The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 3:11-18, “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 corrects the son in whom he delights.
13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.
14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.”

The word “discipline” has five separate meanings, but basically it is “an activity, exercise or regimen that develops or improves a skill or training.” None of those definitions fit what I understood the word to mean when I was a kid. To me it meant punishment! (Don’t snicker! Truth be told, punishment is what it meant for you, also.)
I also learned that to run away from punishment only meant adding fuel to the fire.

But “discipline” is much more than torrid punishments! Discipline is also activity that
develops skills that produce learning. No one learns to play the piano without discipline. The same is true of singing, painting, typing, hunting, fishing –just about anything you can name. And no one starts out as an “expert”! In fact, those not so
talented as you will praise you for having exerted the discipline that made you what
you are.

After we’ve learned to obey verses 11 and 12 above, we inherit the richer blessings noted in verses 13 through 17. They number seven and include understanding, long life, wisdom, riches, honor, a pleasant attitude, and peace.

What kind of neighbor do you want? Oh? Well, that’s exactly the kind of neighbor your neighbor wants, too! Someone has put it so well: “We will never know peace until the
Prince of Peace rules in our hearts!” Is He in yours? Do you know Him? You can, you
know. Just confess your sins to Jesus Christ in prayer, and believe and trust Him to have forgiven you. How will you know? He will let you know. That’s part of the “trust.”

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 23:17-24, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the LORD always.
18 Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
22 Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she
is old.
23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who sires a wise son will
be glad in him.”

Solomon often acts as a human parent when he gives sound advice, as in these verses. It is true that sinners often parade in acquisitions that some believers could never afford. Yet, sinners often have no hope beyond the day. We believers look in hope well beyond the day.

I thank the LORD for the parents He gave me. They were not wealthy, but they were frugal and recognized that everything they possessed had come as a blessing from Almighty God!

My sister and I were taught the principles advocated in the Bible. Moreover, we witnessed those principles being lived out in the lives of our parents and grand-parents. We were not always fully informed why certain things were forbidden, or why some things were required. Yet, in time, we learned them, and passed them on to our own children.

Always tell the truth. Always be honesty, especially when replying to a question from someone in authority. We learned quickly that telling the truth did not require a superficial remembrance of things.

“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
(Prov. 3:5-8).

May God bless you richly, as you trust and follow 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,

Isaiah 59:1-4, “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.”

Have you ever known someone, who was strenuously advised not to do something, yet got into serious trouble because he did it anyway? Maybe he possessed a know-ledge of God, but thought somehow he would get away with it, despite knowing that he would be in violation of the principles of God.

Isaiah clearly knows and attests that sin always separates the sinner from God. Yet, the LORD is always aware of sinful deeds and those who perpetrate them. The more one sins, the greater the wedge between that sinner and the LORD!

The Apostle Paul advises his readers in words that balance those of Isaiah, when he
says, “…do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an
opportunity” (Eph. 4:26). In other words, keep short accounts. Confess sin as quickly as possible. To delay confession is to forget confession, thus allowing sin to “pile up,” as it were, against you. Neglect leads to forgetfulness. That’s why we need to keep “short accounts” with the LORD.

If you’ve ever been associated with law enforcement, you know that crime is never “off the books,” regardless of its severity. It may be there and unsolved for years; but it is not “erased” until the penalty has been satisfactorily paid. So it is with the LORD.

At the same time, sin in our lives represses our witness for the LORD! We sense the need to share Him when we remember our sin, lose confidence, and lay aside the witnessing. Therefore, “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32).

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,

Acts 11:22-26, “…there were some… men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.
23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;
24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul;
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

What exactly is a “Christian”? According to the history of the word itself, a Christian is a true and devoted follower of the LORD Jesus Christ. Early Christians simply referred to themselves as “Disciples.” Over time, the designation “Christian” weakened, so that today, unfortunately, virtually anyone who is not thoroughly pagan and/or embraces a spiritual affiliation of any kind is called by the name “Christian.”

From a true biblical perspective, however, a Christian is one who has personally renounced all non-Christian beliefs, confessed to God all personal sin and acknowledges and embraces the LORD Jesus Christ as his resurrected Savior and Lord is a true Christian.

Churches differ widely in their beliefs, often clustering together as denominations, while embracing belief systems that differ from the clear teachings of Scripture.

A biblical Christian, however, is one who has confessed and renounced his sins and all prior beliefs to the risen LORD Jesus Christ and subsequently embraces and practices the clear teachings of Holy Scripture. Salvation, therefore, is not a matter of affiliation with a particular religious denomination or church, but total, personal belief, trust and submission to the LORD Jesus Christ and His teachings in Holy Scripture.

If you are not a Christian by biblical standards, let me urge you to pray and confess your sins to Jesus Christ today and begin to read and study and embrace His Word, the Bible. If you have questions, I will be more than happy to help you to the extent that I am able.

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 Corinthians 15:1-11, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”

If someone you and I knew suddenly died, and I were to tell you that I saw him alive
and walking the streets where we live, would you believe me? Probably not. Your
disbelief, however, would not negate my affirmation, would it? Absolutely not!

This was precisely the Apostle Paul’s situation with the Corinthians. To them, death meant death. They had never experienced the dead coming to life; thus, it was virtually impossilbe for them to believe that life after death had occurred with Jesus.

With Paul, however, it was real! He had met with the Risen Christ back on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9). Furthermore, his life had been so remarkably changed that those who had known him prior to that Damascus Road experience had no little difficulty themselves believing it to be true.

All of us, however, know or have known, someone whose life has been drastically
changed from a vile, filthy, atrocious individual to one of love and affection, such that it was as if he or she had become a totally different person, language, dress, attitude, speech –everything having been changed!

Wherever you are, whatever your current behavior, you can be different! Jesus Christ
has given new life to multitudes of previously vile sinners. He can change you! In fact, He wants to change you! “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31). And if you have already experienced salvation in Jesus, you
can share Him with others. What a blessed life He has given us! Praise His Name!

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