The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 100:1-5, “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.

3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His

people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations.”

This coming 26th of November, we will all be celebrating THANKSGIVING! But, the psalmist believed

that every day was a Thanksgiving day! When we celebrate, it ought not be a prefunctory celebration. We should be happy! The first two verses indicate a genuine joy, accompanied with shouting! The Hebrew word (chesed) says, “Give a blast!” Yet, the joyful shout is directed to the LORD! Accompaying the shout is a service (abad) of gladness and singing!

Verse three instructs us to know (yada) and acknowledge that the LORD alone is God. It is He Himself

who created us. We are not the product of some slimy, self-generating protplasym of the past. We are

in His image, we are His created people, who live at His pleasure and by His provisions on this Earth.

Our every movement through the gates and courts of His creation is to be accompanied with thanks-giving and with praise. Even when the dire circumstances of life encourage us to grieve in painful sorrow, our ultimate expression is to be with thanksgiving and praise! His Name is to be celebrated with joy! Oh, the LORD is good (tob, pleasant, agreeable), and He is faithful (emunah) to every generation!

In these past months of solitude, I have witnessed the value of praise over gloom, of rejoicing over dwelling in the doldrums. Cheer up, people! We serve a Living God, who is Coming Soon to take us all Home!

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,

Only recently, I read a piece by Dr. Sean McDowell, who is Associate Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology in California. He shocked his audience by entitling his message “What Happened to Truth?” In the course of his message he stated that “one of the biggest lies this generation is tempted to believe is a lie about freedom –that freedom is about doing whatever you want to do…” He supported his proposition by adding, “If God has created us, there’s a purpose for lives, how we’re supposed to live and we’re only truly free if we know that purpose and live accordingly.”

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to collect from the Scriptures words that align with “freedom” and seek to understand them in the context of our own lives. To do this, I first went to the Dictionary to find words that equalled or were close to “freedom.” Then I researched the words from the Scriptures, noting the number of instances where the words were mentioned first (or near first) in Scripture. Here are the results:

Truth – mentioned 435 times – Genesis 24:27: Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. The servant says, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

Faithful – mentioned 429 times – Gen. 32:10: Jacob meets Esau after many years and says, “I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant…”

Certain – 189 times – Gen. 15:13: “And God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.”

Trust – 164 times – Exod. 22:9: The LORD’s ordinances set before Moses – “For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.”

Integrity – 27 times– Gen. 20:5: Abimelech said, “Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”

Fact, Sincere and Accurate were listed 19, 16, and 4 times respectfully.

Now, it only remains for you and me to examine ourselves and determine the accuracy of Dr. McDowell’s thesis. Are we always truthful? Are we always faithful? Do we determine the certainty of a thing before repeating it? Are we always trustworthy? Are we integritous? Do we always deal in facts, with sincerity and with accuracy?

Remember, that God has created you; there’s a purpose for your life, how you’re supposed to live; and you’re only truly free if you know that purpose and live accordingly. May God help each of us to live daily for His Glory!

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 90:10-12, “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years,

Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.

11 Who understands the power of Thine anger, And Thy fury, according to the fear that is due Thee?

12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.”

Kids do some foolish things. I know, because I was a kid once and I did some foolish things. When I read

this psalm, which I’ve often done, I remember asking the LORD (whom I did not personally know at the time)

to leave me a note on my chest of drawers, indicating the time I was going to die. I only remember one

pastor whom my parents thought was truly intelligent, but they all believed the Bible and they all belileved

in Hell. My best guess is that their witness from the pulpit got hold of my heart, so I was saved at seven

years old.

Now, as I read these verses, I am beyond the age of “due to strength.” Nevertheless, it has never occurred

to me to request a note from the LORD, regarding my tenure here on Earth. I am, however, well advised to

understand the power of the LORD’s anger and to avert it by yielding daily to His unbending will. Knowing

that His fury produces fear if I should willingly transgress His will, I am learning to obey.

The climatic verse is the last one: “…teach us to number our days.” How long does each of us have?

Our purpose in this life is to know Him and to demonstrate that through Him we possess “a heart of wisdom.”

Is that your goal in this life? It’s His will that it be your goal. And if it is, it’s proof that you have wisdom.

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 Peter 4:17-19, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will

be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing

what is right.”

A current story in a web-based Christian newspaper carries this headline:

“A Nigerian civil society organization estimates that about 620 Christians were killed and hundreds of homes,

as well as churches, were damaged in Nigeria since the beginning of the year as attacks carried about by Fulani

radicals and Islamic terrorists continue” (The Christian Post).

Whatever you might make of such a headline, the overall truth is that Christianity is under attack and has been for a considerable time. Peter’s warning of the “time for judgment” teaches that judgment will “begin with the household of God.”

It’s a shame to believe that the LORD, who gave Himself on the Cross for our sins, would have to execute judgment

upon us because we have not divested ourselves of the sins that took Him to the Cross. Peter continues by saying that if we, who are already saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, are to be judged, what a tremendous judgment awaits those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior! Still, that is no comfort to us as believers! We have drifted far from our LORD’s will and are certain to suffer for it, although not eternally in Hell.

Yet, I hear you say, “I have trusted Him! Why should I suffer further?” That’s saying, “I’m saved, and I’ll never be doomed to Hell, but I can live like those who are not saved and be accepted by them.” These are they who are saved by His grace, but willingly drift from His instruction. Yet, they will pay a price in His judgment right here on Earth!

Others, who do not know Him, may seem to escape judgment, but will suffer according to the pre-determined will of f God.

The capstone of Peter’s thesis is exceedingly clear: “…let those also who suffer according to the will of God” simply remember that they have entrusted “their souls to the Faithful Creator in doing what is right.” If you’ve say that you have been born-again and are enjoying living apart from the will of God, be very careful. Were I you, I would re-examine my life carefully. It is more than likely that you have trusted “religion” or “church membership” of even “baptism” instead of our “faithful Creator.” He alone is the One who saves!

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 Peter 4:12-13, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing,

as though some strange thing were happening to you;

13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His

glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”

Everyone loves surprises! Birthdays, Christmases, anniversaries –you name it; everyone loves surprises!

There are, however, some things that come upon us unannounced. Often, these slippery events catch us unawares, in that they offer nothing more than the surprise itself. There are no gifts, no promises of good things; they’re just surprises.

Simon Peter understood the meaning of surprises, and he tells us “not to be surprised” at these adverse situations that befall us. They are the means of the LORD’s testing. Nothing has ever occurred that the LORD has not known ahead of time. Parents often test their children to insure that they will behave properly in given situations. Why, then, should we be surprised when the LORD does the same thing to us? After all, He tested your parents before they tested you.

It’s easy to be excited when the surprise is a new iPad or an iPhone or something from the new super-electronic store. But what should be our reaction if the surprise were something of suffering or a loss through a physical emergency? Peter says that we should view such sufferings as complementary to the sufferings of Christ. If He suffered (and He did, infinitely more than any other person on Earth!), why should we be surprised if we are called upon to do the same?

One day, Peter assures us, we will rejoice – you read it correctly! – that we will rejoice at being permitted to share in the sufferings of Christ Himself. Ministers of the Gospel, Christian educators, missionaries, all share in sufferings. So, for the time being, we must just rejoice! Rejoice in hope for hope is the believer’s “future certainty.” Whatever negativity befalls us here on Earth, we are assured of His superlative blessings in Glory! So, start rejoicing! Don’t give up! Don’t question God! Just praise the LORD that He found us worthy to suffer for His glory!

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.”