The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 113:1-9, “Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD.
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust, And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people.
9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!”

Only a few days ago, I received a notification from Australia that was urging believers everywhere to pray for the United States! The patriotism of that communication far and away exceeded many I have read from within our own beloved nation. Simultaneously, many of the comments that follow news sources are amazingly pro-Christian, serving as an encouragement in our world’s troubling times.

The psalm quoted above commences and closes with this singular note of encouragement: “Praise the LORD!” Regardless of the troublesome times in which we live, we are to focus on the LORD and lift His Name in praise! The LORD is indeed “high above all nations”; thus, “His glory is above the heavens.” If we marvel at the sun and moon and the heavenly bodies in our solar system, we must marvel in the glory of the One who created them all.

There is no one comparable to the LORD! And while He could boast of all He has accomplished, He rather humbles Himself to help the poor and the needy souls, who cry out to Him for mercy. He enables them to sit with princes and enables the woman without children to become a loving and joyful mother to the children she thought she would never have!

What an incomparable standard our blessed LORD is to us! The very best, the most noble accomplishments that come from our hand are lowly and worthless when His ways are considered. How often we pride ourselves on what we have done, yet our works are nothing unless they are guided by His Hand and accrue to His glory alone! May we live this day to the praise of His glory! “Praise the LORD!”

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,

Matthew 19:16-24, “And behold, one came to Him and said, ‘Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may
obtain eternal life?’
17 And He said to him, ‘Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you
wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’
18 He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery;
You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
20 The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?’
21 Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you
shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’
22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much
property.
23 And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God.’”

“Turn to page 16 and answer the questions on that page.” The instruction seems pretty straight forward, but there’s always some student who will ask, “Which questions? There sure are a lot of ‘em.” Understandably, teachers become tired of being plied with questions, the answers of which are clearly evident. I have to wonder if Jesus didn’t tire of questions like the one above in verse 16.

The Ten Commandments were written with Jewish people in mind. The first four commandments are theological in nature. They concern man in his relationship with God. The second six commandments are sociological in nature. They concern man’s relationship with his fellowman. Jesus’ response to the young man’s question dealt with the six sociological commandments. The youth’s response stated that he had kept them all faithfully since he was a child, but something was missing. He lacked assurance of eternal life. “What good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Jesus picked up on the young man’s use of the word “good,” and announced that God is the only one who is good. He turned the question from the secular to the spiritual. “If you wish to be complete,” Jesus said, “go and sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor…” At this point, the LORD has put His finger on the pulse of the young man’s problem. He undoubtedly thought that because he was keeping the commandments, God had enabled him to acquire his many possessions. Yet, the crux of his problem was that his possessions had become his god, and the true and living God had been displaced. His need was that his possessions be cleared out so that God could become the focal point of his life.

Eternal Life is being lived now within those who have trusted Jesus Christ alone. Eternal Life is spiritual in nature. It is freely given to those who willingly turn from their sin and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness. It can be yours today, if you ask the LORD’s forgiveness for your sin and firmly believe that He will give you His Eternal Life! He did that for me; I am praying He will do that for you, as well. You must simply believe.

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,

Ephesians 6:14-20, “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

The Aposltle Paul doesn’t miss much. At all times, he was chained by the wrist to a Roman soldier. Night and day a soldier was there to ensure that he would not escape. Paul was literally a witness bound by a chain. Now he was the kind of man who could get alongside anyone; and beyond doubt, he had talked often to the soldiers who guarded him daily. As he writes, the soldier’s armor suggests a picture to him. The Christian, too, has his armor; and part-by-part Paul takes the armor of the Roman soldier and describes it in Christian terms.

We have every reason to believe that many of those who guarded him trusted his witness and became themselves followers of our LORD Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly, they were “outfitted” with such armor that Paul was prompted to compare it as an Armor of God.

The Belt of Truth takes its meaning from the belt the Roman soldiers wore. It held his clothing together and kept his sword in position, giving him freedom of movement. Truth keeps the Christian on the proper path and holds together the validity of his witness of Christ.

