The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:16-23, “Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit;

20 do not despise prophetic utterances.

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and

body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Some people look upon Paul as a heavy-handed intellectual. He is that, to be sure; but simultaneously

he is a practical instructor of our LORD’s Truth, as we witness in these short verses.

“Rejoice always!” If you recognize that everything good lies in the Hand of God, there’s no good

reason to become downcast or gloomy. He does everything well and to our ultimate benefit.

“Pray without ceasing” certainly does not mean being on our knees before God at every hour of the

day. Throughout the day, we can and should pray silently with absolute confidence that He hears

and answers according to His will.

“In everything give thanks!” Not everything we ask is answered affirmatively. We should be thankful

that it is not, because we have no idea all that is wrapped up in what we ask. Some aspects could

work against us quite powerfully.

“Do not quench (extinguish) the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.” The Holy Spirit has been given to us to guide and instruct us in the will of the Father. Shutting Him out and ignoring His direction is spiritually destructive!

“Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” Test things to determine their goodness; then hold on to them securely, and abstain from everything that is productively evil.

‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and

body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Ever hear your mother say, “Wash your hands and your face; company is coming”? It’s true of Jesus.

He is Coming! And we need to be washed morally and spiritually clean when we meet Him! That

cleansing can happen quickly; but so can His Coming! So, don’t delay! 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,

1 Thessalonians 5:12-14, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently

labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,

13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

14 And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be

patient with all men.”

Sometimes we never quite grow out of our childhood. Paul is nearing the end of his First Letter to the Thessalonians and he admonishes both the church there in the First Century and us in the 21ST Century.

And what is his admonition? That we appreciate those who spiritually feed and encourage us. He says, they “diligently labor” among us. Pastors do that kind of labor when they call upon the sick or encourage the ill in hospital beds or bury for us our loved ones. It’s hard work! It may not appear so, but a great deal of prayer and thought go into the preparation of such responsibilities.

Pastors, too, are like spiritual fathers to members of the church. They have a spiritual responsibility over us, by providing instruction that helps us to grow in the LORD. We are admonished to hold them in high regard. Of course, pastors are human and have failings like all of us; yet, we are to admire, love, and support them in every aspect of their work. After all, it is ultimately for the LORD that they do it.

Every church has members that need admonition and control. We are to engage in helping these unruly ones, encouraging at all times those who are undisciplined and weak in the faith. Perhaps, most of all, we must exercise patience with everyone. If our hearts are loving and well-intentioned toward others, we will be helpers of the pastors as well as good servants of our LORD. Let us prayerfully support and encourage our pastors! It is their teachings and instructions from the Word of God that ultimately encourages us. Stop right now and pray for your pastor. Then listen carefully for what the Good LORD has given him to say to you. God bless you abundantly!

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 3:11-14, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, Or loathe His reproof,

12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights

13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.

14 For its profit is better than the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold.”

As accurately as I can recall, my father only punished me once by spanking. Of the four types of personality,

he was phlegmatic. It took a lot to rile him. Don’t get me wrong. He knew right from wrong and he taught me accordingly; he just left the physical discipline to my Mother. And believe me, she handled more than her share!

Somewhere I had read of a boy putting a pie plate in the seat of his pants to absorb the “heat” of spanking. How I

did it without Dad seeing me, I never knew; but, in one sound swat he hit the plate and we both just sat there

and laughed.

The word “discipline” and “disciple” come from the same root. Good parents exert physical punishment in the effort

to produce a good “disciple” (learner). We are not to reject or dispise their disciplinary efforts because they are ultimately to our advantage.

In our verses above, Solomon is speaking of the LORD’s discipline. The LORD disciplines out of love. Good parents mimic the LORD, and discipline out of love, as well. I do believe that verse 13 is given in reference to the one who was disciplined in those earlier verses. Through physical discipline, he has found wisdom and understanding. And as the years fly rapidly by, he values the teaching that discipline brought him far more than he values monetary gain.

