The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Exodus 16:13-15, 31, “So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.

15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat’….And the house of Israel named it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey.”

There is so much we don’t understand! When the LORD used Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, they left with the riches of their Egyptian neighbors. The LORD had put it into the hearts of the Egyptians to freely give what they had to the Israelites. But the value of material possessions were little when it came to the need for food. How would they procure food for such a multitued? As with the material goods, God would supply their need for food and water.

Mysteiously enough, this “fine flake-like thing” would appear on the ground daily –every day, that is, except Sunday. On the day before Sunday, they were to gather twice as much. Thus, they were never without sufficient food. But, what was it? That puzzled the Israelites, so that they called it “manna,” meaning “What is it?”

There are multiple, countless provisions that the LORD has made for us, the reality of which we do not know. Negative circumstances fall upon us and we ask “Why?” The LORD replies with substance and we ask “What is it?” I have friends that I have met on mission fields that are now suffering from life-threatening diseases. Why has this befallen them? “What is it” that the LORD is allowing? Does He not know that they gave their lives to share His Message of Salvation with those who had never heard? Of course He does! What is happening is no mystery to Him. It is only a mystery to us.

The word manna is used only 11 times in the Old Testament and only four in the New Testament. The last mention of that word comes in Revelation 2:17: “To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna.” He promises to reveal what is hidden to the one who spiritually overcomes –to the one who conquers, prevails, who is victorious. Things we cannot understand now, He will make known to true believers in due time. Don’t worry that you don’t understand everything happening around you today. Just live as an overcomer that honors Him. And as the old hymn states it, “We’ll understand it better bye and bye.”

Praying in faith and love 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,

Mark 12:41-44, “And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.

43 And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;

44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’”

How do you measure value? Let’s say you’re hungry. One café has the more delectable food, but gives much smaller

portions. Where do you go? Let’s say you’ve found an item you always wanted. It’s for sale in two places, One costs more, but is offered with an extended warranty. How do you determine which is the best buy?

How do you value people? Is it by how much they have? or is it by their demeanor? In the workplace, let’s say, there’s a fellow, who rarely speaks to other workers, but he focuses intently on doing what he was hired to do. There’s another, who focuses more on his fellow workers, joking and laughing with them, more than upon turning out work. There is value in both, but which would you value the more?

True and valued friends are those who value us in return. They pray for us, meet our needs when we are unable, and value our prayers and concern for them, as well. Is Jesus such a friend to you? Are you such a friend to Him? Think about it. He lovingly gave His Life that we might know freedom and peace in the midst of a corrupt and evil generation. Do you have that peace? If not, maybe you need to review how you value things.

We value 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,

Mark 11:27-33, “And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and scribes, and elders came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?’

29 And Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 ‘Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.’

31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” He will say, “Then why did you not believe him?” 32 ‘But shall we say, “From men”?– they were afraid of the multitude, for all considered John to have been a prophet indeed.

33 And answering Jesus, they said, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’”

Sometimes it just better not to ask questions. Especially is this true when you’re trying to trap someone. The question of the Pharisees concerned authority. “By what authority are You doing these things…?” That’s the key question in just about everything these days. “Who told you to do that?” or “When did you become boss?”

Let’s suppose that you have discovered an error in the place where you work. Let’s suppose, too, that you have a pretty good idea who caused the error and why he did it. What are you to do? If you report the error, all of your fellow-workers will come down on you for being a snitch, a whistleblower! If you don’t report the error, you will be inviolation of the rules of the workplace and could suffer demotion or even lose your job.

This was the dilemma the Pharisees produced for themselves when they challenged Jesus. He simply turned the tables on them by saying, If you will answer me a question, I will answer yours. Now, they’re on the defensive. They huddle together and search for an answer. It must have been humiliating for them to have to say, “We do not know,” because they saw themselves as the authority over all legal matters. They were the high and might mukity-mucks. But they had to swallow their pride and admit defeat.

