The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 73:25-28, “Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on Earth.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For, behold, those who are far from Thee will perish; Thou hast destroyed all those who are unfaithful to Thee.

28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Thy

works.”

Were you ever called into the principal’s office? Remember the quizzy feeling you had? “Just sit there,” his secretary said; “the principal will be with you in a moment.” That quizzy, uneasly feeling grew larger. You felt sick. What was this all about? Have I done something wrong? Enough has been said for the reader (you) to know that the writer (unnamed) has indeed experienced this situation.

Who would stand up for you and say to the official, “I was there. I saw it all; and the one you’ve called in was not in any way responsible for what happened. I will witness for him!” In a lesser fashion from an earlier time, this is what was swirling in the head of the psalmist. “Whom do I have on my side but the LORD?” I’m weakened in my body, and my heart is poundting like it’s never pounded before! Still, I will rely on the LORD. He “is the strength of my heart”; what’s more, He always will be. Nothing on Earth compares with Him! Nothing ever could!!

He will protect me from those who are far from Him. They will die both here on Earth and throughout eternity. Oh, how good is the LORD’s nearness to me! God alone is my good! When problems encompass me, He alone is my protector. The LORD protects me in order that I might tell others of all His good works!

Could you picture yourself in a troubling situation with the knowledge that the LORD alone was the One who could save and protect you? Is your dependence solely on Him? Do you not know that He is your only Protector? Do you know why? Just yield your heart and life –all your emotions— upon Him. He alone cares for you! Trust Him; thank Him; love Him forever! Nothing else matters.

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus;

No, not one. No, not one.

None else could heal all our souls’ diseases;

No not one. No, not one.

Jesus knows all about our troubles;

He will guide ’til the day is done:

There’s not a Friend like the lowly Jesus;

No, not one! No, not one!

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 33:1, 6-9, 12, “Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright….

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast….

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”

Were I outlining this Psalm, it would be like this:

1. Praise to the LORD – 33:1-5

2. Power of the LORD – 33:6-11

3. Preservation of His People — 33:12-22

This Psalm is very close to Moses’ praise back in Exodus 15. There is so much there – much more than we can

cover in this Letter. Moses and this Psalmist say virtually the same thing. Ever want to know how the LORD created the world? Verse six says it was “by the Word of the LORD the heavens were made.” Then he parallels that thought with the second half of the verse: “And by the breath of His mouth (He made) all their host.” In other words, it was not through “a BIG BANG,” but through a “BIG BREATH” – God’s Breath! — that He created it all. The LORD just spoke, and it was done!”

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Before there was anything, there was God. Yes, I know; I was taught differently by some of my professors; but, you know what? Their theories about the

origin of the Earth and the solar system had to have a beginning, too; and none of what I heard from them made a scintila of sense! They weren’t there; so, what they offered me was only what someone else had offered them. They just guessed, and called it “truth.”

What grips my heart is that last verse above: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!” Have you noticed that

some of our Congressmen and White House officials have been mentioning “God” and “prayer” lately? Even some who possibly don’t know Him in a personal relationship are nevertheless acknowledging Him respectfully as infinite.

At the time of this psalm’s writing, the nation whom he references is Israel. Talk to a born-again Jew today, and discover that he is the proof that the people the LORD has chosen for His own inheritance are all those who are truly ”born-again!” Are you truly born-again? Have you committed your life by faith into the control of Jesus Christ? If not, I urge you to turn to Him today. He does make a difference in your life; but you have to commit to find that out. God bless you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Remember to include Whitney Tilson in your prayers. And remember that tomorrow night (Wednesday 13 May at 8:00 P.M. CST)

Sight & Sound Theater’s presentation of “JESUS” will be aired on TBN television network. Pray that many will come to faith in

Christ as they view this faithful presentation. (If you have taping capabilities, you might tape it and use it evangelistically later.)

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 1:2-3, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;

3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the

presence of our God and Father…”

I am thinking of two words that are all-too-often missing in our verbal and written conversations today. Can you guess what they are? They are “thank you.”

I am thinking of someone for whom those two words are all-too-often missing. Can you guess who that person is?

The person is the LORD JESUS! It is He who deserves our thanks. And we should find and say “Thank you, LORD” each time when we pray. We are currently living under a virus crisis; fewer things are purchasable than they were a few months ago. Maybe…just maybe, the LORD allowed all of this to cause us to be thankful for what we have. We take far too many things for granted!

