The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jonah 1:1-4, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,
2 ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.’
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
4 The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.”

Were you ever ordered by a superior to do something you didn’t want to do? I won’t dare to illustrate the question, because we both already know the answer: you simply didn’t do what you were told to do. This was Jonah’s problem. He thought he had good reason. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria, and was indeed a “great city.” Nineveh was “about sixty miles in circumference, covering 216 square miles, with a population of 600,000” (Lee, The Outlined Bible). It may seem an impossible task, still that was not Jonah’s thought.

The Assyrians had long been a formidable and ferocious enemy of Israel. The torturous activities that were inflicted upon the Jews are unspeakable! Jonah knew that were he to declare the LORD’s warning to the Ninevites, they would repent. He simply did not want them to repent! He did not want them to be shown any of the LORD’s mercy.

Did you ever feel that way about someone? “He doesn’t deserve mercy!” you have said. Well, turn the question on yourself: Do you deserve God’s mercy? Do I deserve it? Absolutely, not! If we deserved it, it would not be mercy!

It’s noteworthy, too, that from Jonah’s learning of the LORD’s desire to forgive Nineveh, he consistently went downward! He went “down to Joppa,” went “down into the ship,” and ultimately, “down into the sea.” Such is the warning to us when we question God’s purpose with our lives.

In the end, the LORD’s will was accomplished. Jonah would have done better to have obeyed the LORD’s will from the beginning. As a matter of fact, so would we! Do you know the LORD’s will for your life? Are you seeking to follow it? Think twice before you turn away from His will. His will will be accomplished, and you will then miss His blessing!

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,

Obadiah 1:11-15, “On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem– You too were as one of them.
12 “Do not gloat over your brother’s day, the day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their distress.
13 “Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their disaster.
14 “Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of their distress.
15 “For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.”

Sometimes rifts in families run deep; and like running streams, they seem to flow on forever. Such was true of the descendants of Esau in their relationship with the Israelites. The sin of Jacob against his father, Isaac, and his scheme against his brother Esau, fully deprived the Edomites of their birthright. From that time onward, the Edomites did everything in their power to hinder the prosperity of Jacob’s descendants.

Funny, how we can read and note these rivalries in the Bible, but never give thought to how they might (and do!) apply to us today. We smile and even laugh at the Hatfields v. the McCoys, but ignore such factors as applying equally and realistically to us today. Clearly, the Scripture says otherwise.

The LORD expressly forbids the Edomites’ “gloating” over Israel’s destruction and “boasting” over her misfortune. He forbids “entering Israel’s gates,” presumbly to demonstrate any “smugness” with regard to their adversity. Without equivocation, the Scriptures indicate in the verses above that “As you have done (to others), it will be done to you.”

Not only does this Old Testament book speak to our needs today; it gives promise that the LORD is ever and always awake to our motives, as well as our actions. Simply put, we cannot do wrong and get by. It is to our advantage to hear and heed the Word of the LORD regarding forgiveness.
Failure to do so only leads to disaster, as is clearly noted in these and other Scriptures.

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,

Amos 2:4-7, “Thus says the LORD, ‘For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the law of the LORD And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those after which their fathers walked.
5 “So I will send fire upon Judah And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.’
6 Thus says the LORD, “For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 “These who pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the helpless also turn aside the way of the humble; and a man and his father resort to the same girl In order to profane My holy name”

Do you remember the times when you were warned against doing something, but went ahead and did it? The end result was not as attractive as the “doing” of it, was it? Oh, believe me! I remember such times! For a time, it seemed as if you were getting away without punishment. Then the warning arose like a sudden storm and you learned what it meant to take heed, lest you fell into doing it again.

Amos became a prophet later in life. Prior to that, he cared for trees and the fruit they produced. But the call of God came to him, and the greater part of his life thereafter consisted in the proclamation of God’s punishment upon the nations who failed to obey Him.

The LORD’s indignation was proclaimed against nations that were occupying land the LORD has previously given to Israel. Other indignation concerned Israel’s own godless behavior. The simple truth of the message to us is that God does not forget what He has promised –be it a blessing or a curse. And the prophet was not permitted to alter what the LORD had proclaimed.

This book of Amos speaks loudly to our current generation. We are guilty of the same ungodliness that was being practiced in Amos’ day. The guilt of a nation’s people reaches into the nation’s government. We like to blame others for sinning, when they are but a shadow of the rest of us who elected them. As with Amos, Hosea also speaks to us with unmistakable clarity:

“Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break
up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain
righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12).

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,

Jeremiah 3:12-13, “Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not be angry forever.
13 ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the LORD your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the LORD.”

Old Scottish Principal Whyte spoke of the Book of Jeremiah as “the most spiritual book in the Old Testament.” Dr. W. W. White added, “So far as we have a data for judgment, Jeremiah was the healthiest, youngest, bravest, grandest man of Old Testament history.” Jeremiah was indeed called by the LORD to proclaim His Word of judgment against His people.

What a twist of circumstances it is that we have self-proclaimed ministers today, who are committing the very sins the LORD condemned in and through the preaching of Jeremiah!

The initial sin pronounced in our verses above is that of faithlessness. We claim to be the Church of the LORD Jesus Christ, yet we fail to declare the message contained in His righteous Word! Instead, we engage in sin that transgresses and besmirches the integrity of the very LORD we claim to serve.

Sin is really nothing new since even before the days of Jeremiah. What is reprehensible is that we know our sin is wrong, yet we ignore the warning of our LORD’s true ministers and continue to engage in it. The LORD loves us just as a father loves his child; but it is that very love that works to subdue sin and implant righteousness in its place. Don’t resist the ways of the LORD! Listen to Jeremiah! Listen to Godly Pastors! Turn away from sin! Repent and receive Jesus Christ as the LORD of your life. You have nothing to lose except sadness and sorrow and discouragement and death and eternity in the fires of Hell.

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,

Zephaniah 1:4-7, “So I will stretch out My hand against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests.
5 “And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,
6 And those who have turned back from following the LORD, And those who have not sought the LORD or inquired of Him.”
7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.”

Recently, I received an email asking if I believed the LORD would allow the United States to experience trials similar to those that plagued Israel when she turned her back on Him. It’s both difficult and dangerous to state specifically what the LORD will do in any given situation. Still, we may rest assured that we (i.e., the USA) will not be granted special privileges. We’ve already received more blessing from the LORD than any nation on Earth! Yet, we continue to ignore Him as if He were not there.

Notice how the priests followed other gods, and how the people followed the ways of their priests. I cannot but think of the scores of “ministers,” whose focus is on the things of this world, rather than the things of Christ. Is it any wonder why their congregations grow? They have the semblance of worship, but have no more interest in the LORD than do the ministers who lead them.

People who are seriously seeking true spiritual help, find themselves often being led by unsaved, non-spiritual pastors, who remind us of Eli’s sons in the First Book of Samuel. We are living closer than we know to the Day of the LORD. Remember the warning: “Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near…”

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