I submit that both of these situations –the biblical one and my work-place one– all come back to the matter of character –your character. James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

We dare not play fast-and-loose with clearly displayed rules. All authority ultimately is traceable back to God. What would Jesus do? becomes the all-important question. And when “push comes to shove,” what happens to us is not important. What reflects upon Him is! Old doctor Bob Jones, founder of Bob Jones University, used to say, “It’s never right to do wrong to do right.” In other words, just always do the right thing. It’s a matter of character; and that’s the basis upon which the LORD will ultimately bestow His reward.

You are ever and always 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,

Mark 11:9, 24-25, “And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord….

24 “Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.’”

When the multitude of the Jews cried, “Hosanna!” they were recognizing Jesus as their promised Messiah. The word “Hosanna” means “LORD, save us!” It’s a recognition and a cry we would do well to implement today. Thousands of people in our world are facing the cruel hand of death simply because they are Christians. And millions more are imprisoned by sin within themselves. Jesus is the Great Deliverer. He is the only one who can free us from bondages that imprison us.

Freedom from sin, however, comes at a price. First, we must pray in faith for deliverance. We must pray believing that we have already received that for which we’ve asked. That’s not easy. When we hurt physically, it’s not easy to believe that the hurt has gone away because we still feel it. When I was a child, I can remember having a bout with hick-ups. My grandfather said, “Look at me. You don’t have them! They’re gone!” Yet, while I protested that I still had them, they vanished. I’ll never forget how surprised I was. If my Dado could do that, what could the LORD not do?

So, belief, faith, trust (all the same word in Greek) must accompany our prayers. And for our prayers, to be effective, we must forgive everyone of every wrong they’ve said or done against us. Is that difficult? You bet it is! We always want to see them “paid back” for what they’ve done. But the Bible teaches that we are to “leave room for the wrath of God” (Rom. 12:19). Those “coals of fire” that we want to heap on the heads of our adversaries –they are not for us to use; they are God’s coals. “’Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,’ says the LORD.” That’s His business; ours is to forgive.

Search your heart. Ask yourself, “Are their grudges I am holding against anyone?” If there are, your prayers are being hindered. Moreover, your faith and trust in what the LORD can do –His saving; His deliverance —is being hindered. It’s not because He lacks power, it’s because your lack of forgiveness of those who have wronged you.

Clear this old debris out of your life! It’s clogging the channels of His blessing to 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.”

Dear Grands,

Mark 9:17-23, And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and stiffens out. And I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

19 And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20 And they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling about and foaming at the mouth.

21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 “And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Just the other day I received an email from a missionary. When he shook hands with the natives, he noticed that they all had but three fingers and a thumb on their right hands. He learned that they had all severed their little fingers to appease the evil spirits.

Evil spirits do exist! What’s sadly interestering is that we believe in evil spirits (Harry Potter, et al), but not so much in the Holy Spirit of God. The man in our verses above believed evil spirits were affecting his son. Indeed they were! They had taken residence in the boy since early childhood, so they were well intrenched. The father was concerned, as a good father always is. He brought the boy to Jesus, just as we seek help when some malady strikes our bodies or those of our loved ones.

What the father said, however, revealed a lack of true faith. “But if You can do anything…” Jesus repeatition of the man’s words, “If you can,” indicate His understanding of the man’s lack of faith. We’re like that, are we not? We speak boldly of the LORD’s power, but inwardly we harbor some doubt as to whether what we are asking will really be fulfilled.

I know I’ve told you in an earlier letter about how I used to rush home from school to hear a story on radio. There was no FM in those days, and on that day my radio was so filled with static that I could not understand what was being said. I was reared to believe that Jesus was all-powerful, and I believed it. So, I bowed my head and prayed for the static to be removed –and it was!!! In an instance, the radio was as clear as clear could be! I can remember that as if it were yesterday. As a boy, my mind was not encumbered with the doubts that come with adulthood. The LORD is no less powerful today than when I was a boy. “All things are (still) possible to him who believes.” Do you believe that? I hope yoo do!

Faithfully praying for you 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.”