The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 1:6-8, “And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’
7 He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’”

What parents have not heard their child ask, “Are we there yet?” Those who watch closely the daily news are aware of the current difficulties being faced by the nation of Israel. Those who know the Scriptures and have been watching Israel closely, know that we are moving closer and closer to the time of our LORD’s Return. The disciples were aware that there would be a restoration of Israel, and we today live much closer to that time than they. The relocation of Israel’s capital to Jerusalem is not without serious meaning. Watch! Be alert! We are moving toward that time!

Jesus’ response to His disciples has significance for us in our day. He simply said, It’s not for you to know the time. The Father has authority over all of these things and He has established a time that is known only to Him. At the same time, we are not to be idle. The disciples who spoke face-to-face with Jesus, were admonished to be witnesses of Him. And that directive has been passed down to those of us who know Him as our LORD and Savior.

Jesus’ disciples were told to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit came a few days after Jesus’ words. The Scriptures assure us that we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives when we confess our sins to Christ and trust Him as our LORD and Savior. At that point, His directive to those first century disciples becomes His directive to us as well. We are to be witnessses of Him. We are to journey “even to the remotest part of the Earth.”

Certainly, not every believer is called to be a missionary to a foreign country. Every believer, however, is called to be a witness to those within his sphere of influence. Do you know Him as your LORD and Savior? Are you sharing His Good News with others? Listen to the Spirit. Obey His directive for your life. You will bring the lost to know Him, and you will bring joy to your own heart.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. If these Letters are meaningful to you, be pleased to share them with others. That’s just another way of being a witness for Jesus!

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,

Proberbs 16:21-25, “The wise in heart will be called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
22 Understanding is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the discipline of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
25 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

. Do you remember the two women who came to King Solomon in the early days of his reign? Each was the mother of a newly born child. One child had died during the night, but both women contended that the live child was her own. Solomon listened intently and called for a sword. He pretended that he would simply divide the child into two parts and give each mother one part. One of the women said, “Yes! Divide the child between us!” The other said, “No! Give the child to the other woman, but don’t take it’s life.” The harshness of the first woman demonstrated that what she wanted was her way. She had no concern for the life of the child. In this instance, Solomon demonstrated the wisdom of his heart (ref. 1 Kings 3:16f).

Life is meaningful to one with understanding. Fools know nothing of true discipline. The wise in heart speak with love and persuasion, just as the child’s true mother did when she stood before Solomon. The king’s words were sweet to the soul of the true mother, much like honey and its comb are to one’s taste buds. There’s an old saying that says, “You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.”

Quiet, thoughtful speech originates from a mind that is not cluttered with selfishness. Such quietness and openness gives opportunity for the Holy Spirit to fill it with the sweetness of the LORD. Preoccupation with the view to persuasion often floods the mind, leaving no room for the way of the Spirit. The Spirit fills us with the teachings of the LORD. All other teachings lead us in “the way of death.” His teachings lead to life everlasting!

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,

Proverbs 16:1-6, “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.
5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.”

Don’t you find the Proverbs of Solomon rich? Yes, and they’re also quite convicting. Look at verse one above. Have you ever planned meticulously just what you were going to say? Maybe you even practiced how you should look by using the bathroom mirror. Then, when the time came for your performance, the whole scheme was reversed. What you said was totally different from what you had planned to say. Could it be that the LORD saw a flaw in your program?Your motive was wrong and He changed things?

When we take counsel from the LORD, everything works out well. He has a purpose behind all His plans, so He causes His purpose to override ours. Isn’t it good to have One who is all powerful and all wise to override our plans with His own? Our objection to His override often comes from what is known as “human pride.” The LORD does not like our human pride! After all, He is LORD! And everything ought to accure to His glory, not to ours.

It’s as when we were children, visiting with our parents at a relative’s home. The lady of the house would remark to our parents how well behaved and obedient we were. Remember? You don’t? Well, if that ever happened, your parents were honored by your obedient behavior. And when we obey the LORD, He is honored and glorified by our alignment with His will. That’s what it’s all about. One day He will welcome us when we go to live in His Eternal Home. We had better practice love and truth some before we go, don’t you think?

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,

Proverbs 8:12-17, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.
14 “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.
15 “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.
16 “By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.
17 “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

When I think back over the years of my life, there is a very short list of people who have guided me with the wisdom of which Solomon speaks. Those are the ones I look forward to meeting when I get to Heaven. Were it not for their loving guidance, I could easily have slipped and slidden downward. My thoughts are that you have people like that in your life, too.

Wisdom makes its home with prudence. Prudence is care, caution, and good judgment. Knowledge squeezes itself in there, too, so that the one living in wisdom has everything he needs for honoring the LORD. At the same time, wisdom smothers pride and arrogance and everything that is evil. It even hammers closed the mouth that is tempted to express words and ideas that bring no smiles from the LORD. Wise and righteous counsel come from the LORD.

Power, too, resides in the LORD. It is He, who enables men to reign as nobles and kings. All who judge honestly are the ones He has chosen. The capstone of the LORD’s provisions is His love. He loves those who love Him; and those who love Him earnestly and diligently seek Him. Are you in that loving group? Do you not recognize that all that you possess: wisdom, knowledge, counsel, power, justice and love—all derive from the LORD?

Sometimes it is difficult to speak to those possess human importance. Everyone crowds around them, depriving us of contact. But it is not so with the LORD! He is always available to those who love and follow Him. He is never closer to you or me than when we study His Word and speak to Him in prayer. The practice of both produces wisdom when we do it to His honor and in His love.

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,

Proverbs 8:12-17, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.
14 “Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.
15 “By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.
16 “By me princes rule, and nobles, All who judge rightly.
17 “I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

When I think back over the years of my life, there is a very short list of people who have guided me with the wisdom of which Solomon speaks. Those are the ones I look forward to meeting when I get to Heaven. Were it not for their loving guidance, I could easily have slipped and slidden downward. My thoughts are that you have people like that in your life, too.

Wisdom makes its home with prudence. Prudence is care, caution, and good judgment. Knowledge squeezes itself in there, too, so that the one living in wisdom has everything he needs for honoring the LORD. At the same time, wisdom smothers pride and arrogance and everything that is evil. It even hammers closed the mouth that is tempted to express words and ideas that bring no smiles from the LORD. Wise and righteous counsel come from the LORD.

Power, too, resides in the LORD. It is He, who enables men to reign as nobles and kings. All who judge honestly are the ones He has chosen. The capstone of the LORD’s provisions is His love. He loves those who love Him; and those who love Him earnestly and diligently seek Him. Are you in that loving group? Do you not recognize that all that you possess: wisdom, knowledge, counsel, power, justice and love—all derive from the LORD?

Sometimes it is difficult to speak to those possess human importance. Everyone crowds around them, depriving us of contact. But it is not so with the LORD! He is always available to those who love and follow Him. He is never closer to you or me than when we study His Word and speak to Him in prayer. The practice of both produces wisdom when we do it to His honor and in His love.

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