The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 16:17-19, “My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes.

18 “And I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations.

19 “O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of distress, To Thee the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood, Futility and things of no profit.’”

Of all the things that I despise,

The foremost one is compromise.

It’s the only two lines I can recall from a poem I wrote many years ago. And I’ve quoted it to myself often when the temptation came to lessen the cords that bind me to the LORD and His directives. Oh, yes, the surprise ought not to be that I was tempted, because all of us are almost all of the time.

The LORD watches all we think, do, and where we go. Nothing is ever hidden from Him! What’s more, His chastisement of His born-again Christians is ever as hurtful as was His

chastisement of His ancient people. He told them, “I will…doubly repay (your) iniquity…”

There are consequences to sin.

Only this week, I have had opportunity to discuss morality with some people. “Do you compromise?” I asked; “There are consequences to sin.” The pressure of peers is often enormous. “Don’t ask him to come,” some will say. “He is like she is: a spoil sport, a goody

two shoes,” they used to be called. Simon Peter spoke of such attitudes when he said,

“…they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you; 5 but they shall give account to Him who is

ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Pet. 4:4-5).

In the end, Jeremiah determined to stay on the LORD’s side and do His bidding. He is “my

strength and my stronghold., and my refuge in the day of distress.” Then he recounted his

past and said, “Our fathers inherited nothing but falsehood, fulity and things of no profit.”

Don’t give in to the pressure “friends” want to apply to your life! Look ahead at what the LORD has for you today and in the Day when He Comes! Be courageous! Say with Jeremiah,

Of all the things that I despise,

The foremost one is compromise.

We love you in the LORD, and He loves you more that you will ever know,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie is destined to leave the hospital tomorrow. Her pneumonia is now

virtually obliterated, and her house has been thoroughly cleaned through the

love and generosity of some dear friends. Welcome Home, sweet Rose Marie!

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,

Jeremiah 16:15, “’As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.”

Google Maps have literally brought the world to our doorstep. It’s fun to look up old addresses and find the houses in which you once lived. Some are gone; some have been remodled and are hardly recognizabile. Particularly, is this true for some who have lived overseas. Times change, people change, cultures change, and buildings change. In some instances, it’s difficult to believe you once lived there!

In the earlier chapters of Jeremiah, the LORD had become furious with Israel and Judah. It was He who had led them and provided for them –until…they saw their prosperity and reckoned it of greater worth than the LORD who had given it to them. In His anger, the LORD dispersed the nations into far countries and given them over to the occupants who lived there.

In time, they realized that their sin was what brought this disaster upon them. The LORD commissioned the prophet Jeremiah to show the people the way out of their troubles. The nations were to repent; then, the LORD promised to “restore them to their own land…”

In the year 1948, the LORD fulfilled His promise! The Jews were moved of the LORD to return to the Land the LORD had given to Abraham.

There are many miracles connected with the nation of Israel, some of them since they returned to their homeland. The Six-Day-War was itself a miracle. Virtually every country in the Middle East had guns pointed against the Jews; yet they prevailed and now possess the Land.

We have all sinned against the LORD, too. Sometimes that sin is costly! Yet, the LORD is a loving Father and wants to restore things for His Christian people, as well. Perhaps He has promised you something that He has yet to fulfill. It could be because there is unconfessed sin still in your life. When that occurs, He is prepared to leave us in the clutches of a foreign

people until we repent. Then, He delights in returning us to the Land He has promised.

Are you where God wants you? Are you preparing for what He has for you to do? It took the Jews a long time to get back to their Promised Land. It might be the same for you.

Praying for you daily that you might enjoy the blessings of the LORD,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie is progressing in health. We expect her to be released from the hospital

in another day or two. She remains weak, but has never had any pain! Her sense of

humor and engaging smile has been a blessing to her care-givers and family. She

truly appreciates your prayers for her, as do we all. God bless you abundantly!

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,

Jeremiah 10:23-24, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, O LORD, but with justice; Not with Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing.

I saw a religious telecast the other night in which the host of the program interviewed a man of science. There can be no doubt that the man interviewed was a man of great intellect. He quoted (allegedly from memory) huge numbers that left my mind numb trying to keep up. In fact, he was so “scientifically intellectual” that he numbered the distance of

stars and galaxies to the ten millionths of ten millionths of ten millionths.

