The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 15:1-8, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly.
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.
4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but he who regards reproof is prudent.
6 Much wealth is in the house of the righteous, but trouble is in the income of the wicked.
7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not so.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.”

“Practical advice” literally amounts to thoughts and actions that make sense when practiced in daily life. Furthermore, it amounts to Divine instruction that produces peaceful living among people of various ethnic and religious beliefs.

In the few verses cited above, Solomon sets forth some sound advice that will, when it is obeyed, stand firmly in every situation. Verses one and two above relate
to a conversation that boasts of two sides. One side is wise; the other is foolish.

Furthermore, the LORD observes and evaluates everything: the evil and the good.
Recognizing who is taking notice of our words and deeds should surely control us.
The LORD has given to children the parents they need to guide them in their
formative years. Only fools ignore that instruction.

Wealth itself is neither righteous nor sinful. How it is obtained and how it is utilized
are what determines its importance. If wealth is not controlled, trouble will arise from its possession.

Wicked individuals can offer sacrifices; however, owing to their wickedness, their sacrifice is deemed unacceptable by the LORD. What delights the LORD is the
confessional prayer of an upright people.

Review all of this carefully. May we all be spiritually and morally upright because that is what produces delight in the LORD we all love and serve.

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,

1 Samuel 9:3-8, “Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, ‘Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys.’
4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, ‘Come, and let us return, lest my father cease to be concerned about the donkeys and become anxious for us.’
6 And he (the servant) said to him, ‘Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.’
7 Then Saul said to his servant, ‘But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?’
8 And the servant answered Saul again and said, ‘Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us our way.’”

There are a number of things that seem never to change. One is losing something. Another thing that never changes is our searching for the item that is lost, but without success. Finally, there is sound reasoning that ultimately brings success.

Still, the bigger question is: Why does it take us so long to come to the correct conclusion? Saul and his servant searched for the lost donkeys in five separate areas owned by neighbors, but without success. Then, they were reminded to check with the seer, the servant of God, who lived nearby.

Before we come down too hard on Saul and his servant, it would do us well to think of how we handle tough situations. Do we personally search for what has been lost? Do we not often waste considerable time consulting others before we pray and seek the LORD’s capable assistance? “We’ve done everything we can; I guess we’d better pray.” How weak is that?

Ultimately, Saul and his servant found the lost donkeys. More importantly, however, the seer, whom they learned was Samuel, had himself heard the LORD’s Voice saying, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people” (1 Sam. 9:17).

The LORD always possesses the answers we seek! Why do we seek answers elsewhere? How long has it been since you relied totally upon the LORD? You may just discover that He has been waiting upon you to seek Him out in prayer.

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 6:5-8, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7 And the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.’
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

In my recent readings, I came across a story of a group of children lined up for lunch in a Catholic school cafeteria. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. One of the nuns had written a note saying, “Take only one. Remember, God is watching.” At the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies where one of the students had also written a note saying, “Take all you want! God is watching the apples!”

I have no statistics to support my contention, yet I seriously doubt that there is a child (or an adult) anywhere in the world who has not at some time or other engaged in a mischievous activity thinking, “No one has seen me; no one will ever know.”

Yet, the Scripture quoted at the commencement of this Letter says otherwise. The LORD sees everything! What’s more, He knows the intention of every heart with respect to every activity of everyday life. The Hebrew word translated “saw” (raah) is mentioned more than 1900 times in the Scriptures. God is abundantly busy!

“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout
the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart
is completely His” (2 Chr. 16:9).

One day we will all stand before Him to give an account of our stewardship. His concern will overwhelm things like apples and cookies. He knows the intention behind every act, whether it be good or bad. It just might be well for each of us to take care how we live our lives. What seems small and hardly worth the mention now, will be of gargantuan proportions then. Most of all, He wants you to be His child now. You can come to know Him by sincerely praying, “I’m sorry for my sin against you, Father. Please forgive me and make me Your child.” At this point, your life will have charted a new course! He will then be your Father, if you will only believe 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 37:23-28, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD; and He delights in his way.
24 When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.
25 I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread.
26 All day long he is gracious and lends; and his descendants are a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good, so you will abide forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice, and does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever; but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.”

It is utterly unquestionable but that the LORD is ever and always in control over the events in the universe. We know that He controls the heavenly bodies, and through them He controls light and energy as it befalls the earth.

At the same time, we are forced to admit that man often fails in his multiple attempts to be in charge and exercise his own control over the universe. Still, the Psalmist argues that man is subject to failure, and would be fallen forever were it not for the Hand of the LORD strengthening him. In fact, throughout his lifetime, this psalmist has never seen the righteous forsaken by the LORD.

It is the contention of the Scripture immediately before us that the LORD is gracious in His provisions for the righteous. The LORD loves justice, and He forsakes not a single one who is righteous. In fact, His godly ones “are preserved forever,” while the wicked will be cut off.

This leaves those of us who are committed to Christ without a single, valid complaint. Verse 31 goes on to say, “The law of his (the righteous man’s) God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.” Instead of presuming on the grace of God, we would do well to be grateful for His love and provisions for us. It’s about time we said, “Thank You, LORD” and lived
with gratitude for all He is and does.

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 45:6-7, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.
7 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee with the oil of joy above Thy fellows.”

When the United States of America was first formed, it was the consensus of our Founding Fathers that it should be a Republic instead of a Monarchy, as in Great Britain. In the most recent issue of The Herald of Hope Magazine, Associate Editor, Vince Wall, authors a piece entitled “The Everlasting Reign,” in which he notes the dedication of the late Queen Elizabeth II to our LORD Jesus Christ. I was impressed to reprint a portion of it for our Grands Letter readers.

“When Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953, the Orb was presented to her along with these words: ‘Receive this Orb set under the cross and remember that the entire world is subject to the power and Empire of Christ our Redeemer.’”

“Her Majesty, the Queen, made sure that people viewing her funeral would hear the words of the one and only Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Christ’s words rang out in the Cathedral and all around the world as the Bible was read during the service: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die’ (Jn. 11:25-26).

“The Queen knew that there was a Greater Ruler than herself and that there were greater mansions beyond her earthly palaces. Again, the words of Jesus resonated throughout the Cathedral:

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live; and whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die” (Jn. 11:25-26).

“When Queen Elizabeth died, she left everything behind, including her Corgis, her crown, her carriages and her castles. More important than her possessions, our Queen left behind something of great value for all to share. She left her words of wisdom, spoken in her annual Christmas addresses.” In the year 2000, Queen Elizabeth II stated in her Christmas address:

“To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to live my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example…Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope.”

What ought to impress us all in the Queen’s words is that one can be ensconced in a superior position of responsibility and yet be out-spoken for the LORD Jesus Christ. How out-spoken are you of Him? Behavior
certainly must support our contention. In other words, we have to be
something before we can do anything to the praise of His glory! The big
question is: are we?

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