The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:`5-23, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

When we’re young, we’re taught things to do and things not to do. It’s much the same in our spiritual life. The verses above instruct us both positively and negatively. All of this is that we might grow spiritually in the way our Heavenly Father wants to grow. And it all accrues to His Glory.

Here are the negatives:
1.Don’t respond to evil with evil.
2.Don’t ever stop praying.
3.Don’t ignore the Holy Spirit leading.
4.Don’t ignore the teachings of Scripture.

Here are the positives:
1.Always seek after that which is good.
2.Always give thanks for everything.
3.Always examine everything carefully.
4.Always abstain from everything evil.
5.Always hold on to things that are good.

Children always answer: “Why?” My parents each responded by saying, “Because I said so!” I had to learn that they were in authority over me. We all have to learn that the LORD is in authority! And just as our good childhood behavior reflected well upon our parents, so our good spiritual behavior reflects well upon our Heavenly Father. He is ever and always in authority over us. May we ever and always behave “to the praise of His glory.”

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,

Luke 15:16-24, “’I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”‘
20 “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
21 “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;
23 and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;
24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

What we sow in our youth we reap in adulthood. It took this young man a long journey to recognize how wrong he had been. He was still a youth when he reaped what he had sown. When we are sufficiently troubled, and when there seems to be no way out, we return to our starting place with our caps in our hands.

The repentant young man no longer had pride. He was eating “humble pie” by returning, doubtlessly wondering what his father’s attitude would be. Yet, the father saw him before he saw his father. And so it is with us: God sees us coming; but He does so with greater rejoicing than we know. Notice that the son never said all he had intended to say. His apology was interrupted by his father’s love and joy!

The slaves had served their master with greater love than the wayward son; still, all of that was behind them now. The son was home!! That was all that mattered.

There is a clear message here for all of us. We have all sinned against God. We know it and He knows it. But all He requires of us is that we return to Him with a repentant heart. His love produces the forgiveness His arms demonstrate. All is forgiven! All is forgotten! The son that was dead is alive and celebrating with his Father! What this lad did, you can do! That’s why Jesus told this story. Turn your life over to Him today! You will not be sorry.

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,

Luke 15:11-16, “And he said, ‘A man had two sons.
12 and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of estate that falls to me.” goods that falleth to me.” So, he divided his wealth between them.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered everything together, and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.
15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.”

A lot of sad things occur in the lives of the young and inexperienced. It’s even worse when those things are tied to weak and evil situations. Notice first that this was a “young” man. The young often feel they are neglected in favor of an older brother or sister. This boy was surely one of those.

He had a legal right to the fortune of his father –not to all of it, but some. Yet, he was unwilling to wait for it. Normally, fortunes were not divided until the death of the father. But this boy wanted his portion now! He was not well-schooled at all in how to control spending! So, it disappeared much faster than it had come.

Forced to hire out to a foreigner, he went into the fields to feed swine. The famine he had ignored, now came to rest on his doorstep. He was hungry beyond belief! In fact, he was eager to have what the swine had to eat, and “no one was giving anything to him.”

Are you restless in your spirit? Have you discovered that so much of what the world offers is devoid of satisfaction? Are you filling your life with meaningless “pods”? That’s the way it is when we turn away from our Heavenly Father. Life’s “pods” are both tasteless and unhealthy. We would do well feast at His table, would we not?
Then, why are we not where we ought to be? Who’s to blame?

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 Timothy 4:14-18, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.
17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Some years ago, I was preaching in a evangelistic meeting in Virginia. All of the detains are forgotten now, but something I had not planned necessitated my revealing a particular person’s name. After the message, a lady came to me and challenged my having publicly mentioned the person’s name. The LORD immediately reminded me of Alexander the coppersmith and how Paul publicly called him out by name. I cited that situation as my biblical precedent and the conversation was over.

Whether the public mention of someone’s name is the right thing to do is itself debatable; but there is a precedent where the defence of the Scripture is involved. To fail to defend the entirety of the message the LORD has given us, is to leave the Scripture in limbo. In Paul’s case, the Gentiles needed to hear the Gospel, and those who themselves resisted the Gospel did not want others to hear it.

Paul’s confidence rested completely in the LORD. His confidence in the LORD prompted him to glorify Christ Jesus forever and wherever. We must be careful in possessing that same confidence. We must be bold, but only that His Word might be eternally glorified.

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 Timothy 4:9-11, “Make every effort to come to me soon;
10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”

What do you do when you find yourself in need help? You call for someone to help you, of course. Yet, if you are in the least of doubt that others will view your situation as seriously as you do, you emphasize your need by telling how bereft you are of helpers.

A lot of situations demand the help of capable, willing persons. Precisely what Paul needed, we are not told. We are simply left with the knowledge that there was more to do than could be done by the few helpers Paul had. The situation was critical. What if the only one who is available to help is someone who once let you down? Have you ever changed your mind about someone like that?

Barnabas had long been a companion of Paul. They had travelled through many areas, ministering together in the Gospel of Christ. Previously, John Mark had gone with them, but for some reason, he gave up and left them to carry on alone. Barnabas now wanted Mark to rejoin them in ministry, but Paul was absolutely opposed!

All of that disagreement occurred some years previously; Paul has now changed his mind. “Pick up Mark and bring him with you,” Paul says, “for he is useful to me for service.”

You may have experienced disappointment with someone in the past. You have changed; maybe that person has changed, too. The LORD has a way of changing the minds of His servants and bringing them together once again. Don’t let past experiences ruin your future! Let the experience of Paul and Mark speak to your life. Time and forgiveness are fantastic transformers. We just have to let them work.

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