The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 19:1, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”

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Well, believe it or not, that’s how the Bible was originally written –only it was in Hebrew

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The Greek wasn’t any different except it was written in Greek and, like our English, read from left to right. There were no capital letters in either language in the original; nor were there any punctuation marks. Wow! That would keep you reading!!!

In A.D. 1228, Stephen Langdon divided the entire Bible into chapter divisions; and in A.D. 1551, Robert Stephens divided the chapters into verses. In A.D. 1571, Montanus numbered the verses. And in A.D. 1455, Gutenburg’s first printing was that of the Bible.

Earlier today NASA launched its “Persevere rover,” scheduled to land on the planet Mars. Science seems all about exploring the planets, yet fails to explore the Scriptures that tell us “The heavens are telling of the glory of God.”

Two precious little boys live with their parents across the street from me. They were playing under the careful eye of their mother, until I exited my house. They saw me, called my name, and one said “LOOK!, pointing to the full moon above. What excited them (although I doubt that they thought of it at that moment), was the glory that Almighty God was showing of Himself in that fully-glowing summer moon!

Assuming that NASA’s “Persevere rover” lands safely and achieves its exploratory mission, it is likely that many scientists involved will still have missed the glory of God that has existed there since the advent of Creation. “The heavens are telling,” but are we listening? The Scriptures are the written glory of God, but are we reading?

Initially, the LORD observed His creation and “saw that it was good” (Gen. 1). The Earth, singled out of all the planets, is alone the habitat of life. The Earth has maintained its goodness; it’s man who has contributed to Earth’s woes. But the Father’s agenda shows that Jesus Christ, His Son, is the next to come on His agenda. Observe the moon and the planets; but when you look up, remember that Christ is coming again. Even so, Come, LORD Jesus!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

NOTE: The pandemic has lessened Sunday attendance in many churches. Some are worshipping

“virally” through television. Personally, I like corporate worship as it used to be; yet it is

better to worship from home, than not to worship at all. If you have a church, check on the

time of their virtual worship. If you don’t have a regular church, let me invite you to join me

at www.crosschurch.com/live at 9:30 A.M. this next Sunday Morning! Keep looking UP!

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,

Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts

and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

There is no question but that we live in difficult times. What are we to do? Some people need work that brings finances that provides food and medicine. Others need medical assistance. All of us need encouragement. What do we do? Where are we to look for our needs?

The Apostle Paul said it clearly: “Rejoice in the LORD!” He is our encourager! Remember the song that says,

If you know the LORD, you need nobody else

To see you through the darkest night.

A host of things produce those dark nights. But when we know the LORD, we have faith and trust that He will do everything satisfactorily. Paul faced moments like we’re facing today. He said, “Rejoice!” But what does it mean to “rejoice”? It means to be glad. It’s not putting a false face on a gloomy heart. It’s genuinely trusting the LORD, whom we know controls all things. If He chooses to change our gloom into sunlight, we can rejoice. If He chooses that we should remain in the shadows of human uncertainty, we can still rejoice, knowing that He is always in control.

We should allow our “forbearing spirit” to be seen by everyone. Forbearing means to exhibit an attitude “that looks humanly and reasonably at the facts of a situation.” It is a quality of wisdom that comes only from God. What’s more, He is always nearer than we think. So, don’t be anxious. Just pray and be thankful and trust the LORD.

The promise is that God will give you peace. He will enable you to resist anxiety. He will protect your heart and your mind, enabling you to trust in Christ Jesus, regardless of the severity of the situation. Remember too, that the Bible is a comforting Book like no other.

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 1:1-3, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its

season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

I once heard a story of a boy who telephoned the company for which he worked, asking them for a job. When he was denied a job, his friends asked him why he called. He already had the job. The boy replied he was just checking up on how he stood with his boss.

Psalm one gives us the opportunity to check up on ourselves with the LORD. Verses 1 and 2 describe a godly man. He is happy and free from deep-seated guilt because he avoids listening to the scheming advice of evil, criminal type men. He doesn’t keep company with them or dwell in any gathering of scoffers, who scorn and mock all good things and good people.

