The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hosea 14:1-4, “Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled
because of your iniquity.
2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity
and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
3 ‘Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses; nor will we say again,
“Our god,” to the work of our hands; for in You the orphan finds mercy.’
4 I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away
from them.”

Israel has always been God’s people! History validates His love and assistance,
when hardly a nation on Earth would stand up for them! The Six Day War that
occurred in June of 1967 –the war that saw Israel retake Jerusalem and all —is
a sufficient demonstration of the LORD’s love for His people!

History also validates how often Israel strayed from the LORD and turned from His
instructions. Only at the Cross of Christ is His Love more highly demonstrated than
when He forgave Israel and cared again for them under His keeping.

The principles that apply to Israel apply to believers in Jesus Christ, as well. How far
some churches and pastors that lay claim to Him and His principles are in today’s
news as having strayed from the clear teachings of God’s Holy Word! If Israel suffered
for her sin in past generations (and she did!), how can some (churches and pastors)
believe they should be reinstated without suffering horrendous loss?

Israel ultimately came to her senses. We can only trust and pray that ministers and
churches, who have turned away from the clear teaching of the Word, will do the same.
Israel was worth all it took to bring her back to the LORD. The Church and her ministers
are worth it, too. At the same time, we must note that Israel paid a high price in every
situation when she veered away from her LORD. It is, therefore, hightly doubtful that
today’s spiritual vagrants will escape.

Don’t become a spiritual vagrant! To do so with the thought that He will always take you
back, is known as “presumptuous sin.” And that sin can be worse than those vagrant
offences. Learn to Love the LORD as He loves you. He will forgive and He will provide. Patience is ever our watchword!

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 4:1-6, “Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious and very angry and mocked the Jews.
2 He spoke in the presence of his brothers and the wealthy men of Samaria and said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to restore it for themselves? Can they offer sacrifices? Can they finish in a day? Can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burned ones?”
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building– if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”
4 Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity.
5 Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders.
6 So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

There’s so much more to this account; believe me, it’s worth the entire read!

You’ve probably viewed some old, abandoned houses on YouTube. It seems a shame that anyone would spend so much money to build a large, two-story house and then just abandon it. Some have even tried to rebuild the houses; but, it’s expensive! Furthermore, unless you have a history with the house, why would you want to restore it?

Nehemiah had good reason to wish for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt. It was the ancient city of the Jewish people. Thus, he received permission from King Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:1) to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls that had been broken down!

Quite often, it is easier to start from “scratch,” rather than to “re-build.” Yet, there was more at stake here than just building walls. These were sacred walls that excluded all but the Jewish people.

It’s often better to start over in anything rather than seeking to repair it. Take life, for example –your life! You’ve made so many mistakes! You might wish there were a way to rebuild it. Truth be told, there is! There are some sacred walls with which Jesus Christ will rebuild it. You already have His permission. Yes, it will take time before everything is in place –BUT, it will be worth it all! Your sins will be forgiven; you will have a new purpose, a new direction for life and for living!

It all goes back to the Cross of Calvary. Jesus, the Son of God, surrendered His Life to that Cross in order that all who believe will be saved! No money is involved! No human effort is effective! It all rises or falls on whether you trust Jesus’ Self-Sacrifice to atone for your broken-down life (walls).

Further, these walls are protective! The one who tore them down cannot do it again! Your life is now secure in it’s Builder, Jesus Christ! He’s free to do the job! No one else is competent! And the Price has been paid! Trust Him! Confess your sins to Him. Ask His forgiveness. Tell Him you love Him! Then, watch those broken walls of your life encounter reconstruction! Then, just Praise the 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,

Genesis 12:1-4, “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.”
4 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.”

I confess to never have been in the military. My late father-in-law was, however, and to
the best of my recollections, he was never ordered to retreat! Advance, advance,
advance! Wars are not won by armies that retreat.

In a very real sense, Abram was a military “general.” He was positioned by the LORD
to lead the nation of Israel. However fearful Abram might have been, he came from a
history of men who had learned to trust the LORD without having to know everything.
Noah was in Abram’s lineage, so doubtlessly he knew of the victory of the Great Flood
that encompassed the whole world!

