The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 50:15-20, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong
which we did to him!’
16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father charged before he died,
saying,
17 “Thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?
20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

Were you taught in childhood, that “You can’t do wrong and get by”? It’s a truth
that will bite you at some point in life. Any news outlet will support the validity of that statement; yet, long before there were news outlets like we have today, this simple
fact could easily have been learned from the Bible.

Joseph had a dream that one day he would rule over his brothers. He made the mistake
of sharing the dream with his brothers. They became angry and sold him to some
travelers, and then reported him as dead to their father, Jacob.

After a time, the brothers came to the Egyptian authorities to buy grain for food. Joseph
had become an authority in Egypt, and he recognized his brothers. They, however, did
not recognize him. After considerable time, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers,
and they then feared for their lives! “Little brother” Joseph was now second only to
Pharaoh, King of Egypt! The brothers were trapped! What possibly could they do now?

We sometimes do and say things that we come to regret. We view ourselves as “in
charge,” until we learn that Jesus alone is truly in charge! Will He forgive us for what
we’ve done? Will He forgive us for what we’ve not done? The account of Joseph should
teach us to yield our lives in obedience to Christ, while we can. Joseph was in charge,
but only for a short time; Jesus is in charge all the time! May His Holy Spirit guide our
lives before we forget this true story! Is He guiding your life? Is He in charge of you? Is
He pleased with what you do?

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,

Matthew 21:23-27, “23 When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders
of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’
24 Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell
you by what authority I do these things.
25 The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?’ And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to
us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.”
27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will
I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Did you ever have someone ask you a question, the answer to which was either already
known or simply had no answer at all? “Have you stopped drinking since you left the academy?” Such a question would surely have the intention of embarrassment; especially if the person were known as a “non-drinker.”

Jesus had a similar question posed to Him by the chief priests and elders. It was a question regarding authority; and asking it publically, it was their belief that He would either have to answer the question in front of the people or suffer embarrassment.

Jesus’ response was to ask a question of His accusers. “The baptism of John–” He had only to mention the name of John the Baptist to inflame their hearts with fear of a greater accusation: “The baptism of John (the Baptist) was from what source, from Heaven or
from men?”

His accusers could not answer the LORD Jesus’ question, except to say, “We do not
know.” Then Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

We still have quislings around. They love to embarras believers. Such, however, becomes
difficult, if not impossible, when we stay close to Him and live by His teachings.

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,

Matthew 6:25-34, “”For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow;
they do not toil nor do they spin,
29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of
these.
30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is
thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What
will we wear for clothing?’
32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows
that you need all these things.
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.”

There’s an old adage that says that opposites attract. My parents were both devout Christians. At the same time, they were quite opposite in many ways! My Dad never worried about anything! My Mother, on the other hand, worried about everything!
We lived next door to a couple who were “addicted” in the same way, only she never worried about anything, while he worried about everything.

I remember him saying to my mother: “Velma, don’t let anyone tell you that it doesn’t
pay to worry! Nothing I ever worried about ever happened!” Both of them had a problem.

“Worry” (????????, merimnao) means to be anxious about something — anything. It
constitutes doubt on our part and, simultaneously, challenges the LORD’s ability to
provide what is right and needed. Imagine challenging the LORD –saying that He
was wrong…that He could not provide something we thought we needed, when all
along He was keeping us from something that would have been to our detriment.

Good parents do the same thing. It’s just that parents are human, and humanity leads
us all into a lot of mistakes! Still, don’t hesitate to engage in something out of fear
that you will fail or cause someone else to fail. Be prayerful! Trust in the LORD! He
is the Good Parent and free from the encumbrances that befall all mortal beings.

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,

Matthew 21:18-22, “Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.
19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, ‘No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.’ And at once the fig tree withered.
20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, ‘How did the fig tree wither all at once?’ 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” it will happen.
22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Remember how things went when you were a “kid”? You mother needed to shop, but she
couldn’t leave you at home by yourself, so she took you with her. Shopping always meant passing by the candy store! Shopping, therefore, was never a dull experience.

I won’t mingle a candy store experience with Jesus and His disciples, except to say that they all got hungry, too. The only other strange occurrence was that when the
tree was found to be fruitless, Jesus condemned the tree completely; and instantly the
tree withered.

It was a lesson on faith. Jesus was teaching His disciples that simply speaking to an
inanimate object required trust that what was requested would come true. Fig trees are
supposed to bear figs; and figs were there for the hungry to eat. Jesus continued with the lesson on faith, saying, “If you have faith and do not doubt, you…can say to ths mountain,
‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.“

No, I’ve never spoken to a fig tree –nor to any tree, as far as I can remember. But, I have sought to live by faith in Him and have found Him to be more than reliable. No, it’s more than just asking; it’s being yielded to Him and living daily in His will. Then, “…all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” There’s really nothing like it! And it’s there for you when you trust Him all the way. Does He have your life in His hands? He wants 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,

Psalm 6:9, “the LORD has heard my supplication. The LORD receives my prayer.”

Sometimes in our desperation, we search for a Scripture verse that “fits” with our immediate dilemma. When Scripture verses are used in situations different from their
original meaning, we call it “proof texting.” Certainly, that does not mean that we are
to forego praying or cease searching for a biblical answer.

Somewhere I recall reading of a man who found and used this lethal combination in
the Bible:

And Judas “went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
“What you have seen me do, hurry and do thou likewise” (Judges 9:43).
“Go in haste, or he will overtake us…” (2 Samuel 15:14).

Please note that there is no unity in such foolishness.

Recently, however, I received an email from a lady who was having great difficulty
constructing something on a rather complicated divice. Things were just not going
well. After finding no answer to her dilemma, this Christian lady decided to pray. She
then revisited the difficult situation and it was immediately resolved!

There’s an old song that Christians use to sing. We would do well to take it off of the
shelf and sing it again:

“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.”

What makes old hymns invaluable is that they were often borne out of life situations
that were impossible to bear without the LORD. We call on our pastors to pray for us;
how often do we pray for them? They face the same crises we all face. Pray today
for your pastor. You’ll both be glad you did!

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