Further, we should bear in mind three distinct things: 1) the work of faith; 2) the labor of love; and steadfastness of hope. The faith that we possess is His work within us. Without the LORD, we would have no faith. We express faith because the Holy Spirit who lives within us prompts it. He nudges us and say, “Well, thank God for what you have! Go on thank Him.” The labor of love is from Him as well. Labor (kopos) is more intense than work (ergon). In another place, Paul tells us that “the greatest of these is love.” So, we are to work at loving one another! Some people are not easy to love; and some of us don’t love too well, either. Thus, when love shows itself, it is of and from the LORD.

Finally, there is the “steadfastness of hope.” Steadfastness (hupomone) is “patient endurance,” and hope (elpis) is future certainty to the believer. I’m by nature an impatient person. You may be one, too. It’s not a good position for any of us. God’s timing is always best! You and I know that; why don’t we just leave everything in God’s Hands? I’ll verture to say why: we’re just more worldly than we are spiritual. You don’t have to be doing something egregiously sinful to be called “worldly.” You just have to lack trust in the LORD and His timing. Think about all of this: faith, love,

and hope. They’re qualities that bring glory to our blessed LORD! And when we think of what He has done for us, it exceedingly small that we should praise Him for it.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Remember to pray for Whitney Tilson’s salvation; and don’t forget the Sight & Sound Theatre production of “JESUS,” Wednesday

night on TBN (TBNHD) at 08:00 P. M. CST.

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,

Colossians 4:2-4, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth

the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

4 in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

Always the teacher, Paul commences his wrap-up of the Colossian Letter by a heavy emphasis on prayers. “Devote” (????????????, proskartereo, meaning “attend to with continuing resoluteness; maintain close adherence; persist in.” What’s more, keep alert in prayer. We are to approach God as God, keeping mindful that we are to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving.

Furthermore, prayers from a clean, honest, spiritual heart open “a door for the Word!” People who will not listen and even sternly resist the Word (the Bible) can have their hearts opened to hear the Word when we effectively pray.

At the same time, our prayers open the mysteries of Jesus Christ, things about Him and things He’s said that are

contained in the Bible – things that otherwise, we could not understand.

Do you get the idea that Paul believed in prayer? He sure did! I am attaching with this Letter a Chart on Prayer.

Start at the top and work downward on the Chart. Begin your prayers by praising the LORD! Praise Him for everything you can think of that He has provided for you. Continue by acknowledging His sovereignty. God does

what He wants. Then thank Him for His Divine Provisions: food, shelter, health, etc. –all of which are governed by the LORD Himself. Pray that He will keep you free from Satan and all of his tricks. Finally give thanks and praise Him

as you did at the beginning of your prayer.

You will discover new things that He has provided, so your prayers won’t become stale or ritualistic! He is your Father! Talk to Him like you talk to a father. There are no “special words,” just loving, praise for all He has done.

God bless you abundantly, as you pray!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. You can thank Him for Samaritan’s Purse, those who gave the Gospel to Whitney Tilson! Pray for the President and Vice President,

the Secretary of State, Secretary of Education –all of whom are born-again Christians. We have no idea how powerful God is!

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,

Colossians 3:23-25, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

A good teacher never leaves anything unsaid. Paul was an excellent teacher; he taught us in earlier verses to do

everything well and in the name of the LORD Jesus, always giving thanks through Him to God the Father. He then launched into instructions for Christian wives, husbands, children, and servants, concluding with how believers are to characterize their work.

What kind of work we do really doesn’t matter. It can be exceedingly difficult and take days or so utterly simple that can be concluded in a few short moments. What matters is that we do it “heartily,” putting forth our best effort as if it were being done for the LORD –because it is! Just think: if companies that never before made ventilators can transform their assembly lines to enable them to turn out thousands per day, they should realize the LORD was in it!

We can readily assume that such companies are being well paid to make that transformation and produce those ventilators. That only seems right; however, if they produced them “as for the LORD,” they will receive an added reward from Him. God is no man’s debtor. If, however, the owners do it only for the money, they will “receive the consequences of the wrong” they have done. Company stock may drop and blame will be placed on something else; however, the LORD will have reduced their profits because they were in it for the money instead of doing it as unto Him. “He who does wrong,” it says, “will receive the consequences of the wrong…” God does not play favorites!

The big question is: Are we doing everything we do for the LORD? And are we doing it heartily? Think about that! The stakes are exceedingly high!

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.”