The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 86:11-13, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.”

“Teach me how to do that!” Such an expression is common for a prodigious young person. Things outside the ordinary are intriguing, and the desire to do what adults can do is exciting! Such was the way of the young psalmist. Although he was seeking the teaching of the LORD, his promise was to walk in the LORD’s truth, knowing that the unity of his heart would produce reverence for His Name.

The Psalmist’s promise is to forever “give thanks” to the LORD and to perpetually glorify His Name. His indebtedness to the LORD is beyond measure, for the LORD has delivered his soul from Sheol, the place of the afterlife.

We who have trusted the LORD Jesus Christ and come to know His loving desire toward us, must forever glorify His Name. Nothing must be a wedge between us! “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (Psa. 100:3). His love and attitude toward us is beyond measure. Our love ought to be fully focused upon Him! Is it?

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,

Psalm 86:1-7, “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy.
2 Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.”

David was first a shepherd, then a servant of the king, then a warrior, and ultimately the king himself. He was a godly man, and a man of prayer. Those who trust in the LORD and find themselves in trouble, are usually those who go to Him in prayer, asking forgiveness.

David is not ashamed to seek the LORD in prayer. Apparently, something in David’s life had slipped from the moorings of God, as he speaks of trouble and seeks forgiveness.

It’s not difficult for us to slip out of God’s will for our lives. Further, it takes courage to admit our sin and seek forgiveness. If you doubt this, think of something you’ve done against someone, and how difficult it was to admit your wrong and to seek their forgiveness.

David’s confidence that God would answer his prayer and forgive him should encourage us. He said, “I shall call upon You, for You will answer me.” It takes courage to admit to doing wrong, and it takes courage to ask forgiveness. Yet, the confidence we have in admitting to wrong, gives courage to the one we wronged to forgive us as well. The LORD is in the business of forgiving. He enables the one we’ve wronged to forgive us. Be ready to pray and to forgive others. You’ll both be better for it.

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,

2 Peter 3:14-18, “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Wherever you’re going, you want to be properly prepared. Preparation involves thinking through the conversations you will have and the questions you will be asked. You want to be on guard that you don’t fall into the habits of those with whom you’ll be mingling.

Above it all, however, you want to be recognized as a Christian. Recognition often depends upon what you say and how and when you say it. It also depends upon how you conduct yourself overall. If your meeting is in a church, and you’re meeting with Christian people, you should fare quite well.

If your meeting is secular in nature, you will need to allow your faith-beliefs to be easily recognized, but without flaunting them pridefully. After all, those who do not know the LORD need to know Him; and they will see and judge Him first in you and by your overall conduct.

But how is all of this to be accomplished? It is accomplished when you “grow in the knowledge of the LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.” For it is for His glory that we conduct ourselves properly. He is Coming soon! Therefore, we need to be properly ready for His Coming! Otherwise, He will be disgraced. And He is what our life and conduct are all about.

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,

2 Peter 3:10-13, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

I don’t know whether you have ever seen a house fire; but believe me, it is not a pretty sight! Just the thought of someone losing, in a few short minutes of time, everything they’ve treasured, is more than most people could stand.

Some people today are caught up in what some call “climate change.” But that to which they refer is nothing compared with what Peter predicts will come as “a thief in the night.” The heavens will be destroyed with intense heat! The earth and its works will be consumed with fire! What will mankind do then?

Peter shifts the thought from destruction to dedication. He calls attention to godliness and holy conduct; for it is holiness that will surround the righteous. Humanity, in the Day of the LORD’s Coming, should be looking for “new heavens and a new earth, foundationed on righteoousness! Be alert because the LORD will come when you least expect it. Today? Tonight? This very hour? Just be ready!!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

sorry, yet I have no control over the Internet. Some, I understand, have found
it in their Spam files. You might look there.

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,

2 Peter 3:4-9, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the Word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
7 But by His Word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Are we living in the “last days?” Certainly, each of us has a “last day”; we’re just not aware of when that day will come. It’s not difficult to convince a careful reader of the Bible that things of which we are warned, are the very things we find occurring in our world today. People seem totally unafraid of contradicting the Word of God –the very God who created the planets, one of which is our home.

The Bible (the very verses above) tell us that the wickedness of those who live in our world has not escaped His notice. Nor should it escape our notice that lacivious lifestyles are being reserved for the fires of judgment and Hell! “Don’t let this escape your notice,” Peter warns. The LORD does not operate on time as we know it. Yet, He alone knows the hour and the day when He will come. When that day occurs, those who have neglected to obey His Word will be charged with desecrating His Son, who died on the cross and arose from the grave for their salvation.

As I write, NOAA radio is warning of increasingly heavy thunderstorms for my area. Should I alter my plans for cooking outdoors over a fire pit? Or should I ignore the warning, telling my friends there’s nothing to worry about? You know the answer to that! Safety is the name of the game. But, when it comes to God’s warnings, it’s not a game! Treat the LORD and His Word with the utmost respect. Turn your life over to Him now! Trust Him to save you from both your sins and the Divine Judgment that is coming. I am praying for you.

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