Our world today lays little stress on discipline of any sort for any reason. We have been lulled to sleep by the avalanche of distractions that surround us. I read from men who quote the classics; but I don’t quote the classics.

My discipline is sorely lacking when measured by those from the non-technological era. Children in the American

Colonies were taught Greek and Latin, in addition to Scripture and the classics. They seemed to hunger for more.

Many kids today brag about how they “got through” school without studying. Who do they thing the loser was?

Don’t let “things” masquerade as valuable. Study to show yourself approved unto God. There will come a day when

you will be glad you did!

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 3:1-6, “My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments;

2 For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you.

3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

One of the most difficult aspects of reading Scripture, is reading it slowly, allowing the meaning of the words to

satiate your mind, your heart, your soul. Speed-reading Scripture is death to its meaning. One of the difficulties I

have found in reading the Proverbs is (don’s laugh!) knowing where to stop. I’m sure when you see six verses at

the top of these Letters, you sigh and think, “Well, we’re in for another l o n g read. Truly, I am sorry.

Twenty-five times, Solomon says “My son” in the whole of Proverbs. In a sense, he is playing the role of father to

each of us as we read his instructions. Above that, however, it is our Father God, who is instructing us through

Solomon’s proverbs. “Don’t forget my teaching…they will add years to your life,” peaceful life. It is through keeping

my teachings that you will “find favor…in the sight of God and man.”

The last two verses are capstone verses. “Trust () ??????batach, rely upon, have confidence in) the LORD.” If you cannot trust the LORD, you have no hope of having confidence in anyone! –no, not even in yourself when exercising your best judgment. Just know that He wants the best for you in every situation you face. It just could be that He is

testing you to see if you believe that His way is better than yours. Stop trusting Him, and see how it feels when

you fall flat on your face! Solomon puts it more gracefully saying, “He will make your paths straight.”

So, quit running around in circles, trying desperately to figure things out. The LORD alone has the answer! He will share it with you when He’s ready. Oh, I know…I’m an impatient person, too. But is my impatience getting me answers? Not that I can see. Better for both of us to do it His way. Maybe, too, we’ll live a little longer.

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 1:8-9, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;

9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head, And ornaments about your neck.”

Quite often we hear older people say, “Boy, times have really changed! When I was a lad….” But, in reality, some

things have existed for generations without the slightest change. Think about it.

The Israelites in Solomon’s day often heard it said, “Listen to your father’s instruction!” More often than not, those were the words of the mother. Her instruction was that her children should listen to their father. She recognized him as the primary instructor in the home. At the same time, the father’s directive was, “Listen to your mother! She teaching you how to do it.”

On the other hand, some things have changed, and not for the better. Too many fathers are too busy with things of their own to instruct their children. “Don’t bother me, son! I’ve had a hard day. Maybe I’ll have some time later on…”

Mothers have had a hard day, too. She works so they can buy what their neighbors acquired. It’s the talk of the neighborhood! “I don’t have time for you to mess in the kitchen, girl. We’ve got to get supper. Our friends are coming over tonight.”

We could perhaps make a case for either parent. Both had worked throughout the day and were tired. Perhaps, too, neither of their parents took the time to help them learn what they needed for living. Yet, how are the children to know

how to parent their own children when they have them? Oh, they’ll proceed to behave like their parents did. So, welcome to the second and third generation of undisciplined, untrained, and for all practical purposes, unloved kids!

Fathers must give his children instruction! Mothers must teach and train her children to become responsible adults.

Solomon said that when parents train their children, it’s like placing “a graceful wreath” on their heads, and hanging “ornaments” around their necks.” It was Albert Barnes who said, “To the Israelite‘s mind no signs or badges of joy or glory were higher in worth than the garland around the head, the gold chain around the neck, worn by kings and the favorites of kings.” We are assured of the LORD’s awards, if only we learn to trust and obey those He has placed in authority over 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.”