The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 71:1-5, “In Thee, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed.

2 In Thy righteousness deliver me, and rescue me; Incline Thine ear to me, and save me.

3 Be Thou to me a rock of habitation, to which I may continually come; Thou hast given commandment to save me, For Thou art my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,

5 For Thou art my hope; O Lord God, Thou art my confidence from my youth.”

Kids have no difficulty speaking their minds. Have you noticed? Oh, they may be shy when it comes to things they do not know or clearly understand; however, when they know something with certainty, they freely and openly speak their minds.

In the first three verses above, the psalmist calls the LORD as his refuge, his rescuer, his savior. He calls the LORD his “rock of habitation” and his “fortress.” In verse four, the psalmist cries out for help. He wants security from “the hand of the wicked.” In verse five, he acknowledges the LORD as

his hope, and tells us that the LORD is and has been his “confidence from (his) youth.”

From where did that confidence come? It came from his youth, from his naur, his early life. We all obtain our beliefs and our manner of living from our parents. I only knew one of my grandfathers. My paternal grandfather died in the same year I was born. My maternal grandfather was a teacher, a coach, and a preacher. I went to all of the games he coached, and I saw and admired his demeanor in all he did. But, my parents were my greatest influence. They led me to faith in Christ, and the factors of their lives and habits became mine almost by osmosis.

All that is to say that the pattern of our lives are based upon what we see of our parents’ lives. Had the psalmist had parents whose lives were centered on themselves or on material possessions, he could never have said that the LORD had been his “confidence from (his) youth.” Of course, people can change. Adults can come to know Christ as their LORD and Savior, too. Salvation is not exclusively reserved for children. But our steps, spiritually and morally, are anchored in the lives of our parents.

If you are a parent, model Jesus Christ to your children. If you are a youth, and your parents are not committed believers in Jesus, model your life on the finest Christian adults you know! Just don’t get left out of the joy of “confidence” in the LORD. Ultimately, He is your only Hope!

Lovingly praying for you each day,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Do to an exceedingly high “white count” in her blood, the procedure scheduled for tomorrow has been

postponed until Wednesday, March 20. Prayers are never “wasted.” The LORD knows our hearts when

we pray, and time is not an element of the LORD’s concern. We rejoice that she has never been in pain.

It is only that she is exceedingly weak. Our prayer is that this procedure will bring an end to her

weakness. God bless you for praying for us!

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.”