The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 22:1-5, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

The word “worship” occurs 172 times in the Bible. It becomes something of a “bookend” verse used first in Genesis and later in the Revelation. It’s first usage signaled a recogniition of superiority, when Abraham instructed his servants to wait for his return with Isaac. It was also obviously intended to provoke obedience.

In the New Testament, the word worship is used by the LORD Jesus in a phrase to focus on doctrinal teaching. He quoted Isaiah as He rebuked the Pharisees:

“Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM
ME. 7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN’” (Mark 7:6-7).

Finally, in the Revelation (22:8-9), the Apostle John says: “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.” At that point, the angel rebuked John saying, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.’”

The question we face is: do we reverence the LORD as we worship? Today, as we gather in church, may the Holy Spirit urge us to humble ourselves before the LORD Jesus in true, unselfish, unadultrated reveremce before Him. He suffered and died on the Cross for our sins. He truly deserves our heart-felt worship. It’s an attitude that should never escape its display in our lives.
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,

Leviticus 19:15-18, “’You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
16 ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.
17 ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.
18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”

There is good and bod to almost everything. Some families like the freedom of living alone in the wide, open spaces; others, find comfort in living close to people in town. Everyone should be free to live where he wants and somewhat as he pleases. Personally, I like classical orchestras. I am not free, however, to play it as loudly as if it were in a concert hall. People who live around me have an equal right to peace and quiet.

The Scripture above was written in Old Testament times for Old Testament people. The principles involved, however, are just as relevant today as when they were written many years ago. Judgment in anything must always be just for everyone. We must never defer to someone simply because he is wealthy anymore than to someone who is poor. True justice treats everyone equally.

Slanderous gossip is strictly forbidden by the LORD! Neighbors may be reproved for doing things that infringe upon the rights of others, but they should never be slandered. They have rights, just as everyone else. Besides, if we have the right to live as we desire, we must grant others the same right. We are no better than our neighbors.

Personally, I have very good neighbors. I only trust that my conduct is as acceptable to them as theirs is to me. If you have difficult neighbors, pray for them and do something nice. The LORD changes people as we pray. Sometimes our prayers even change us!

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,

Exodus 23:2-9, “You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice;
3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.
5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.
6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute.
7 “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 “You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of the just.
9 “You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

It seems like yesterday. I could not have been more than 8 or 9 years of age. Walking along and alone, my eyes fell upon a wallet that someone had lost. Quickly, I seized it; and to my delirious excitement, I discovered that it contained money! – three bills: two $1 bills and one $10! Wow! Was I excited, or what?

I quickly reported it to my mother. She was happy for me, but insisted we needed to advertise the discovery and wait… wait to see if the true owner reported it missing, for there was no indication anywhere regarding who the owner was. Quite a discussion followed as I learned the principles outlined in our verses above.

The key instruction in the verses above is verse 6. It is a strong warning not to pervert God’s justice that is due to someone else. Such an instruction includes physical properties, but also goes well beyond them! That’s why I almost always include the Bible’s teaching that we all need to become children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. It’s far more important than anything else! What’s more, I am responsible to share what I have found of the Love and Grace of Almighty God.

Do you know Jesus? –not just that He lived and died and arose from the dead. Do you know Him as your LORD and Savior? A small Gideon New Testament here on my desk reads:

“Confessing to God that I am a sinner, and believing that the Lord Jesus
Christ died for my sins on the cross and was raised for my justification,
I do now receive and confess Him as my personal Savior.”

If you believe this and pray it to God, you will be saved! May God help you to do so!

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,

Exodus 10:9-11, “Moses said, ‘We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.’
10 “Then he (Pharaoh) said to them, ‘Thus may the LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is in your mind.
11 ‘Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desire.’ So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”

If you’ve ever had a confrontation with someone more powerful than you, you know something of what Moses experienced when he confronted Egypt’s Pharaoh. Moses’ demeanor is precisely what the LORD wants of us –provided that He has ordered the confrontation.

The LORD had spoken to Moses regarding how this all should be accomplished. Moses made certain that Israel’s departure from Egypt was the directive of the LORD. Then, he confronted Pharaoh, knowing that he was on solid ground.

“You just go ahead! Just take them! Take them all! And may the LORD be with you; you’re sure going to need His help.” All of this bespoke the sarcastic attitude of Pharaoh. Who knows but that Pharaoh was shaking in his boots as he spoke? We encounter such attitudes today. “Oh, you think God is going to help you, do you? Well, think again!”

What but the powerful Hand of the LORD could have kept Pharaoh from stopping Moses’? Freedom lies with the LORD! So, it is with us when we bear witness of Him at His direction.

Being “driven out from Pharaoh’s presence,” may, in that singular moment, have looked as if power had shifted away from Moses and into the hand of Pharaoh. But, it only looked that way in the eyes that doubted the power of Almighty God. So it is with many things today. Just don’t worry about your adversaries! God is ever and always in control! (Thank you, LORD!)

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,

Proverbs 26:12-19, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a
fool than for him.
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.
15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer.
17 Like one who takes a dog by the ears Is he who passes by and meddles with strife not
belonging to him.
18 Like a madman who throws Firebrands, arrows and death,
19 So is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, ‘Was I not joking?’”

Of all the Scriptures, Solomon’s Proverbs seem to need the least commentary. For while Solomon is touted as the wisest human who ever lived, his proverbs require less depth of thought than much of the entire Bible. I particularly like the 14th verse: “As the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed.” Who doesn’t understand that?

My dear wife always liked to invoke verse 20. Yes, purposely it is omitted it from the verses above, so that it might stand alone for a brief commentary.

“For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down” (v. 20). Whenever opposition arose in our house or whenever conversation skidded over into the “it’s-none-of-your-business” culvert, she always quoted this “lack of wood” verse. “That’s just none of our business,” she would say, “For the lack of wood, the fire goes out…” All conversation was brought to a stop!

We would do well to saturate our minds with Solomon’s proverbs. They are indeed as practical for our day and time as they were for Solomon’s era. Truth and wisdom do not grow old. They may have whiskers, but beneath the whiskers lie eternal truths that we would do well to emulate. So, before you criticize me for their mention here, just remember to refrain from tossing that piece of wood on the fire. Thank 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