The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Joel 1:11-15, “Be ashamed, O farmers, Wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley; because the harvest of the field is destroyed.
12 The vine dries up and the fig tree fails; the pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, all the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up from the sons of men.
13 Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, for the grain offering and the drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.
14 Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.”

Scholars tell us that nothing is known of the prophet Joel except for what he gives us himself in verse 1. His name means “Jehovah is my God.” He may have been the very earliest of the prophetic writers. If so, he would undoubtedly have known the prophets Elijah and Elisha.

It was common in those early days for plagues of locusts to swarm and devour the land. They left nothing but ruin in their wake. Both Moses and Solomon had spoken of locust plagues as being the LORD’s divine chastisements on a disobedient people. But, Joel was speaking of a plague that has yet to come. It is not to be a plague of literal locusts, as in earlier days, but an invasion of human armies that would swarm upon the people, because they refuse to obey the words of the LORD their God!

As with Joel’s prophecy, so is the Word of God to us. Currently, we face multiple intrusions into both our nation and our personal lives. The concern of the LORD remains the same for us as it does for Israel. He is as personally concerned for our individual lives as He is for whole of the nations that would look to Him for deliverence.

The history of the LORD’s people is that He always delivers them from their adversaries when they repent of their sin against Him. It is now the same for us and for all countries who will repent of their sins and trust Him for their deliverence. No nation is knowledgable of the day of its demise. The locusts swarmed in judgment when He allowed it. So will it be with us. Just as we have no knowledge of the day of our departure from this life, so is it with penitent nations of the world.

When we see the clouds begin to gather and darken, we know that a storm is on its way. Spiritual clouds are darkening; we have the great and final storm on the horizon. If ever there was a time to confess our sins and pray, it is now!

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,

Nehemiah 1:1-6, “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month Chislev (December), in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capitol,
2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. .
5 I said, ‘I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,
6 let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.’”

Does bad news prompt you to pray? It did for Nehemiah. To the best of my knowledge, this
Book of Nehemiah is the only book in the Bible that commences and concludes with prayer.
At the same time, we would do well personally to commence and conclude every day with earnest and burdensome prayer.

The burden of Nehemiah’s prayer was not for himself, although he considered his own need for prayer prior to laying the needs of his nation before the LORD. Surely, our prayers for our nation require that we pray first for forgiveness of our own sin. Nor should our prayers be
rushed and thin. True prayer –prayer that gets through to Almighty God—requires much time.

There are currently 195 countries in our world. Without exception, each and every country
needs the help and blessing of God. Of course, many don’t want God’s “interference”; and
others sincerely desire His help, but either do not know Him or fail to call upon Him. Missionaries seek eagerly to bring native people to faith in Jesus; yet, we often fail to pray for the missionaries.

May we earnestly agree to engage the LORD in prayer at both the commencement and the conclusion of every day. Pray for the spiritually lost and the spiritually straying. Pray for those
whose political decisions affect us and our families. Pray for those who protect us from the
elements of devastation that often befall us. Pray for the sick and the suffering. Pray for your
church and your pastor(s). May we all learn to lean on the LORD and trust His workings.
Thank you, Nehemiah, for showing us that it can be done! Thank You, LORD for doing 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,

Ezra 7:6-10, “This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
7 Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him.
10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

Were you ever introduced to someone who failed to impress you? You wondered why anyone
would take the time to present such a bland person to anyone? Then, you became aware that
that very man was a person of historic lineage and of great authority! Well, Ezra would have
been a person in that category.

Ezra was a descendant of Hilkiah, who was the High Priest in the reign of Josiah. Yet, Ezra was not permitted to exercise his priestly duties due to his having been held in captivity in Babylon. Still, he gave himself thoroughly to the study of “The Word of the LORD,” producing these writings somewhere around the year of 457 B.C.

The times of Ezra were quite distinct from our own time today; yet his message was clear and emphasized the power of the Word of God as it affected all aspects of Hebrew life. Key phrases serve to outline Ezra’s entire work, and give a clear message regarding the power of the Word in every aspect of religious, social and civil life.

We would all do well to delve daily into the Scriptures as Ezra did. We have distractions that differ from his; yet we have just as much time. Give yourself the opportunity to read and study the Word of God every day. Savor the Word like you would a sweet chocolate. It will be good
for your spiritual life. And you will grow increasingly to be like Jesus.

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,

Judges 1:1-7, “Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?’
2 And the LORD said, ‘Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.’
3 Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, ‘Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you. So Simeon went with him.
4 And Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands; and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.
5 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
7 And Adoni-bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.’ So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.”

From the time of Moses, the LORD had promised Israel that He had a land for them to possess. At the death of Moses, Joshua became Israel’s leader. Then Joshua died and the Canaanites were still in control of the land –land that the LORD had promised Israel.

We would do well to note that without a human leader, the plan the LORD had for Israel was to conquer and eliminate the Canaanites. When the Sons of Israel inquired of the LORD who should first attack the Canaanites, the LORD replied, “Judah shall go up; behold I have given the land in his hand.”

We’re not told why, but apparently Judah was fearful of defeat; so he asked his brother, Simeon, to join him in the attack against the Canaanites. It became their plan and they set aside the plan the LORD had given to Judah alone.

How like Israel we are yet today! We face a difficulty, turn to the LORD in prayer, receive the
answer clearly, then we add or subtract some aspects to the LORD’s response. Why, with all of the miracles Israel had witnessed under Moses, leaving Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, and living off of manna in the wilderness– why would they doubt the LORD now?

Yet, the same is true of us today. We substitute “a streak of luck,” for the LORD’s blessings when He has Himself set before us His blessings. And instead of thanking Him, we chalk it up to “good fortune.” Oh, how like Israel we are! May we learn to trust Him to mean what He says and to never attribute His blessings to another!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make
your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD
and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment
to your bones (Prov. 3:5-8).

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 3:5-13, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body, and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, or loathe His reproof,
12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father, the son in whom he delights.
13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.”

Every parent in the world would do well to read and re-read these nine verses of explicit
wisdom and require their children to read them also. It’s doubtful that anyone will find words
more valuable for the spiritual grooming of youth than these. Those who know the ways of King Solomon in the days of his youth might wonder how the wisdom of his own thoughts could have escaped his lifestyle.

Knowing and doing are two different things for all of us. We read and understand the wisdom
behind what we read, but we often utterly fail in the application of it to our own lives. I am reminded of Samuel Clemens’ (Mark Twain) comment regarding his father: “When I was 14, I though my old man was the dumbest guy on earth; but when I turned 21, I was amazed at how much he had learned in seven short years.”

Of course, the words of Scripture far exceed those of all others. Thus, Solomon’s words exhort us to become what the LORD intended for all true Christian believers. Yet, so many of us fall short of being what the LORD desires. How exceedingly beyond value it is for us to read and devour and apply the richness of the LORD’s instruction for our lives. Even a few verses per day will refreshingly instruct us in the life that we should live. God bless you as you delve daily into His blessed 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