The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 61:1-8, “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For Thou hast been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy.

4 Let me dwell in Thy tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Thy wings. Selah.

5 For Thou hast heard my vows, O God; Thou hast given me the inheritance of those who fear Thy name.

6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations.

7 He will abide before God forever; Appoint lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him.

8 So I will sing praise to Thy name forever, That I may pay my vows day by day.”

Reading through this Psalm reminds me of a game we used to play at recess in grammar school. We called it “King of the Mountain.” One boy would position himself on a large, flat rock that enjoyed permanent residence on the playground, while the rest of us sought to disengage him from his higher position.

The psalmist David was engaged in a similar activity, only his was an activity of real life! He sees the threats of an enemy,

and he calls upon the LORD to be his refuge. His plea for the LORD’s defense is accompanied by honest pledges of love and devotion. He is then aware that the LORD has heard and granted him the inheritance he requested. Still, it appears that David has added the king’s preservation of life to his request. His faith in the LORD is exceedingly strong! Further, his request was not selfish, had he asked only for himself.

As we face current turmoil in our own nation, we would do well to follow the pattern of the psalmist. The LORD alone is our sure defense against evil. Our trust must be in Him, not merely in those who seek to extricate the president from an evil delimma, planted by his enemies. Nor should we merely desire to defeat those who have sinned against us. What is at stake is more than personalities. It is the moral function of our voting system that undergirds the integrity of the rule of law.

“King of the Mountain” was just a game. What ultimately occurred had no serious repercussions on the lives of the players. Such is not so with our nation. Some may “play” as if it were, but the lives of multitudes are ultimately at stake in this process. David prayed and the LORD responded. Would that not seem the proper activity for us all? Yet, prayer is only heard when it arises from a clean and sincere heart. God does not hear the prayers of unrighteous people, except when they ask forgiveness for their sin. Our lives must be spiritually and morally clean for Him to hear and respond. Please join me in sincerely scrubbing our lives clean by repenting of our every-known sin. More than we know is at stake!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Psalm 59:1-4, “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from those who do iniquity, And save me from men of bloodshed.

3 For behold, they have set an ambush for my life; Fierce men launch an attack against me, Not for my transgression nor for my

sin, O LORD,

4 For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me. Arouse Thyself to help me, and see!”

Trouble comes packaged in many forms. The one factor that is certain, however, is that the ultimate intention of trouble is destruction – destruction of righteousness and those who advocate and propagate it. From the Garden of Eden to this very day, Satan’s game plan has not changed. David’s cry for deliverance is our cry today. David’s confidence in his Deliverer must also be our confidence.

David’s focus is two-fold: the first is the enemy –those whose oppose righteousness and all for which we stand. Truth has no value to the enemy. For them, truth is whatever they desire it to be. In fact, if truth exists at all, it is only in their twisted definition.

The other focus is the Savior –our Savior, the One against whom the entire host of enemies cannot prevail. Our cry for deliverance must be bold and continuous. There is no room for “now I lay me down to sleep” prayers. They must be prayers of deep thought and meaning. Such prayers come from spiritual growth. Far too often, we face a dilemma, with the belief that we ourselves are capable of conquering it. Yet, we often are in need of help, but don’t know where to find it. It is at that point, we suffer from spiritual embarrassment.

The final factor that allows the LORD to hear and answer our prayers is our lack of personal culpability. David cries, “For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me.” If we are to witness the LORD’s destruction of our enemies, we must ourselves be bereft of all guilt. There is no room here for “play-acting.” We must truly and completely be righteous and in good standing with the LORD. His activity on our behalf will then prevail. His eternal power cannot be overcome. The price for His deliverance is our yielding to Him. He gave His all on the Cross for our sins. Now, He demands our giving our lives to Him in exchange.

Are you facing a potential dilemma in your life? Do you need someone to rescue you? Jesus stands ready to help. Just yield your life to Him, and call upon Him in serious prayer. You will be amazed how quickly and thoroughly He meets your need! Your

life and focus will be changed forever! You’ve tried everything else without success. Try Jesus! 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 Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

Trouble is a universal adversary. It comes in a variety of forms. It is sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes psychological, sometimes spiritual. Yet, it is always accompanied with some form of anxiety. The word trouble (tsarah) means

affliction, anguish, distress. Paul describes his trouble as “a thorn in the flesh,” for which he “entreated the LORD three times that it might depart” from him (2 Cor. 12:7-8). Yet, the LORD’s response was “My grace is sufficient for you…” (v. 9).

