The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 119:9-17, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to
Your Word.
10 With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments.
11 Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.
12 Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.
13 With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways.
16 I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.
17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your Word.”

Inasmuch as we credit Solomon with much of the writing of the Psalms (and rightfully so), it does us all well, regardless of our physical or spiritual age, to apply these thoughts to our hearts and lives as often as every day.

Purity of life is at the top of the list, and it aids us to consider the entirety of that list every day. We do that by treasuring within our hearts His teachings –both affirmations and prohibitions! Those teachings reside in His statutes. They are words that provoke us to obedience. When we abide in those teachings, they further provoke us, as we think of His delight!

The Psalmist prays that we may not forget the Lord’s Word. Simultaneously, he expresses his desire to live in the Word, always obeying it to the maximum. That same delight is ours, as we keep and obey His Word. Yet, even in language translation, we must maintain the ultimate possibility of the Scripture’s meaning. Then, and only then, can it be said of us that we are truly living in His Word.

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,

Ecclesiastes 12:11-14, “The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

Life is filled with distractions! Have you not noticed? Some “things” are worth the time and energy necessary to understand and employ them in life. Many are not. Why then, do we fritter away our time with “meaningless things” instead of investing it in things of proven value?

Solomon cites the value of words originating from wise men. He says that they are like goads, proding us onward toward what may well be viewed as a worthwhile goal –a goal given by the Shepherd. Simultaneously, His warning is that “excessive devotion to books” is wearisome overall.

Have you not noticed that those who consistently warn us against certain things, incessently engage in them themselves? We need variety in almost everything. Certain foods may be more desirable than others; yet, even they must occasionally be “tempered” or changed.

What we must not forget is to “fear God.” That does not mean to be afraid of Him; rather, it
means to love Him so sufficiently that His desires will become our desires. And the things He hates will become the things we also despise. No one says all of this is easy. But things that are easy are often not worthwhile.

Think today of some unessentials in your life and erase them from your interest. Read your
Bible. Glean truths from His Word and apply them to your life. In the process of time, those applications will be more and more meaningful. And as they are, you will become more like 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,

Mark 1:1-4, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;
3 THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

Did you ever pick up a book to read and start your reading at the end of the book? Hardly. If we’re going to get any sense out of anything we read, we have to start where the author starts. The same is true of the Bible.

The word “gospel” (??????????) means “good news,” and Mark, the human author of this book, commences his writing about “Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Everything about Jesus is Good News: His life, His teachings, His deportment, His love, His prayerfulness; but most of all, His willingness to subject Himself to the vile treatment of mankind– His suffering and death on the cross.

That may not seem like good news when we examine all that He encountered and suffered;
Everything He did, however, was for the benefit of mankind. Every negative encounter in our lives requires accountability. Daily articles in the news reveal multiple nefarious acts of people all around us. Our sins may not appear as severe as those of others, but we will one day give account for them, nevertheless.

The “good” in Good News is not what we’ve done. It’s what the LORD Jesus has done for us!
We have actions that deserve the Cross; yet, He endured it for us! We have thoughts that deserve the Cross. He endured the Cross for all of our evil. In fact, every thought and act of evil in our lives has been paid for in Jesus’ crucifixion! Now, for His activity to be validated for us, we must turn our lives over to Him. We must accept Him, and what He did for us, and say “Thank You” in the dedication of your life to Him. Have you done that?

Pray a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, I am sorry for all my sin. Please forgive me. Thank You for dying on the Cross to save me. I love You and trust You to forgive all my sins. Just make me one of Your children, and let Your Life be visible to others through me. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”

You may or may not “feel” anything when you pray this prayer. Just BELIEVE that He has done what He promises in His Word. That’s the key word: Believe! Now, share Him with a
friend.

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,

Ecclesiastes 12:1-2; 6-12, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;
2 before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain…
6 Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;
7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
11 The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.”

The dictionary defines a “hobby” as “an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.” In some sense of this definition, I have found the reading of
both the Bible and biblically-related themes as relaxing. The above warning words of Solomon, the “Preacher,” notwithstanding, I have discovered in reading a treasure-trove of spiritual truths omitted in previous days due to multiple obligations.

One of the themes that has for years intrigued me is that of the Second Coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. Leon J. Wood, the author that I am currently reading, gives this most interesting comment:

“The modern state of Israel is now a reality in the world. The student of prophecy need no longer say merely that this will happen some day, but that it has already happened. This is one of the clearest and most unmistakable signs that the last-day events are near at hand. One should still be cautious, of course, and avoid being too specific. One should realize that God’s timetable could call for Israel to be in the land for many years before bringing the fruition of the age. But with the nation actually there, and with many factors concerning it fitting into conditions set forth in Scripture for the last days, as will be seen, one may safely believe that Christ’s coming is not far in the future.”

I was in Australia at the time of Israel’s Six-Day War with Egypt. An Australian soldier was
excitedly proclaiming his intense desire to be there and engaged in the conflict. I asked him why he should care so, inasmuch as he was an Australian. His reply was, “I am Australian, but I AM JEWISH!”

It was never my thought that I would be alive when the Six-Day War occurred in Israel. We are surely living in the End Times of human history. It is possible that you, reading this Letter, may be alive to see Jesus Return to Earth from Heaven! All I can say is: BE PREPARED! If you’ve never trusted Him as your Savior, do it now! To do it then will be too late. “Today is the Day of Salvation!”

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,

II Kings 2:9-14, “When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.
12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.”

Elijah and Elisha always seemed to me like Siamese twins. Yet, while they were alike in many respects, they were in reality quite different. Elijah was the principle prophet in First Kings.
Elisha was the principle personality in Second Kings. “Elijah’s ministry was characterized by great public acts with emphasis upon God’s Law and Judgment. Elisha, on the other hand, emphasized the LORD’s grace, love and tenderness. Both ministered to the Northern Kingdom.

The time had come for Elijah’s meeting with the LORD in Heaven. Elisha would then undertake the earthly ministry of his protégé. Not all of us are called to do exactly what others are called to do. Look at how expanded the ministries of preachers are due to their exposure on radio and/or television. Yet, those who labor in the media itself are the enablers of those ministers who share the Word of God.

What is your ministry? Not everyone is called to pastor a church. Not everyone is called into evangelism by way of the pulpit. Yet, there are multiple avenues for sharing the Word of the LORD with spiritually hungry people. The type of ministry is always subservient to the message itself. Thus, the pastor, who has been spiritually trained for his role, is no greater in God’s sight than the layman, who supports his pastor in prayer and with monetary gifts.

When my wife was ill and spent much time in hospital, we learned that our presents there was to witness of the grace and mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ. Not everyone who received our witness came to faith in Him; yet, those who did come to know Him, went on to glorify Him through their lives and in their professions.

What is your profession? How are you witnessing to the Grace and Love of the LORD Jesus Christ? Like Elijah and Elisha, you’re where you are for a reason –His Reason! Be faithful!

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