The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 11:20-27, “Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still

sat in the house.

21 Martha therefore said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,

26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who

comes into the world.”

Every crisis has a resurrection! If you know the LORD, those resurrections are moments of rejoicing!

Lazarus was dead. His sisters, Martha and Mary, had sent for Jesus; but He waited four days before He

journeyed to their house. Martha was gifted with a hyper-personality. Mary was quiet and thoughtful. When Jesus arrived, it was Martha, who rushed to meet Him.

Her words to Him might well be taken as a mild rebuke, “If you had been here—“ Yet, they were softened with words of confidence. “Even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Oh, that we all had that kind of faith! Her faith elicited Jesus’ assurance: “Your brother shall rise again.”

We don’t all experience the crisis Mary and Martha. Crises of various imperatives come to different people and at different times. Yet, they all cry out for Divine help. Jesus’ declaration to Martha is His declaration to each of us: “I Am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies…” The most

fundamental question then and now was: “Do you believe this?” Jesus calls us as He called Martha: “Do you believe?”

If you believe as Martha, that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God,” then you have Him as your Guide and your Shield. Remember when you first acknowledged Him as your LORD and Savior? If you can trust Him with your eternal soul, with what can you not trust Him? Crises are hard! But, none are harder than He can handle. Give it all to Jesus! He will carry you through. Incidentally, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead!

What do you face that calls for greater than that? I am praying for you.

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,

Joshua 3:5, 7, 17, “Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will

do wonders among you.’

7’”Now the LORD said to Joshua, ‘This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may

know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.’”

17 “And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle

of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”

There’s nothing quite like leadership. Moses demonstrated such qualities of leadership that when he died,

there were those who believed they would never again see a leader so talented. Yes, there is talent involved, but faith in God supersedes talent.

Joshua’s words to the people displayed faith in the LORD. “…tomorrow,” he said, “the LORD will do wonders among you.” His thorough confidence in the LORD preceded the LORD’s promise that He would exalt Joshua just as He had Moses. “I will be with you,” He promised. One has to wonder what resided in Joshua’s mind when he heard those words.

The miracle was not long in coming. The priests carried Israel’s Ark of the Covenant into the midst of the Jordan River just as Moses had led the Israelites across the Red Sea. The waters receded at the Jordan just as they had receded at the Red Sea. Both groups crossed on dry ground! The LORD had proved Himself to Joshua just as He had to Moses.

When you revisit in Scripture instances like the Red Sea and Jordan River crossings, it builds your faith. Is there anything too hard for the LORD? He says not. Just remember this: both Moses and Joshua believed the LORD before they stepped into the waters. Had they not believed, they would not have received. And so it is with us! Do you believe the LORD can use you? Listen to His instructions, trust Him and find out. He never fails!

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,

Matthew 28:1-7, “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary

Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.

2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and

came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow;

4 and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5 And the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for

Jesus who has been crucified.

6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.

7 “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before

you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.’”

Women are the ones who can’t sleep. Even if they do, they’re usually the first to arise in the morning!

Jesus was Crucified on Friday, in the Tomb on Saturday (Sabbath); Risen on Sunday. (The Jews considered any part of a day as a day; thus, Christ Jesus was in the tomb for three days.) The women arrived about dawn on Sunday morning. The earthquake had not hindered them; only the Roman guards

were frightened –yet, not because of the earthquake, but because of the angel and his startling appearance.

The angel quieted the women’s fears and assured them that he knew why they had come. They were indeed seeking Jesus. “He is not here, for He has risen from the dead.” The most incontrovertible fact in all of human history is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!

Then came the Great Invitation: “Come, see the place where He was lying.” The Greek word for “come”

an imperative verb. You must come to Him now and personally. It’s vitally imperative that you come to Him. For the Scripture says, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Then follows the Great Imperative for all believers: “Go quickly and tell…” Almost no one comes to Christ with a workable knowledge of Scripture. Such an acquisition requires years of study. But, we can share what we know, however little that might be. “I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my LORD and Savior” is enough with which to start. “I’m a Christian now –within my heart and life!” Then follow up by sluffing off old habits of your previous life! The more you look like Christ, the less you need to say; yet, the more you become like Christ, the more you’ll want to say! I’m praying for you. God bless you!

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,

John 19:9b-11, Pilate “said to Jesus, ‘Where are You from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer.

10 Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority

to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’

11 Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from

above; for this reason he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin.’”

People who have a little authority always seem to think they have it all. Pilate was one of those. He acted as if all authority rested in him, yet he only had authority because he was under the authority of Rome. He asked questions of Jesus that Jesus did not answer. Pilate was not

used to being challenged, and he retaliated by saying “Do you not know that I have authority to

release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”

While Jesus had refused to answer Pilate’s previous questions, He chose to answer this one, saying, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above…” It seems that Pilate then understood precisely what Jesus meant; namely, My Father is in control of this and every situation. All authority derives from Him.

Then Jesus added a strangely significant thought: “…he who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin” –the greater sin. It would seem appropriate to understand from that response that some sins are indeed greater than others. Further, the question has been answered by the One who was and is in all authority.

All sins work against the LORD. They all deprive Him of the glory He is due; yet, some sins are greater! We must be careful, however, not to exercise our own authority in determination of which are greater. To know that some are is quite sufficient for us to know. Just stay away from all sin, and you will have no interest in knowing which is greater. You just might commit the greater and live forever to regret it.

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,

Proverbs 14:34-35, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a disgrace to any people.

35The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, but his anger is toward him who

acts shamefully.”

Most readers are familiar with verse 34, but few, I would guess, have paid much attention

to verse 35. Verse 34 speaks of a people so vast in number that they are designated a nation.

If that nation –and that’s any nation—recognizes the LORD as its Lord, the righteousness of

the LORD will uplift that nation among the other nations of the world. But if that nation sins and

promotes gross ungodliness, it is a shameful disgrace to the God who created it.

Verse 35 speaks of a citizen. Wise citizens act wisely and gain the favor of their human leaders.

Acting shamefully and sinfully, however, stirs up the anger of righteous leaders and brings

down heavy wrath upon unwise citizens.

All of that is to say that no country rises higher than the majority of its citizenry. If we want our

nation to be industrious, we must be industrious. If we wish our nation and its leaders to deal

honestly with us, we must be honest in all that we do. A nation is the composite of its citizens.

Want your neighbor to treat you kindly? Treat him kindly! Want people to listen to what you

have to say? Listen to what other people have to say. It’s a corporate idea built upon the

phrase that says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Incorporate that idea

into your lifestyle and start feeling good about how others begin to treat you.

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.”