The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 56:1-4, Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all

day long he oppresses me.

2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly

against me.

3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.

4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What

can mere man do to me?”

One of the most wonderful things in the world is the possession of friends! True friends are consistently inquiring of your needs and doing everything they can to encourage and excite your life. At the same time, there seem always to be those who would like to see Christians brought down. The people of Gath were like that. They had reason to hate David, for it was he, who as a mere lad, had killed their Champion, Goliath. People don’t forget things like that.

David’s recourse was not always to fight. Yet, even when he did, there often seemed to be more against him than those on his side. Beyond that, it seems that his enemies gloated over fighting against him. The word “proudly” ) ??????marom( means haughtily, so there was some smugness embedded in fighting against David. That always snuffs out a bit of a fighter’s zeal.

So, David turns to the LORD and pleads with Him to “be gracious.” Be on my side, he was saying. “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.” What a motto for life! The LORD always softens the blows of the adversary, be it a man or Satan himself.

In summation, David says, “In God, whose Word I praise, In God I have put my trust…” The word for trust is ) ??????batach( meaning “confidence.” And confidence brushes away all fear. “What can mere man do to me?” David boldly asks. Ironically, that is pretty close to what the soldiers of Gath thought when they sent Goliath to do battle with a man in Israel. Let me reappropriate the words of an old saying: “It’s not ‘how large is the man in the fight’; it’s how large is the fight in the Man.” With the LORD, there is no limit!

Of course, we appreciate our friends! May they always be ready to be used by Him; yet, “there’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus; no, not one. No, not one.” Believe Him, trust Him, depend on Him! There is no one greater; there is no one else!

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 37:7-9, “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.”

It’s funny how many things from childhood return to one’s mind. When I was mistreated

by other kids, I couldn’t rest until I got even! (Of course, I was the only one like that, you know.) My dear mother really knew how to handle me. She would calm me down and

say, “Now, you know the LORD will take of that. Just don’t try to handle it yourself.” Sometimes, she had to repeat that “encouragement” several times, but eventually I learned. And eventually, the LORD took care of those situations.

The word rest literally means “wait in silence.” And wait patiently. Don’t burn with anger

when someone else prospers, or “advances.” We’re always so sure we are in the right. Did you ever consider that you could be “right” and “wrong” at the same time?

Let’s say that someone has lied about you, and you are determined to see them correct what they said and admit they were lying. Okay, you’re “right” about that; but you’re “wrong” when you attempt to correct things by yourself, without the LORD, and at a self-chosen time.

Cease means “relax from anger.” Forsake wrath translates “leave rage behind.” Why? because it all leads to more evil doings. Are we just going to allow evil to triumph? In a way, we are; but eventually, evil will end in disaster. “…evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD will inherit the land.”

I thank the good LORD that my mother read, understood, and applied the principles of

the Bible to everyday life. Otherwise, I might well be writing this from somewhere behind bars. Let’s hear it for CHRISTIAN MOTHERS! The LORD knows how greatly we need them!

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 33:10-12, “The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans

of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to

generation.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for

His own inheritance.”

Let me to encourage you to read this entire psalm. It has but 22 verses and subdivides

into three sections. Section One emphasizes praise to the LORD. Everything we do ought to accrue to the praise of the LORD (vv. 1-5). Praise emphasizes trust; and the LORD delights in our trust of Him.

Section Two emphasizes power –the power of the LORD (vv. 6-12). It is the LORD who created the heavens and the Earth. It did not occur from “a big bang”; it occurred from a Big Breath – “For He spoke, and it was done” (v. 9). The inestimatable power of the LORD extends endlessly. It “nullifies the counsel of the nations” (v. 10) and blesses those “nations whose God is the LORD” (v. 12).

Section Three emphasizes preservation (vv. 13-22). It is easy to become discouraged.

We are tuned to worldly things about us; and when they are bleak, we have the tendency to become bleak, too, and question whether the LORD will provide for our needs. Yet, as a father is honored when his son looks only to him, so our Heavenly Father is glorified when we look only to Him. Should He provide through others, it is He who should receive the glory.