How do you measure up with this godly man? Have you confessed your deep-seated guilt to the LORD –guilt of which no one but you are aware? Have you separated yourself once-and-for-all from the lifestyle of the dirty, sinful crowd? Remember that any good apple rottens quickly in the close company of other rotten apples.

But examine what the good man ultimately becomes when he follows the LORD. He is like a tree –the largest object in the vegetable realm– strong and resilient! His life is stable and wholesome; and he lives consistently within the realm of goodness. What delight he has! He lovingly follows the LORD’s directive. His meditation is on the LORD day and night. He resides and rests on His LORD’s love and goodness. He harbors no evil or injurious thoughts.

Furthermore, this righteous man’s love bears fruit. Others see that he is not like them. Those the ungodly used to call “friends” are now believers and follow the LORD. In a sense, they are the “fruit” of the godly man, and they stand strong in godly living. And, like the godly man himself, their witness prospers, too.

Ever think about being godly? Get into the Bible! Examine the life of Jesus Christ! Develop the habit of following Him. Establish yourself in a life of prayer. Pray with your

Christian friends! Share the Good News of Jesus the Savior! Love the lost, even when they don’t understand you completely! It’s at this point you’ll experience and understand the word “blessed!”

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,

Nehemiah 4:14, “When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: ‘Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.’”

It has been said of Jesus’ disciples that they were always either in trouble, headed for trouble, or just getting out of trouble. That also appears to have been the general situation with Old Testament Jews.

Nehemiah had returned to Jerusalem and to rebuild the city walls that had fallen into disrepair. He had been burdened to reestablish the worship of the LORD in the City of Jerusalem. Doubtlessly, he had anticipated some difficulty, but nothing like what he discovered in Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.

What do you do when you’re faced with opposition? It largely depends upon what kind of opposition you face and how persistent it is. Nehemiah’s first opposition was an invitation to leave the work and talk with the men who opposed him. He refused. Next, the opposition began to deride and mock his venture. He virtually ignored them.

Nehemiah consistently refused to stop work and parley with the opposition. His was a great work; it was intended to glorify the LORD. There was no time to discuss anything. Yet, as the opposition’s rage grew greater, Nehemiah thought it wise to set guards alongside the workers for protection. This was not because he lacked trust in the LORD, but because it made practical sense for the Jewish laborers to do their part in protecting what they had constructed. Were the LORD not injecting Himself into the situation here, who knows what would have been the outcome?

The opposition grew still stronger. Satan doesn’t give up easily. Anything and everything we do as unto the LORD and for His glory, Satan strenuously opposes! He opposes the study of God’s Word. He opposes our spending time in prayer. He opposes our sharing Christ Jesus with those who don’t know Him. We must always follow the pattern Nehemiah established: “Keep on keeping on.”

In the end, the walls of the city were built. The Temple was erected; and the LORD was glorified! When we come to know the LORD, His Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. We are then “a temple of God.” How we live reflects how much He is glorified. What the world needs is Jesus! Now, we’ve got our marching orders, let’s get to work! 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,

2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

One of the long-time, yet unsolved biblical mysteries surrounds the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” We won’t solve that mystery here, but we will explore and discover the value –yes, I said value – of that mystery.

If we understand the apostle clearly and accurately, we will discard the speculations regarding the mystery, and focus upon its value. A boy who has been told repeatedly not to pester his smaller school chum learns to focus on the value of his own bloody nose.

The Apostle Paul found his weakness troubling, and on three specific occasions, he asked the LORD to remove the impediment. The LORD denied His servant’s request, insisting that His grace was sufficient. In time, Paul learned that depending upon the LORD was of greater value than the removal of that “thorn-in-the-flesh,” whatever it was.

Is that not possible with you and me? Instead of worrying about what “hurts,” or “what is missing” as we labor in His service, suppose we simply forget about our deficiencies and trust fully on the LORD. Paul discovered that having a weakness left him fully dependent upon Christ. Christ is always there!

“But, why,” you ask, “does not Christ Jesus simply answer our need? Isn’t is possible that He could make our witness more effective, anyway?” Of course, that is possible, but would we then be as consistently dependent upon Him? Probably not. Yet, just as parents desire their children to be dependent upon them, so our LORD desires us to be dependent upon Him. Yield everything to Him! Trust Him implicitly! Be weak! He will make you strong!

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.”