The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 21:22-23, “Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, ‘God is with you in all that you do;
23 now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.’”

When you have lived in a country all of your life, it’s understandable that you know how things
are done, who is in authority, and to whom you should go for information regarding things you
don’t know. This was somewhat the situation with Abraham. He had ventured into the land of
the Philistines and was conversing with Abimelech, who was the Philistine leader.

Phicol, the Philistine military commander, had noticed and liked the demeanor of Abraham. “God is with you,” he said. What we notice of someone we meet for the first time, is the impression we are likely to have of them thereafter. Phicol’s impression of Abraham is probably
what encouraged Abimelech’s impression of him also. We just cannot dismiss that first impression!

It’s important also to notice that Phicol insisted that Abraham swear by the LORD that he would not deal falsely with him. I have to wonder how some troublesome things would work out if we were always closely connected with the LORD! Undoubtedly, there were those in that day, who pretended to be servants of a god, but were not truthful. Hopefully, such will never be true of us. People perceive of God what they see in us!

How spiritually stimulating it is to hear someone say, “Oh, you gave me too much money!” Not
many people are like that today. But, when someone says that to you, it’s an “open door” for
the sharing of the Gospel of Christ: “You must be a Christian!” Whatever the reply, the door is
open for sharing.

There’s always someone, who’s out for all he can get. True believers are out for all they can give! Be always a true Christ-like believer!

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your
good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Genesis 12:4-8, “So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.
6 Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land.
7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.
8 Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.

Make no mistake about it, we’re never too old to serve the LORD! Still, age is not the primary factor. What is of supreme importance is that 1) the LORD spoke to Abram; and 2) that Abram obeyed the instructions of the LORD to the letter! The LORD had led Abram and his family to the land of Canaan.

When the LORD saw that Abram was strictly obedient regarding His instructions, He gave the land as an inheritance to Abram and his descendants. It was then that Abram responded by building an altar to the LORD. Thereafter, Abram prayed incessantly to the LORD and obeyed His commands.

Does this sound terribly difficult to you? It doesn’t sound that way to me, either. So then, why are you and I (note that I am including myself here) not more dedicated to Him and more obedient to His command? Surely, we don’t think we can do better on our own…or that there is some error in the LORD’s directives! Perhaps, it’s because we assess our way better or easier or just more productive than His.

For shame! We would not be in the land of our birth were it not for His will and directive. Nothing at our hand would be productive in the course of His work, were it not for His leadership!

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart”
(Ps. 37:3-4).

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 12:1-3, “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’”

It has well been said that “there’s no place like home.” Home, of course, includes more than
a house; it’s the people that live there, the family. But, what would you do if officials of your local government were to order you to vacate your house and move elsewhere? My guess is that you would immediately contact an attorney.

But what if it were the LORD who ordered you to vacate your abode along with all the many collectibles you had accumulated over the years? Leaving behind all of your possessions is not an easy thought. What the LORD said to Abram, however, was tougher still. He ordered him to
leave his entire family, his country, and move to a distant land. It was an exceedingly tough commission.

At the same time, it encompassed a huge, divine promise! The LORD promised to make Abram a great nation with multiple blessings. Further, Abram was to be a blessing to those
who currently lived in the land. But, what about those already in the land, and who opposed Abram’s residence? The LORD promised to deal appropriately with them.

My family and I know what it is to be called to leave home and live and work in another land.
Some aspects of that calling were quite difficult. At the same time, we belonged to the LORD,
so it was encumbent upon us to do as He had commissioned us. There were indeed a host of
difficulties involved in a move halfway around the world. Yet, the spiritual fruit that we encountered was much more valuable than we could ever have anticipated.

The LORD always knows what is best. Furthermore, He loves His own and provides and protects according to His promise. Don’t ever be afraid of adhering to His calls. There are
five “blessings” alone in our passage above. Apart from the scores of persons that we witnessed as being blessed of the LORD, there remain many more whose friendships we will cherish until we meet again in Glory! “It will be worth it all when we see 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,

Isaiah 59:1-11, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he who eats of their eggs dies, and from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.
6 Their webs will not become clothing, nor will they cover themselves with their works; their works are works of iniquity, and an act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8 They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their paths crooked, whoever treads on them does not know peace.
9 Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, but behold, darkness, for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We stumble at midday as in the twilight, among those who are vigorous we are like dead men.
11 All of us growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we hope for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.”

Were I the Chaplain of the U. S. Senate but for one day, I would be sorely inclined to read this passage with all the emphases and implications it conveys that apply to our United States. The gloom that currently hangs over our nation like an infectious cloud, does so largely because of the multiple iniquities that hang over two of our three Houses of Government.

Isaiah prophesied for more than 50 years; and his words are cited in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament prophet. It is said that “the primary task of the Old Testament prophets was not to foretell future events, but to forthtell the will of God which He had revealed to His prophets” (Jensen, 320-321).

No past, present or future situation is outside of the LORD’s awareness or His ability to control. Nor has He overlooked the slightest minutiae within these situations. The problems that harass us are the problems we have either caused or failed to erase through confession. Read again verse 9, “Therefore, justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us.”

It is not that justice and righteousness are not available to us; rather, it is that our actions have disabled our right to them. The messes we want cleaned up are the messes we alone have created. We grope and stumble and growl and moan, but His salvation is far from us.

Repentance of our own sins will affect the healing of our nation and its problems. The Covenant of the LORD is with us, provided we meet the standard He sets before us:

“My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth
shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor
from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and
forever” (Isa. 59:21).

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,

John 8:31-36, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’
33 They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, “You will become free?”
34 Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of
sin.
35 ‘The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
36 ‘So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’”

In these six verses of John’s Gospel, we discover two of the most important words that affect
all people of all times. The words are “truth” and “free.” Interestingly, truth is what we want
from others; free is what we want for ourselves. Both words, however, are inextricably
connected with the other. We are bound by sin, it is Truth that sets us free.

Those who insist upon twisting truth into lies are forever bound by truth’s absence. Lies are sins, and sins are links in the chain that binds us. Solomon said,

“Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips
of a fool consume him; the beginning of his talking is folly and the
end of it is wicked madness. Yet the fool multiplies words. No man
knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after
him?” (Eccl. 10:12-14).

We all want to be free! We want others to tell us the truth, whatever the situation might be.
Yet, are we as free in sharing truth with others as we want them to be with us? Truth releases
us from the bonds of uncertainty. At the same time, there are specifics that are truths to be
told at specific times.

Yet, how are we to know when and to what extent a truth is to be told? If we are basically
honest, and know and trust the LORD, He will reveal to us when we are to speak and to what
extent we are to share with others the truth we know. We may feel under serious pressure in
such times, but the LORD always cares for His own. Just remember: If you always tell the truth, you will always be free!

There is no greater Truth than what we know and can share of our LORD Jesus Christ. Do
you share Him with others? His Truth will set them free!

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