While much could be said about Abram and his dedication to the LORD, his willingness
to follow the LORD’s directions sets a pattern for all of God’s leaders, as well as us in
our own time. Ask yourself if you are where the LORD wants you at this juncture in your
life. Quite honestly, as believers in the LORD Jesus, we can rest assured that where we are in our station in life precisely where He wants us.

When my dear wife was so ill, and we were in-and-out of hospitals, it took me some time
to grasp the fact that we were where He wanted us, so that we could witness to those
who did not know Him. We encountered numerous people, who did not know Jesus Christ!
Yes, we were there for His purpose! Opportunities abounded!

So, wherever your are and in whatever condition you are, just rest assurred that you are
there for Jesus’ purpose in and with your life. And when it gets “rough,” just remember
how He suffered for you on the Cross. You’re a “general” in the LORD’s military service!
Someday, we believers will meet Him and lay our medals at His feet. “It will be worth it all
when we see Jesus.” Keep a good thought; and share Him with those He’s put in your pathway.

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 30:1-5, “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin;
2 Who proceed down to Egypt without consulting Me, to take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore, the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan and their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them, who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach.”

The word “woe” relates in meaning not only to “stop,” as one might say to a horse, but it’s
also an expression of grief. The usage of the word in our verses above could easily have
the meaning of both “stop” and “grief.” Isaiah could easily have utilized both meanings in
his warning.

Absolutely nothing occurs anywhere, but that the LORD has a plan for His people. It’s as
true for us as it was for Israel. Pray tell, why do they and we devise and execute plans, rather than waiting patiently on the LORD? It’s almost as if we trusted ourselves more than
we trust Him.

Shame is equal to disapointment; therefore, when we seek anything (comfort, shelter, etc.)
from anyone other than the LORD, we are, in effect, saying that He is less dependable
than those who don’t even know Him. It compares with a child who disowns and degraces his own father when he asks money from a stranger.

“The safety of Pharaoh will be your shame,” the prophet says! And so it is with all nations,
who seek the provision of their needs (or even wants) from anyone but the LORD! Do you
pray to the LORD for the things that you need? You ought to do so if you truly belong to
Him.

There are two young boys who live across the street from me. The always wave and
greet me (“Hi, Mr. Gene!”) when I am outside and visible to them. Yet, they never ask me
for anything, however needful it might be. How would their dad feel if they relied upon me
instead of upon him? He is their responsibility, and he enjoys being their responsibilty.

Oh, that we might trust the LORD! First, He wants and needs to be our Father. Then, He
wants us to rely upon Him for our needs. Believe me, He can provide anything! And, as the
Provider, He has the responsibility to assess what we need and precisely when we need it.

None of this is hard. Take Him as your Father by trusting in His Son, Jesus! Once you are
spiritually related to Him, He will meet your every need! Even things you need that you
didn’t know you needed –He will provide. Trust Him! Give Him your life! That’s the Key!

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,

Psalm 12:1-4, “Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, for the faithful disappear
from among the sons of men.
2 They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they
speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things;
4 Who have said, ‘With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own! Who is lord
over us?’”

How many times have you and I spoken when it would have been to our advantage
not to have? I shudder when I think of such times in my own life. At the same time,
I fear that I have also failed to speak when the occasion demanded it. Where was the
voice of the godly man or woman? Surely, someone has the courage for a verbal challenge!

Our verses above cite some who speak falsely and flatteringly, while knowing better in
their hearts. Has that ever been the occasion with you? I pray it has not! The psalmist
denounces all false and flattering speech. He knows and reveals in these verses the
flattery that claims it will prevail, while it denies that anyone is “lord over” those who
employ ungodly tactics through their speech.

Our hearts should cry for the LORD to silence such voices! At the same time, our
self-determination should be that we stand in fearless opposition to all things false!
Stand determinably? Yes, but always in love, for His death on the Cross was not for
us alone.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Please find attached for your reading, my book, ALIVE IN THE SPIRIT!

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