More than 10 years ago, I elected to undergo surgery on my right hand. I have what is called “Dupuytren’s conjecture.” It’s an “abnormal thickening and tightening of the normally loose and flexible tissue beneath the skin of the palm and fingers,” and it impedes the normal usage of the hand. In can be compared with sin, in that it always returns.

Paul, you will recall, petitioned the LORD three times for the alleviation of his malady. And each time, the LORD said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

I lay no claim with Paul’s malady, but I am earnestly trusting our LORD’s power to avail for me in this situation. I am not looking for sympathy, I am writing to encourage you who have truly serious conditions that through prayers of faith you may know the LORD’s strength and comfort.

To those of you who have not committed your natural, sinful nature to Him, I appeal to you all the more. Sin is not merely a physical condition; it is a spiritual condition with eternal consequences. Turning to Christ in faith, and repenting of personal sin is the sure and only method of spiritual rescue. My prayers reach out for you.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Psalm 40:4-5, “How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who

lapse into falsehood.

5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with

Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.”

There is so much trouble in the world today that it is mentally and spiritually refreshing to just rest in the trust of the LORD.

Certainly, that is not to say that we can pull back from our spiritual and physical responsibilities and do nothing! Far from it!

Yet, the ultimate result of our prayers and our witnessing lies in His divine hands.

The psalmist has not lost sight of the wonders the LORD has performed. Nor should we. Looking back at Christ’s involvements in our lives should foundation our faith in Him for the future. In my own life, I can identify numerous instances that simply could not have been “accidental.” Let me note for you just one.

When we left Australia for the last time and returned home, we gave our blue, Ford station wagon to a mission organization.

The LORD provided our purchase of a car in the States, but when Rose Marie’s responsibilities required a second car, we told no one! We simply prayed about it. One day, out of the blue, a phone call came from a Christian friend, asking if we needed a second car. We said yes, and he said he had one that he would give us. He retained ownership, but we were to treat it as our own. When I thanked him and had hung up the phone, Rose Marie asked what kind of car it was. I laughed, saying I had forgotten to even ask.

The friend delivered the car, and we were amazed beyond belief! It was a blue, Ford station wagon, automatic transmission — exactly the same model as the one we had given to the mission in Australia! The only difference was that it was a left-hand drive, whereas in Australia, all cars are right-hand drive.

The question that lingers is: Why did the LORD do that? Who caused that Christian friend to think of us? Why was everything so exact with respect to the car? The answer lies in the verses above. It was simply a wonder, which the LORD had chosen to perform. He simply, sovereignly elected to do what He did –perhaps it was to encourage you to believe that with Him all things are possible! It has certainly worked that way with us!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Psalm 37:7-11, “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of

the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.

9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there.

11 But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”

Have you noticed how impatient our world has become? Everything seems to cause us unrest. We worry about far too many

things; and we are frustrated that others seem to get “all the breaks” when we’re “left holding an emphy bag.” Well, the answer

to all of our worries and frustrations –whatever they may be– is contained in the verses above.

The first instruction should have been enough. “Rest in the LORD…” Knowing that it would not be enough, the Word continues,

“…wait patiently for Him.” I witnessed a Christian pastor’s message yesterday that “knocked the ball out of the park” for me!

His emphasis was that we need to simply trust the LORD and not allow ourselves to get out of sorts over anything! The LORD’s timing is as exact as the goodness He delivers to us. God is neither hindered, nor hurried, by time.

Interestingly too, we often get upset when others receive the very things that we are denied. What’s worse still is that those who receive what we’re denied are often wicked, evil people! Why does the LORD allow that? But to question Him is to challenge His authority –something we must never do! Just stop being angry, the Word says, as it leads to more evil. The LORD will not allow evil to win the battle, so why would we buy into it through worry or anger?

His promise to us is that “evildoers will be cut off,” completely “cut down, destroyed!” What evil doers? There are so many!

Who is in His focus to be destroyed is not our concern. Perhaps, our frustration and anger are focused on those who exist at a much lower level –like our cutting limbs off of a tree, when the LORD intends to uproot the tree entirely.

The ultimate conclusion is that those who are humble will be freed from both the evil producers and the frustration our focus

on them has produced. Our LORD’s promise is that we shaill “take delight” in “abundant prosperity,” and in all that He will do.

It all says to us: relax, wait on the LORD. His plan cannot fail. Perhaps, it will come more quickly when we exercise patience. Whatever and whenever, we must wrap ourselves in His revealed truth, wherein we are well protected from others and from ourselves!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom