The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 23:4-6, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

5 Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Yet another Christian friend of ours recently “slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the Face of God.” We prayed for her recovery, now we pray for the family she left behind. Like the psalmist, she

possessed a Relationship with Jesus Christ. And like so many Christians who face the uncertainties of death’s darkness, she rested in the Realiability of our LORD’s protection. She feared no evil, knowing Who was with her and that He possessed the rod and staff that assured her comfort.

Having spoken with some who have encountered “near-death” experiences, including my own wife, I have come to view death as separated from Life with Christ by a thin veil through which we merely walk. A medical doctor, who is now with the LORD, told me of his collapse in his office. It was as if he were levitated above his staff, who earnestly endeavored to bring him back. He could hear all they said, but they could not hear him. Eventually, they were successful in his resusitation.

From the LORD we can expect to receive full recognition of His “goodness and lovingkindness.” Our joy will be beyond words or imagination! We are even now enabled to experience our LORD’s presence all the days of our lives; thus, it is no surprise that we want to dwell in His presence forever!

There’s a contemporaneous song that fits this psalm of David:

“Amazing Grace” shall always be my song of praise
For it was grace that bought my liberty;
I do not know just why he came to love me so;
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary;
To view the cross where Jesus died for me.
How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul,
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

Let us agree that we shall never lose heart. We serve a Risen Savior, in whose possession lies all that we need or ever could need. He is our Father, our Spiritual Parent, who delights in His children, as they conform to His teachings in a spirit of love. You are in my prayers! Do please, pray for me.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

Psalm 23:1-3, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

The Psalms are divided into several themes. Some are Didactic, some are Natural (having

to do with nature), some are Penitential, and some are Messianic. Most beloved of all the

Psalms, is the 23RD and it is a Messianic psalm. David, who was a shepherd, is the human

author of this psalm, and he uses the word Yahweh, capitalized as LORD in many of our

Bibles. It is an indication of his personal relationship with Almighty God.

The LORD is David’s shepherd. He does not view himself as shepherd of his own life;

rather, he acknowledges the LORD as in that capacity. David’s desires are all in the hands

of the LORD. The reliability of all his provisions belongs to the LORD, too. That’s what he

means when he says, “I shall not want.”

It is easy to imagine lying down “in green pastures.” This relates to the restoration of his body

and soul. The “still waters” is easily understood as a refreshment for the mentality of a busy

shepherd as he tires in the toil of tending sheep, especially those who are given to wandering.

Additionally, The LORD guides the shepherd, who himself is the guide and protector of the

sheep. He keep the shepherd on the path of righteousness, lest in his fatigue, he wanders

into areas not suitable for one who is charged with leading others. Above all, The LORD

does what He does “for His Name’s sake.”

Apply these thoughts to your own life. You are not your own shepherd. The LORD is.

Everything you want and need, The Good Shepherd possesses. You need not be in

want of anything that is necessary to the accomplishment of The LORD’s work. His

provisions are bountiful! He refreshes your spirit and restores your soul –things that you

cannot achieve on your own. He guides you in “right paths” –paths that are beneficial to

you, but that are also “for His sake,” for His glory! He is what it’s all about! And when we

learn that, we will have reached a milestone in understanding Him and His love for us!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

Jude 1:22-25, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting;

23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

I can recall more than one occasion when someone said to me, “I know you! You saved me!” Those of you who know me, know with certainty that I would never allow words like those to stand unchallenged. I quickly and lovingly corrected those persons, saying, “No, I didn’t save you. Only the LORD Jesus Christ can do that. What I did was help you to come to faith in Him. He alone did the saving!”

When Jude says, “save others,” in verse 23, he’s not saying what my young, Christian friends said to me. Rather, he is saying what I said to them. We have never saved anyone, but we have shown mercy to some and helped them out of their doubts. In fact, Jude clarifies what he said by adding verse 24: “Now to Him, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless…” Jesus only can allow us to stand blamelessly in “the presence of His glory.”

All praise must go to God alone! It is sufficient that you and I are allowed to experience the joy of seeing others come to faith in Christ. Jude closes his short letter saying “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our LORD, be glory (honor), majesty (greatness), dominion (strength, might), and authority (power to act), before all time and now and forever.”

All of that having been said, we have joy unspeakable from the LORD when He uses to share His Word! How long has it been since you

seriously talked to someone about Jesus Christ? They’re all around us –and they’re waiting for someone to show them love and mercy.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

Jude 1:20-22, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit;

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.

22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting…”

Throughout the Scriptures we are told again and again to “love one another,” and to help and assist others to be what they

should be. But, before we can be effective in helping others, we have to watch out for ourselves. Jude has spoken quite directly concerning those who are “grumblers, finding fault, (and) “following after their own lusts” (vs. 16); but, Jude knows that we will not be successful in helping others until we have become what we need to become.

Why do you think the airline stewardesses tell us to put the oxygen mask on our own faces first?

Physically weak people cannot help physically weak people. Neither can spiritually weak people help spiritually weak people or those who have no faith at all. We must attend to our own spiritual needs before we can help others. Jude lists several things we need to do to become spiritually stronger. First, we must build ourselves up by faith! Learn to believe, to trust the LORD in and for everything. We must learn, also, to pray by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us. If He is leading you, you will know it. If He isn’t, you’ll know that, too.

Stay close to the love of God; keep looking for His Return, whereby He will show His mercy and will lead the lost into eternal life. Not everyone will believe. Yet, those who are amenable to believing need the assistance of those who have believed already. Some will continue to doubt. But, we must not fail to show them mercy, too. Think of the mercy our LORD has shown on us!

Today you will come into contact with someone who needs the LORD, someone who is looking for something they do not possess, someone who is feeling lost because he is lost. It’s the faithful, prayerful, loving, merciful, believing Christian,

whom the LORD has prepared to reach them. You are that one! May Jesus Christ give you victory in your life today!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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,

Jude 1:10-13, “But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.

11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

12 These men are those who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;

13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

There are some people you just don’t want to get on the wrong side of. Jude was one of those. From verse four, where he calls attention to some ungodly people in the Church, he’s been like a tiger who has part of you in its mouth and is determined not to let go! We’re now in verse 10 and Jude is still warning of those men who “revile the things which they do not understand” and are being destroyed by giving in to things “they know (only) by instinct.” We have such to deal with in our own time. In fact, we have some saved people in the Church, who talk about things which they don’t understand, either!

Jude says these men are in the way of Cain, who was expelled from the Garden of Eden when he sinned against Almighty God. They are compared with Balaam, the one who would preach anything for money, and with Korah, who was destroyed when God opened the ground on which he was standing, so that it swallowed him. Fishermen of every century know what hidden reefs are and how dangerous they are as well. Jude compares these ungodly men to “unreasoning animals.” He calls them “clouds without water.” They sound and look good, but produce nothing of value. They are “wandering stars,” moving from church-to-church in the effort to exercise control.

I remember a doctor in an Australian church. I simply asked him if he were a deacon in the church. He snapped back saying, “I don’t have to be a deacon to control the deacons.” Whoa! What kind of loving leadership do you suppose he

exercised in that church? Yes, they’re there, alright. It may take a while to find out who they are, but every church has at least one! Some churches have more.

We are living in the last days. Jesus may return at any time. How can I be sure? Well, I can’t point to a day on the calendar, but I can read Scripture. Get into the Word! Find a church where the Word is supreme and Christ is exalted!

Time is running out!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(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.”