Kavanaugh.

We are daily praying for you,

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,

John 1:29-37, “The next day (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

30 ‘This is He on behalf of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.”

31 ‘And I did not recognize Him, but in order that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.’

32 And John bore witness saying, ‘I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.

33 ‘And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, “He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.”

34 ‘And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’

35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

36 and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”

John the Baptist was a cousin to Jesus. He was six months older. The LORD had chosen John to introduce the Messiah to the world. He was baptizing the Jews as a sign of their spiritual cleansing, making ready for the coming Messiah. But how was John to know who the Messiah was? He was the One upon whom the Holy Spirit would descended. So when Jesus was baptized, John physically saw the Spirit come upon Him, and then he knew Jesus to be that promised Messiah. Now, he could introduce Jesus to the world as the Messiah who would take away their sin.

The very last verse in our Scripture above says, “And the two disciples (of John) heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.” From that point on those who believed upon Jesus shared Him with their friends. Andrew found his brother Peter (vv. 40-42); Philip found Nathanel (vv. 45-46); and the word of the Messiah’s appearance began to spread.

It is always easier to speak first to family members and close friends. That’s okay. When they hear the Good News about Jesus and trust Him themselves, they will tell others. You don’t have to walk up to rank strangers and tell them about Jesus. But, of course, when you’re talking to anyone, you can steer the conversation in a spiritual direction and ultimately, toward Jesus.

With the internet available, we should all be sharing Jesus with everyone. I’ve used Twitter to share Christ with some people. Some who were following me, responded quite favorably. Others were critical. I expected that; however, the critics had to read what I had said before they could object to it. The LORD only knows how far the witness went and how many believers were themselves encouraged to witness for Him.

Just be loving and clear as you share Christ with others. Remember that He has placed in every human heart the awareness of Himself (Rom. 1:19-20). You are triggering that awareness. God bless you!

Lovingly and prayerfully yours,

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.”