The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 123:1-4, “To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He shall be gracious to us.
3 Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us; For we are greatly filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is greatly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud.”

Have you not noticed that when we gesture with respect to the LORD, we most often gesture toward the heavens? Of course, the LORD God is everywhere at all times; still, it is interesting that we view His primary residence as “upward.”

We, who are His servants, look to Him for instruction regarding our daily lives, just as human servants look to those in authority over them. We wait for the LORD to reveal His will to us before we move or speak in obedience to His command.

The utter contempt of the proud disturbs us. They live as if there is no authority above themselves. They deride everyone who relies on the LORD for their provisions and direction in life. They mock Him, as if He did not exist. They live as if they needed nothing or anyone. Certainly, we are troubled by their derision because we know the LORD lives and lovingly desires to save all mankind. Yet, with their focus upon themselves and their accumulation of wealth and affluence, they move through life as if there were no God at all.

Unquestionably, we are to be prepared to carry out our LORD’s instructions. Our eyes must always be focused upon Him. He knows the contempt of the wicked, and has a specific timing for our witness of His love and salvation. Keep your eyes and thoughts upon the LORD. He has timed our obedience with the unseen hunger of the hearts of the wicked. Be ever and always ready to speak at His instruction.

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 116:1-5, “I Love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress
and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD: ‘O LORD, I beseech Thee, save my life!’
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.”

There is nothing like a true confession. Moreover, there is nothing like a true confession of love. There is no music, however melodiously sweet and soothing, that compares with a quiet voice earnestly saying, “I love you.” In that respect, I am confident when I say that the LORD beholds nothing so sweet to His ears than for us –His children—to say “I love You, LORD.”

When we approach the LORD tenderly and lovingly, just to say, “I love You, LORD,” asking nothing. He knows there is no hidden agenda within our hearts. The psalmist says, “…He has inclined His ear to me…” He is listening attentively to the earnestness of our pleadings.

When death approaches and frightful thoughts of the unknown come to mind, it is then that we call upon the LORD. We then emphasize His Name and call upon Him to save our lives! Certainly, we are not worthy the least of His favor; still, He is gracious and righteous; and yes, He is exceedingly compassionate.

Now you know why I love the LORD, and why He loves me. He loves you, too; but how long has it been since you told Him you loved Him? He’s waiting, and the psalmist has laid the groundwork for your approach. Tell Him today. Tell Him now! You will feel an inrush of 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,

Psalm 112:1-4, Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His
commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.”

In a previous Letter, we discussed how many variations there are for the meaning of the English word “fall.” Did you check me on that? I ask because the same applies to the word “fear.” What does it mean to “fear the LORD”? Moreover, how could one who fears the LORD “greatly delight in His commandments”? The meaning of that first verse turns on the meaning of the Hebrew word ) ?????yare(. Sometimes the word means “terror”; at other times, it means “reverence.” The context determines the actual meaning.

In this Psalm, the meaning is “reverence.” “How blessed is the man who reverences the LORD…” When he does, he also “delights in His commandments.” That delight lies in the knowledge that the man’s “descendants will be mighty on Earth.” Furthermore, the generation that delights in the LORD and follows His instruction, will be blessed with wealth and great riches. What’s even more important is that the man’s righteousness will endure forever.

Light and darkness here are euphemisms for “good times and bad times.” There may be times when darkness hovers over the lives of those who reverence the LORD. Yet, that darkness will be dispelled by the righteous Light of the LORD. We are, therefore, greatly encouraged to “praise the LORD” always. He promises to be gracious and compassionate toward us if we live righteously. Don’t ever become despondent! The LORD is always in control. Study His Word and trust Him. God will bless you abundantly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. I greatly appreciate the kind and thoughtful responses related to my recent fall. I am now doing well.

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 103:1-6, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The LORD performs righteous deeds, And judgments for all who are oppressed.”

I awoke this morning after a good night’s rest with this passage on my mind. We are so inclined to whine over the trivialities of life; yet, our LORD is to be blessed and praised regardless of the negative circumstances we encounter. “…forget none of His benefits,” the passage clearly reads. Interestingly, while I “battle” a few bruises and what appears to be an increasingly blackening of my eyes, my email inbox tells of a 17-year-old Christian boy, who broke his back in four places in a one-car automobile accident.

The psalmist, David, is clever in that he does not leave us alone to think of the LORD’s blessings. He enumerates some categories, just in case our thoughts want to side-step the LORD’s innumerable blessings. The LORD “pardons all (our) iniquities.” That in itself should be sufficient for us to praise Him. He “heals all (our) diseases.” Certainly, we thank the LORD for the skillful knowledge of doctors. But, who gives them the intelligence to pursue and “conquer” the maladies that capture all of our thoughts? The LORD alone is to be praised!

Further, the LORD “redeems (our lives) from the pit.” I take that to mean the fires of Hell itself. Trusting Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross for our sins becomes our only redemption from eternal separation from Him. In the meantime, we are instructed to thank Him for His “lovingkindness and compassion” that encircles our lives. We are to be satisfied in our remaining years with the “good things” that renews our lives, as when we were young.

These negative circumstances that invade our lives are sometimes His judgments. He uses them to remind us that He alone is LORD, and that He is to be obeyed! Let me challenge you to read the remaining verses of this Psalm. It concludes with the words, “Bless the LORD, O my soul,” teaching us to trust Him in every circumstance of life, be it trivial or life-threatening. God offers His blessing to you. Thank Him 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,

Genesis 2:21a, “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept…”
Exodus 5:3, “Then they said, ‘The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.’”
Leviticus 9:24, “Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”
Numbers 11:9, “And when the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.”
Deuteronomy 9:18, “And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger.”

The verses above demonstrate only some of the usages and tenses of the word fall in the first five books of the Bible. Overall, there are almost 600 notations of that word throughout the Scriptures. If you want a big surprise, look up the word fall in a dictionary and note how many varied meanings and usages the word truly has. I would not have believed it myself.

My interest in that word and its various usages became quite personal this week when I experienced a physical fall! Yes, I was returning some tools to their place in the garage, when I slipped or tripped or just plain lost my balance on one of three steps and fell, requiring a visit to the Emergency Room of a local hospital, two cat-scans, and an overnight stay. I have two undeniable black, swollen eyes, a nose-cut that required four or five stitches, and a thankfully receding bulge in the center of my forehead. (Anyone ready for Round 2? I was ready to throw in the towel!)

Of course, believing that nothing happens by accident, I prayed, asking the LORD, “Why did all of this have to occur? Have I done or said something that necessitated a punishment like this?” I honestly searched my soul. His reply came when I counted the nurses, therapists, doctors, patient transporters and aids of various orderlies with whom I had the opportunity to share Christ. No, they did not prostrate themselves before the LORD and pray to receive Him. But, they LISTENED! They didn’t argue or seek to put down my witness. There wasn’t even a cynical grin.

These medical people, like multitudes of others, view mangled lives and deaths every day. I spoke nothing of politics, only of Jesus! And they LISTENED! I offer this as no boast for anything I said or did. Rather, “This is the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes” (Psa. 118:23). Don’t be afraid! They are knowledgeable in their fields to our advantage. We must be knowledgeable in our faith for them! Some people know Him, but need encouragement to share Him! Others are simply religious, but have no personal knowledge of our forgiving, saving Redeemer! Time becomes shorter as the days gp by. Release your faith boldly to the word-at-large! The LORD’s reward will come in eternity!

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