He acknowledge the LORD as God of the Created universe, but it was undeniably apparent that “his way was in himself.” Jeremiah knew better. He knew that “a man’s way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.” In other words, the man who knows the LORD, knows that it is the LORD who directs his way –his life!

I had reason today to be angry at someone whose direction I believed was not in my wife’s best interest. I expressed myself verbally with some fortitude, but without what I trust was noticable anger. For a reason that will become apparent in a few lines, I reminded my wife that she had not read the recent Grands Letter –an omission that I elected to correct. Yet, I had read only a few lines when I choked on my own words! The very words I had written for others convicted me of a wrong in my own life.

Jeremiah said, “Correct me (admonish me, discipline me), O LORD, but [do it] with justice.” Had the LORD corrected Jeremiah (or me!) with justified Divine Anger, we would have been more than crushed! Such correction would have been devastating, reducing us to total insignificance!

I learned something today: Don’t walk in your own way, Jeffries! The Holy Spirit lives within you to balance and direct and control your life. Just get out of His way!! After all, who is really LORD? It’s certainly not you.

We love and pray for you daily. We need you to love and pray for us.

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. There is talk of releasing Rose Marie from hospital on Wednesday. She received another

unit of blood late today. Our dear Valarie (Robert’s wife) needs your prayers, too. We

are all under some heavy burdens, yet none beyond the strength of our LORD.

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,

Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;

24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”

Have you –you that are older—noticed that the price of hamburgers has increased? Oh, not over the past year or two (that’s why I mentioned “older”), but over, say the past 40-50 years. Griff’s Hamburgers used to cost 15 cents on Tuesdays, and we made it a habit to take our three children there every Tuesday. Yes, we were poor, and we knew it! But even the poor have delights. And Griff’s was one of them.

The LORD does not tell us not to boast, but He regulates the object of our boastfulness.

First, we are to boast that we know Him! Usually, our boasting concerns ourselves –where we live, what church we attend, and maybe someone important that we know. But the LORD wants us to boast of our relationship with Him. Do you know Him personally? There is a vast difference between knowing of Him and knowing Him personally!

When we know the LORD personally, we understand His lovingkindness, His justice, and His righteousness on Earth. When someone experiences a tragedy and cries, “Why did God do this to me?,” we clearly understand that that person does not know Him personally.

There are no accidents in God’s economy. He is in control of all things active and static. Yet, He does not produce or involve Himself in evil. His allowance of human tragedy may be to teach us to trust Him more fully. Our God “exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on Earth.” It is sin that produces calamity, not God.

Are you trying to understand God? Dive into His Word daily! Pray and ask Him to help you to understand Him and His teachings. He delights in such things! And so will you.

We love and pray for you continually,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie has pneumonia, but she is improving. Perhaps the worst thing about

hospitals is the inability to get good sleep. Please pray that she will be enabled to

sleep. Rest aids the ability to contend with health issues. Thanks you for your prayers.

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,

Jeremiah 5:30-31; 6:16, “’An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land:

31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My

people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?’”
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you shall find rest for your souls.’”

People that are called into court have, in most cases, the option of a trial by jury or a trial by the Bench (the judge). Of course, lawyers for defendents advise their clients to choose the method that is most likely to find them not guilty.

In the first two verses above, the charge against God’s people is read. It is not sugar-coated; it clearly tells it like it truly is. “Prophets prophesy falsely…priests rule on their own

authority…and the LORD’s people love it!” But, what will they do when the jury comes in?

I’ve often heard preachers say to other preachers, “Well in my church, we do it my way.”

The first error is that no church belongs to the pastor. He is to be the spiritual leader, and keep things operating according to Scripture. People are to adhere to their pastor’s leader-ship; but he does not own or rule the church!

As the God-called leader, the pastor should be humble, prayerful, studious of God’s Word, and an able teacher and proclaimer. No pastor should berate the congregation into accepting his teaching. If the LORD is in control, He will enable the people to know whether what they are receiving is from His Word or a simply a man’s concoction with a selfish purpose.

The LORD’s response comes in our final verse (6:16). First, don’t be hasty in following anything new. Stand by the “ancient paths, the good way, and walk in it.” Clear instruction has already been given in the Bible. The only way to “find rest” is to follow the way the LORD has given. What is true for the Church is true for us as believers. Personal “rest” leads to corporate rest. And that rest leads to community adherence of God’s Word. Sound simple? It is when we allow it to be. Study the Word carefully and pray earnestly. He is at work in the lives of His people!

We love and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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.”