The Breastplate of Righteousness refutes all negative accusations that are levied against Christian believers. The way to meet such accusations is to demonstrate the purity of a sincere Christian life.

Sandals suggest movement, as believers journey onward with the Gospel of peace. They are always seeking the lost and telling them of the saving grace of Jesus.

The Shield of Faith took its likeness from the long shield the Roman soldiers carried. Fiery darts were one of the most dangerous weapons in ancient warfare, and that shield was their protection, just as faith protects us Christians.

The Helmet of Salvation is what Christ gives us when He forgives our sins of the past. It also helps us to conquer the sin we face in the days to come.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It serves as both a defensive and offensive weapon. It works
against sin that attacks our lives and as a weapon against the sins of the world.

Finally, Paul comes to one of the greatest weapon available to all believers: Prayer! It must be constant,
intense, and totally selfless. We must learn to pray for others and with others as well as for ourselves.
The Scriptures say, “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous” (Pro. 15:29).

All of these spiritual weapons are yours when you belong to Christ. It might be wise to start with prayer.

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,

Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world
forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done
everything, to stand firm.”

Life itself is often a struggle; therefore, we should not be surprised that someone like the Apostle Paul should include mention of it in his letters. It’s not enough for him to tell us (along with the Ephesian believers) that our strength is in the LORD and not in ourselves. That’s the very reason he admonishes us to “put on the full armor of God.”

The battle in which Paul envisions our engagement is not against individuals like ourselves. It’s a tough spiritual battle waged against the devil himself. Remember that Satan (the devil) was originally the supreme angel of the LORD. His pride, however, envisioned him as above Almighty God, so God brought him down, and he became the LORD’s chief adversary. One third of all of the angels in Heaven followed Satan in his rebellion against the LORD. And that’s the subsequent conflict that has invaded mankind ever since.

So, the atmosphere of evil that prevails on Earth today and targets and seeks to draw us into conflict comes from the devil and those spiritual thugs that follow him. It is he who seeks to erase morality and replace it with wicked thoughts in our minds. Those evil intentions that pervade the world had their origin in Satan’s workshop. He tailor-makes them for us. That’s why we need the “full armor of God” to protect us and enable our resistance. We have no resistance apart from the LORD; yet, wrapped in His armor, we are impervious to sin’s attacks and defeat! Do you possess His armor? You must never be without it because you never know when Satan will strike! Stop right now and pray! Tomorrow, we will learn more about the armor of Almighty God!

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,

Ephesians 6:5-9, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;
6 not by way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
7 With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
9 And, masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”

“I’ve had it! I won’t take any more! I’m going to tell him exactly what I think!” Have you ever felt like that? I’m sure most of us have. At some time, in some situation, we’ve been subjected to what we believed to be unfair treatment, and had had enough. Paul’s instruction, however, takes a different track. He believes that we are all under the authority of someone at sometime, and we had better recognize it and behave. We need to understand that Christ is our Master and that we are serving Him as we serve those who are humanly in authority over us.

Get a different perspective on your situation. You are in a job the LORD has provided. What’s more, you may be there primarily as an example of Him. Do you work diligently. Don’t just appear to be hard-working when the boss is around. The LORD is your ultimate authority, and He is always viewing what you do and how you do it. How you are treated by your physical boss, doesn’t really matter. The LORD has His purpose for you right where you are.

“But, I’m not being paid sufficiently for what I do!” That may be so, but that doesn’t matter, either The LORD’s reward will take into account your attitude as well as your performance; and His reward will far outweigh any and every thing you could receive in this life.

Listen! The LORD has a stern warning for the one in authority over you, as well. He’s telling them to “give up threatening” you because His authority in Heaven supersedes them. He shows no partiality. They will be held to account for all the injustices they have brought upon you. The LORD is in control. He is aware of everything! And in the end of it all, His justice will prevail. Relax in your temperament. Just trust everything to the LORD!

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