The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezekiel 36:23-28,”When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.’
21 “But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.
23 ‘I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.
24 ‘For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.
25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
28 “You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.’”

Almost every day, it seems, a new accusation of sin comes forth that purports to concern someone, who professes to represent the LORD. It is difficult to view one, who alleges to represent the LORD, be accused of ignominious activities that bring disgrace upon the LORD and the people who worship Him in sincere truth.

The LORD has always had concern for His Holy Name. Thus, those who profess Him as their Lord do harm when they live contrary to His Name. Too often, we are careless in our behavior.
Too often, we want to live like others instead of like Him. This allows us to have companionship with those whose lives wander away from the Divine Pattern He has set for us in His own life.

When I was in high school, some of us who played baseball had the habit of rubbing dirt on our uniforms before the game! It served the appearance of “really being in the game!” Yet, it was deceptive –purposely deceptive! It said that we weren’t just warming the bench as alternate players.

How often such deceptions slip into our spiritual lives. They have the look of our being a true follower of Jesus Christ, when, actually, they are not. It may be the size of the Bible we carry. It may be how enthusiastically we sing. Yet, as someone once said, “It’s not how loud you shout, or how high you jump, it’s how you run when you hit the ground.”

It’s even more than that! One day we will all stand before the LORD Jesus Christ and give an account of our faithfulness –or the lack of it. If you’re into the Word, stay in the Word! If you’re not in the Word, get into It and absorb its truths every day! Even in Israel today, there is serious interest in the New Testament!

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
May they prosper who love you”
(Psalm 122:6).

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 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 Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.
5 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 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.”

Memorial Day is commemorated annually in the United States as a remembrance of those who gave their lives in battles for our country. Not to be forgotten, Billion Graves reached my computer with a list of 171 National Cemeteries in the United States alone.

Our Scripture passage for today speaks of warfare in the days of the Judges. The atrocious features of Israeli warfare in biblical times, however ruthless and cruel by today’s standards, was ordered by the LORD. It may be that He wished us in our historical time, to understand how much He hates evil and how determined He is that wrong should be avenged, whether by His own Hand or by the hands of His people.

We can, therefore, be assured that He is always protective of His people. Our responsibility is to be certain that we are His people through belief in His Son, the LORD Jesus Christ. Are you under His loving care? You can be by simply confessing your sins and asking His forgiveness. It’s simple; but you must be genuinely serious. God loves you!

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 6:28-36, “So Jesus said, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
29 ‘And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’
30 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
31 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.”

It’s not easy to convince a person that he is a slave, when he truly believes that he is free. This was precisely the problem with those to whom Jesus was speaking.

“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they said, “and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’? It’s like trying to convince someone from a slave-holding country that Americans are all free people.

There are numerous Americans, who believe they are “Christians” because they are Americans. Yet,
they are bound by sin that dominates all human life. They simply do not know the truth by which they can become free. Their habits depict their enslavement, yet all the while they think they are free.

All true freedom originates with Jesus Christ. Yet, it’s not enough just to know that; one must experience the “new birth” that comes from Jesus alone. It’s not membership in any certain church. It’s not having been baptized into any church. It all centers in accepting the LORD Jesus Christ as one’s personal Savior!

The most serious, personal question is: Have you confessed your sins to the LORD Jesus Christ and believed in Him for forgiveness? Then, “…you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” My prayer is that you will confess and believe. It’s the only way to true freedom.

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 19:18-26, “But Lot said to them, ‘Oh no, my lords!
19 Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die;
20 now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.’
21 He said to him, ‘Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken.
22 ‘Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.’ Therefore, the name of the town was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven,
25 and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

When will we learn? We can hear Lot argue with God; yet, it’s of little difference when we argue with God. We do, don’t we? How often He has opened doors for our escape, but we would not oblige Him! How often He has closed doors for our protection, yet we blamed Him for the negative occurances!

Walvoord says, “Questioning the Word of God leads to contradiction and unbelief. Though at first Satan only questioned the Word of God, his method led to ultimate contradiction. He proceeded to deny the Word of God.” And so it has been with many over the ages.

Still, the Psalmist says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path…I will keep Your righteous ordinances” (Psa. 119:105).

Why do we argue with God? Are we unsure of His ability to produce what He affirms He can do? Or, are we so filled with self-confidence that we believe we can go it alone? Many try, but always fail. When will we learn that we cannot achieve what God has denied?

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 Sam. 20:31-39, “’For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.’
32 But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, ‘Why should he be put to death? What has he done?’ Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.
34 Then Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him.
35 Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad was with him.
36 He said to his lad, ‘Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.’ As the lad was running, he shot an arrow past him.
37 When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, ‘Is not the arrow beyond you?’
38And Jonathan called after the lad, ‘Hurry, be quick, do not stay!’ And Jonathan’s lad picked up the arrow and came to his master.
39 But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.”

Saul was furious! Anger had superseded his wisdom and he was determined to kill David. What had David done? He was simply absent from a meeting that was apparently regularly attended by the three of them. (Anger will ultimately be Saul’s downfall.)

Saul was never angered like this prior to becoming King. His ego has superseded his rank. Ever know anyone like that?

Had Saul paid closer attention to David and Jonathan, he could have uncovered the mystery of their “shooting the arrow.” This small secret enabled the two boys to communicate without anyone noticing. Children are often clever in concealing their habits from their parents.

There’s a lesson here for parents: Keep an eye on the habits of your children. Curb your anger! There’s an observation for the children, as well. Be careful about hiding things (even non-hurtful things) from your parents and from those who arecharged with caring for you. It worked well this time; it may not work as well next time.

Let love, honesty and faithfulness be the key to all your successes. “Train up a child in the way he should go…” Do you know the remainder of that verse, and where that is found in the Bible? Try Proverbs 22… It’s guaranteed to help!

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