The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 7:1-9, “O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge; save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
2 or he will tear my soul like a lion, dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands,
4 If I have rewarded evil to my friend, or have plundered him who. without cause was my adversary,
5 Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and let him trample my life down to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.
6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries, and arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, and over them return on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; for the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.”

When you know you’re in trouble… When you’ve sought every possible means of
extricating yourself from the danger… When there is no conceivable way of escape from your antagonists, seek the LORD’s deliverance and throw yourself upon the mercy of His Supreme Court.

After fully expressing himself and acknowledging the LORD as the Supreme Judge, the psalmist prays that the “evil of the wicked will come to an end” and that righteousness will be established by the LORD God as He judges the hearts and minds of David’s adversaries.

Note especially verse 10: “My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart.”
A shield is a defensive weapon. In effect, David says, “If God cannot protect me, I have no protection.” Is that not what we, too, should acknowledge? All too often, we resort to self-defence, when we ought to rely upon the LORD. Whatever we face… however formidible our adversaries are… the LORD is our Supreme Defender!

Do you know Him? Does He know you as one of His? Oh, I almost forgot! He only defends those who are His, but, you can become His through a simple, but sincere trust, acknowledged in prayer. I am praying daily for you to know Him.

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 6:1-10, “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.
3 And my soul is greatly dismayed; but You, O LORD– how long?
4 Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; save me because of Your lovingkindness.
5 For there is no mention of You in death; in Sheol who will give You thanks?
6 I am weary with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears.
7 My eye has wasted away with grief; it has become old because of all my adversaries.
8 Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, for the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication, the LORD receives my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; they shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”

Have you done something that was so shameless that you doubted that the LORD would ever forgive you? Have you ever been so grevious over a sin you’ve committed that you have cried throughout the night in sorrow? All sin is serious to the LORD; and all sin ought to be exceedingly serious to us!

This psalm clearly suggests that David has committed a grevious sin in his life. Other passages of Scriptures detail somewhat other sins in David’s life; but this psalm suggests something far more sinister still than those with which we are familiar.

Without question, viewing sin as serious and against God’s will drives the serious believer to mourn its commission as he pleads for the LORD’s mercy. David’s tears may well have been shed for both his sin and the punishment he is destined to receive. When sin is repeated, however, it cannot be denied that the tears we shed are more for the punishment we are destined to receive than for the wrong that has been committed.

When, however, the soul is vexed, we should know that the result of the sin has pierced more deeply than the mind. We certainly ought to be sorrowful for the overt results of that sin; yet, knowing that Christ suffered on the Cross for the sin we’ve committed, should pierce us more deeply still. Dosn’t the parent of the child always
grieve more deeply than the child himself?

As serious as sin is –and as utterly devastating as this sin was—David is enabled to think of the LORD and the praise He deserves. “The LORD has heard my prayer; I am assured that He will do it hereafter; I have, therefore, nothing to fear.” We are, therefore, to know with certainty that He hears our repentant prayers, too. Thus, we are to trust Him in the forgiveness of sin and fear no future retribution.

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 5:1-8, “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my groaning.
2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
3 In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity.
6 You destroy those who speak falsehood; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
7 But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, at Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
8 O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; make Your way straight before me.”

One of the exciting things about reading Scripture is that those who lived in biblical times were not that different from us today. They lacked the conveniences we possess, but awoke from sleep much like we, not quite awake and murmuring. Nevertheless, they commenced the day in prayer.

The sleeper’s recognition of the LORD, however, is quite positive. The LORD is the servant’s first thought of the morning; and he viewes the LORD as exceedingly righteous! The LORD hates wickedness and despises boastfulness that arises from hatred and deceit.

At the same time, the LORD is possessed of an abundant of lovingkindness, making it easier for the servant to enter His Holy Temple in total reverence. I have to wonder if we are like this servant. Do we embrace what He admires? Do we despise what he loathes? And do we approach Him in total reverence?

Somewhere I read of a liberal pastor, who said there was a time of total silence in their church services: no singing, no music, no audible prayers, no reading of the Scriptures –just quiet, peaceful, silent worshipful thoughts about Jesus and what He has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection. Could we cease the things we call “worship” for a glorious time of spiritual reflection? Could we not “awaken” to a pure worship as we awaken to murmurings from sleep?

Help us, O LORD, to learn how to worship in reverence, as is pleasing to 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

Dear Grands,

Psalm 4:1-8, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.
4 Tremble, and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the LORD.
6 Many are saying, ‘Who will show us any good?’ Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!
7 You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.”

We would all do well to express our thoughts in words that praise and glorify the
LORD. Only recently, I reviewed the “Baby Book” my dear mother used as a

My mother had been medically advised that she would never be able to have any children. Her mother simply said, “Well, he’s never reckoned with the LORD.” Isn’t that how we should resolve our difficulties? –even negative advice we receive from those we perceive as “experts”? We should “know that the LORD has set apart (His own) …for Himself. Indeed, the LORD hears when (we) call upon Him.”

While there are always those who would discourage us, we are divinely instructed to “trust in the LORD.” We are to rely upon Him to enlighten our hearts with gladness, even more so than when we possess from Him our necessary food. It is then that our hearts and minds rest well in sleep, cloaked with the sure knowledge that the LORD enables us to “dwell in safety.”

So, lay aside those pesky thoughts that plague our lives and deprive us of comfort! They have not come from Him! “In peace,” the psalmist says, the LORD Himself will provide both rest and safety.

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 3:1-8, “O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me.
2 Many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no deliverance for him in God.’ Selah.
3 “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.”
4 I was crying to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.
7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”

There may have been times when you wished you were first in authority over some things: “If I were only in charge of this situation, things would be different,” you have thought. Yet, being the one “in authority” is not all that it’s cracked up to be! David was unquestionably the authority, yet he could not even control his own son, Absalom.

Absalom wanted to be king more than anything! In time, he assembled his own men and sought to kill and defeat David, his father –all that he might become king.

It was at this point that David feared his own son! Even David’s own men doubted that he would survive in a battle against Absalom. But, Absalom had not reckoned with the LORD! David had! It was then that David could restfully sleep, knowing that the LORD was on his side.

When David awoke from sleep, he possessed a new outlook on the situation! He had the LORD contending for him; thus, he had no one to fear! We have nothing to fear when the LORD is with us! We have only to trust Him to win the battle on our behalf.

What battles are you currently facing? What circumstances are keeping you awake at night? In whom have you placed your confidence and trust? Let your trust be always in Jesus. He not only died to save your from your sins, He arose victoriously from the dead! No other king has ever done that! That’s one reason why Jesus is called “King of kings!”
Is He your “King of kings?” He can be if you will but trust Him. I am
trusting Him, even as 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