We all have discouraging circumstances from time-to-time. With some, the situation never seems to change. Annie Johnson Flint wrote the following lines –lines that have been used to encourage many in their dark hours of life. May they encourge you, as well.

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance;
When our strength has failed e’er the day is half done;
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth, and giveth again.

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 25:4-5, “Make me know Thy ways, O LORD; Teach me Thy paths.

5 Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation;

For Thee I wait all the day.”

Were you ever given instructions about something, but didn’t clearly understand its meaning? What did you do? My guess is that you inquired again from the one who

first instructed you. Is there ever any instruction the LORD gives that we don’t clearly understand? He’s very clear with His instructions; perhaps, we didn’t like what He gave us. Maybe we had in mind something different for our lives. In any event, finding the LORD’s will for our lives is mandatory. It’s also the key to our happiness.

The Psalmist’s first inquiry may have been to know how far or how fervently were the

intentions of the LORD’s instruction. For example, is He calling us to minister as an overseas missionary or witness here at home? “Teach me Thy paths” might be an extension of the inquiry, such as where do you want us to go?

“Lead me in Thy truth” certainly indicates that He will be walking alongside of us, teaching all the while, as we fellowship together. That’s practical instruction; furthermore, it is the responsibility of the Teacher to teach. He has awarded our faith in Him with eternal salvation; we ought now to eagerly await His next instruction.

At other times, we are so eager to get into LORD’s work that we race ahead of His instruction. And to the contrary, we often merely drag lifelessly along, becaise we didn’t get the instruction we wanted. We forget (willingly or inadvertantly) that the LORD is the Teacher. He assumed charge of our lives the moment we accepted Him as LORD.

All of that being true, being a loving, intentional witness of His Love for others must be the primary focus of our lives. When we show concern for others and their needs, they see His love residing within us. That is prerequisite to any and all the rest of what we say and do. Oh, “Make (us) to know Thy ways, O LORD; Teach (us) in Thy paths.”

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 19:7-9, “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the

LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the

LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are

true; they are righteous altogether.”

I was leaving downtown Sydney and heading back to Southerland Shire, where we were living. I had to change trains, and was momentarily motionless when a total stranger approached me and asked if he could share with me a New Year’s thought. I agreed, and he elaborated briefly on some philosophical musings that I have now long forgotten. As I recall, nothing he said was fundamentally wrong. I said a polite “Thank you,” when he shocked me with the explosive words that he had not sinned in five years! “Oh, but you have!” I retorted. “I don’t know what your life has been to this point, but the moment you said you hadn’t sinned, you lied.” Now, it was his turn to be shocked. We boarded separate trains and to this day, I never knew who he truly was.

The Bible is not just a mass of historical words. There is meaning to everything it contains. The rich depths of the words in our verses today, however, outweigh all human, philosophical thought and demand remembrance.

The instruction of the LORD’s Law is always thoroughly sound. That’s what perfect means. What’s more, our souls are refreshed and restored when we consistently follow His directions. His testimony is repetitive, so that even a child can understand and obey it.

Somewhere I read that Thomas Carlyle, not long before his death, said, “I am now an old man, and done with the world. Looking around me, before and behind, and weighing all as wisely as I can, it seems to me there is nothing solid to rest on but the faith which I learned in my old home, and from my mother’s lips.” I could echo those words as my own.

The precepts has to do with rules of moral conduct, which, if we keep them, will cause our hearts to rejoice! The commandment of the LORD is always pure and relates to all things prohibited. It is indeed an eye-opener! The Fear of the LORD means reverence; it does not mean frightened. It ever and always instructs and encourages us to be clean and enduring. Finally the judgments or judicial sentences, which the LORD hands down upon man, are never wrong. Indeed, they are thoroughly righteous.

Everything we have exclaimed here is but a shadowy blueprint of our LORD’s directives. He love us, and our love for Him is displayed in our close adherence to all that He has said. God bless you! May our prayers for each other encourage the closeness of our walk with our LORD Jesus Christ.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

NOTE: The attachment above is a total upgrade of my Gospel Tract: “It’s Not How You Play the Game.”

It is the gracious and courteous work of Mr. Brian Dunaway of Cross Church, Springdale. Please

share this Tract freely. We don’t know how much time we have!

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.”